While Shontelle is new to DARE Records, she has been amazing and inspiring listeners for years. Born into a musical family devoted to the Word, the Memphis native has been singing since the age of 2. Growing up, she sang gospel harmonies with her siblings Shallen, Sharisse, and the late Shea Norman as The Normans, under the direction of her father, James Alen Norman. The family group sang at their home church and other places of worship, astonishing churchgoers with their gorgeous multi-layered harmonies, precise execution, and inspiring testimonies. That experience prepared Shontelle for a successful vocal career that has spanned a range of musical genres, venues, and even continents.
Shontelle’s résumé includes performing as part of the world-famous New Edwin Hawkins Singers, under the leadership of Edwin Hawkins, and she occasionally tours with NEA Jazz Master Dee Dee Bridgewater, along with her sister Sharisse. The sisters were also featured as background vocalists in the 2014 music documentary Take Me To The River for award-winning artists William Bell, Otis Clay, and Bobby Rush. The film was directed by Martin Shore and narrated by Oscar-nominated actor Terrence Howard.
Shontelle and Sharisse also maintain an ongoing residency as first-call backing vocalists at the world-famous Royal Studios in Memphis, under the direction of owner Lawrence “Boo” Mitchell. The renowned studio is the home of Hi Records, where Al Green and Boo’s father, legendary music executive and producer Willie Mitchell, created a string of unforgettable hit records. Royal Studios has hosted sessions by numerous rock, blues, and soul stars -– including Buddy Guy, Bobby Bland, Ike and Tina Turner, Boz Scaggs, Rod Stewart, Pop Staples, and Otis Rush – and continues to be booked by hitmakers like Bruno Mars, Eric Benet, and many more.
Blessed with an outsized talent, Shontelle Norman-Beatty is a force to be reckoned with as a mother, a Christian, and an artist. Now living in Houston, TX, with her husband, Bishop Andre T. Beatty, and their blended family of five children, Shontelle Norman-Beatty is the First Lady of Kingdom Culture Center, where he is the senior pastor. A recent survivor of COVID-19, this consummate artist is ready to blaze a musical trail all on her own.