Shy Amos. Photography by Yuvie Styles

Born into a tight, talented, musical, churchgoing family, Shy Amos grew up surrounded by song and a spiritual glow that brightened as she discovered her own gifts. 

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When seemingly opposing internal forces vied for attention and cultivation, she refused to choose a single route and explored both arts and business. She’s a wordsmith who loves math, a rap artist for whom “hot girl summer” refers to the first organized meetings of the suffragettes in July 1848. By embracing duality, she taps into a power and uniqueness that’s driving her career and inspiring other independent artists. 

The Civilized Festival is this weekend.

Ten years in, the hip hop and spoken word artist and entrepreneur — known widely as ShySpeaks — has shared stages with famous rappers including Ludacris, Bun B and Jeezy as well as gospel icon Tye Tribett and poet Janette IKZ. And of equal importance in her mind, she just produced a music video with the DeSoto girls basketball team. 

Settling into a booth at a Tyler Station coworking space, the South Oak Cliff native tosses back long locks accessorized with a pearly seashell and smiles. In a steady and practiced voice — hand movements punctuating significant words and phrases — she discusses her roots, mission and plans for the future, which include a big event coming to Dallas this month.  

Shy Amos. Photography by Yuvie Styles

What’s your origin story as an artist?

Everyone in my family can play an instrument. We’ll be sitting around and start harmonizing, someone sits down at the piano, that’s us. But that was gospel, blues — no hip hop artists. In Oak Cliff and South Dallas I was exposed to that side of it. I took the positivity, inspiration, love and spirituality from one side and the lyricism from the culture; I realized that my instrument was my voice that’s attached to my mind and its ability to string words together. You put all of that together and you have ShySpeaks. 

How did you discover your voice as an instrument?

It was probably in doing this oratorical contest when I was in elementary school. That helped me develop my stage presence, competence and confidence. Later in my teenage years I started to realize people wanted to listen to me. It could be a game or a party, all of a sudden, not only kids will be listening. The adults will be listening. I remember at a game cheering, “I say this and you say …” and they yell back, and I think, “This is crazy. A crazy amount of power. A voice can move people to a response.”

But you did not go straight down the artistic path, right? 

There was a point after high school when I decided I no longer wanted to be known as Shy who raps and does poetry and plays ball. I wanted to know more of myself, to grow professionally, spiritually, emotionally. To a degree, I set aside the music and poetry and would write only therapeutically, for myself. I started studying engineering, to be a computer engineer. But I realized I don’t really want to only make objects function. I want to be around people. I switched my degree to business with an emphasis on operations management. Then I went back and got a master’s in supply chain management. Then I went back and got my MBA with an emphasis on entrepreneurship. 

How are all these things coming together for you?

The way we think about artists, we don’t realize that they are a business. That’s one of the things that I want to teach other independent artists — how to set up, organize and operate. I’m working on developing a course called Indie Structure Academy. I want to teach them how to structure the back end of their creativity, so they can be taken more seriously in society. 

One event coming up for me is the Civilized Festival, a one-day festival here in Dallas — it’s all about civic duty, racial equity, the culture, the arts. I want to be the first independent artist in Dallas with their own festival. In doing that festival, I am the operations manager, not just a performer. But I will be performing. Forces that seem opposed — like subtlety and boldness or Shy and Speak — that’s me.

But did you know when you were in business school that you would return to performing?

When I was in school I would hum or recite something aloud. One of my friends said, “You have to share that. It would be a shame if you didn’t.” Then another and another person says the same thing. I did some spoken word sprinkled with a little bit of my artistic, musical side. Then people would come up and ask if I had an album, music online. Being an artist who also is good at math and business is unique and valuable and I started seeing how that was going to open doors. 

One of your videos is described as “leaves a solution-oriented taste in your mouth.” Is that indicative of what you’re trying to do, on a broader scale? 

Solution-oriented is my thing and even beyond that is inspiration. It’s what people need. People can get enough money, they can have enough things, but there’s not a soul I know that can’t use more inspiration and empowerment. I want to be able to encourage others to speak their voice. And like embracing all of the different roots — hip hop, gospel, for example — it allows us to have deeper conversations. I feel that hip hop gives you a little bit more room for individual expression. Within church and gospel, it’s often a collective idea being expressed. I think there’s two types of artists — one kind talks about the light, the other shows you what the light helps us see. I see this stuff happening in society, in politics, in the streets, with our infrastructure and in my life, and I get to have these conversations about what the light lets me see.

How did the video with the DeSoto Lady Eagles basketball team come to be?

I recently released a song called “Wings.” My inspiration was the WNBA Dallas Wings. And I did that because I wanted to bring attention to women’s sports. I could have written an anthem for the Mavs, but where’s the attention and fanfare on the WNBA and women? I want to contribute to the conversation around the disparity that we see with women’s sports. But it’s a song anybody can listen to — it’s all about me and my team.

After I wrote it, the Wings were in the pandemic bubble and in the time before I made the music video, my muse came along. My inspiration was the Wings but my muse was the DeSoto girls basketball team. These girls from right next door to Oak Cliff, representing DFW, they won state twice, back to back, they were practically undefeated, they literally don’t lose in Texas, they were televised on ESPN as one of the top teams in the nation, and the coach has won or been nominated for multiple awards. When the South Oak Cliff boys won state, we did it right. Dallas celebrated. I want to see that for girls too. 

What is the role of fashion and your look in the ShySpeaks package?

After my  video “Wake Up” came out, I had some fashion brands approach me to be an ambassador because of my style, my music, personality and the way it all works together. Especially when we talk about hip hop, many women are portrayed or portray themselves in very sexual or sensual manner.  I believe that everybody’s story matters, but that’s not a true reflection of all women. I think there’s a lot of women whose gift, whose instrument, is her brains. I am a message-driven artist. The message, what I have to offer — that is my power, and so the package and delivery will be free of distractions like graphic words and overt sexuality. I am leading with who I am, my true essence. 

Keep up with Shy and learn more about the Civilized Festival, June 18, at shyspeaks.com. 

Interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

Shy Amos. Photography by Yuvie Styles