Singer Shantaia signs a management deal with Walk Off Entertainment

Shantaia has signed with Walk Off Entertainment for management, MusicRow reported. Originally from Spiritwood, Saskatchewan and now based in Nashville, the country singer is a five-time SCMA Award winner with more than six million career streams and a Top 35 single at Canadian country radio, and has shared festival bills with artists including John Mayer, Kane Brown, Tyler Childers and Midland. This past June, she was chosen from more than 500 applicants as one of three finalists in SoFi's Amplify Your Ambitions Contest, created with Kelsea Ballerini and the CMA.

"I'm so excited to officially announce this partnership," Shantaia said, noting she had spent over a year building toward the moment with the team. "It's been extremely refreshing to work with people who see and hear my vision and aren't afraid to jump and take a risk."

Artist manager Kyra Tillotson described what drew the agency to Shantaia: "It's incredibly rewarding to work with an artist who has such a clear vision and unwavering sense of who she is," she said, adding that Shantaia "has found a lane that's entirely her own, blending soulful influences with country in a way that feels fresh but completely authentic."

The deal arrives alongside a new album: Shantaia will release the eight-track "One Trick Pony" on Oct. 16, previewed by the title track, "Faster Horses," "Rose Colored Glasses," "Why On Earth" and her latest single, "Risk You Run."

Shantaia described "Risk You Run" as a turning point in her sound. "'Risk You Run' is the first song on this project that really leans into the soul and R&B influences" that have always felt most natural for her voice, she said, crediting collaborators including Curt Chambers, Brad Hill, Ryan Sorestad and Clayton Shay for making that direction easier to develop. "This is just the beginning, and I can't wait to keep taking the risks," she added.