Shontelle - Another Rihanna?

Shontelle hails from the Caribbean island nation of Barbados and is a protege of the team of Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers. Sound familiar? If you keep a close eye on pop music you will recognize the shared experience with superstar Rihanna. This isn't where the connections end.

During high school Shontelle attended a camp where she served as a drill sergeant over the young Rihanna. According to her MySpace site, Shontelle says of Rihanna, "She was a good cadet, though there was one occasion when I had to make her drop and give me ten push-ups. We laugh about it now…I think she’s forgiven me." Reportedly, the pair remain good friends.

While Rihanna exploded on the international pop music scene, Shontelle pursued some of her musical dreams behind the scenes. As a student at the University of the West Indies she helped write hit songs by other Caribbean artists. Fortunately for Shontelle, Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers heard her song "Roll" on a Barbados radio station and soon decided they had another potential star on their hands. They may be right. The single "T-Shirt" is climbing pop radio playlists, and the debut album Shontelligence is due in stores this fall.

Listen to "T-Shirt"

_{Photo courtesy Motown Records}