Shanell Lynn Woodgett (born November 15, 1980) known simply as Shanell or SnL, is an American singer and songwriter from

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

. She is signed to

Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman (rapper), ...

Young Money Entertainment Young Money Entertainment is an American record label founded by rapper Lil Wayne. Young Money's president is Lil Wayne's lifelong friend and fellow rapper Mack Maine. The label was an imprint of Cash Money Records and is distributed by Republi ...

, which was formerly an imprint of Birdman's

Republic Records Republic Records is a New York City–based American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). It was founded by Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman as an independent label in 1995, and was acquired by UMG in 2000. Republic was initially an ...

-distributed

Cash Money Records Cash Money Records is an American record label founded in 1991 by brothers Ronald "Slim" Williams and Bryan "Birdman" Williams. Distributed by Republic, formerly known as Universal Republic, the label has been home to a roster of mostly hip h ...

Biography

Born in

Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most p ...

Shanell was raised in

and is the older sister of recording artist

D. Woods Wanita Denise Woodgett (born July 6, 1985), better known as by her nickname D. Woods, is an American singer, dancer, and actress. Woods is the founder and CEO of Woodgrane Entertainment, but best known for her efforts on MTV's "Making The Band 3 ...

. Her introduction to music was from her father, a Merrill Lynch Financial Advisor. A classically trained dancer in the disciplines of

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

, ballet and

modern dance Modern dance is a broad genre of western concert or theatrical dance which included dance styles such as ballet, folk, ethnic, religious, and social dancing; and primarily arose out of Europe and the United States in the late 19th and early 20th ...

, she began her career as a music video dancer for artists like

Ciara Ciara Princess Wilson ( ; Harris; born October 25, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, model and entrepreneur. She released her debut studio album, '' Goodies'' in 2004, which spawned four singles: " Goodies" (featuring Petey Pa ...

. Dancing by day, Shanell penned songs by night to production from Iowa producer and friend Bangladesh, garnering a name for herself as a songwriter.Biography!
Shanell aka SnL Fans!. Retrieved 17 August 2011. As a principal dancer for

Ne-Yo Shaffer Chimere Smith (born October 18, 1979), known professionally as Ne-Yo, is an American singer, songwriter, actor, dancer, and record producer. He gained fame for his songwriting abilities when he penned Mario's 2004 hit " Let Me Love You ...

, who later signed her to his publishing company, Shanell headed out on tour where she continued to record and hone her writing skills, penning songs for

Danity Kane Danity Kane was an American girl group whose original and most well-known lineup comprised Aubrey O'Day, Aundrea Fimbres, Dawn Richard, Shannon Bex, and Wanita "D. Woods" Woodgett. Its most recent iteration included O'Day and Richard as a duo ...

, Ne-Yo,

Melanie Fiona Melanie Fiona Hallim (born July 4, 1983) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario.Kelis Kelis Rogers-Mora (; born August 21, 1979), known mononymously as Kelis, is an American singer, songwriter and a professionally trained chef. At age 14, she was admitted to New York's Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Perform ...

and

Jennifer Hudson Jennifer Kate Hudson (born September 12, 1981), also known by her nickname J.Hud, is an American singer, actress, and talk show host. Throughout her career, she has received various accolades for her works in recorded music, film, televisio ...

. She was introduced to

, who offered her a slot on his

roster, creative control of her projects, and the opportunity to join him on stage during his

I Am Music Tour The I Am Music Tour, was a concert tour headlined by American rapper Lil Wayne. The tour was following his Grammy Award-winning album ''Tha Carter III''. The tour concluded with America's Most Wanted Tour featured Wayne's record label, Young M ...

. Shanell was also on the 40-city I Am Music II Tour with Lil Boo, Lloyd,

Kidd Kidd Curtis Stewart (born November 26, 1983), better known by his stage name Kidd Kidd (formerly known as Nutt Da Kidd), is an American rapper from New Orleans, Louisiana. He was one of the first members of Lil Wayne's label imprint, Young Money Enter ...

, Kevin Kev and Big Dawg Movement which started in Hartford, CT July 13, 2011 and ended in Woodlands, TX September 11, 2011. Most recently, Shanell released a visual for "Boy Stop Playin'" in January 2014, which was included on her June 2013 EP Midnight Mimosas.

Discography

Compilation albums

Mixtapes

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Guest appearances

References

External links

*
Shanell Artist Information
{{Authority control 1984 births American choreographers American dance musicians American electro musicians American female dancers American dancers Cash Money Records artists Living people Musicians from Anaheim, California Songwriters from California Young Money Entertainment artists 21st-century American singers Singers from Massachusetts Songwriters from Massachusetts American women in electronic music 21st-century American women