“While writing and working on these new songs, I wanted to blend the authenticity of my Louisiana roots,” singer-songwriter Amanda Shaw says, “with rock and pop energy. It’s modern life mixed with some of the traditional sounds that raised me.”

Cajun influence is integral to understanding Shaw’s music, but it should be clear: it’s a sound that’s all her own. A fiddle player since childhood, Shaw grew up in New Orleans, on the other side of the state from the birthplace of Cajun music–Lafayette, La. Her early years were steeped in both fais do-dos and a vibrant mélange of jazz, blues, funk and rock ‘n’ roll.

“I want people to feel like they've never seen anyone play fiddle the way I play it,” Shaw continues. “I’ve always felt like it’s such a versatile instrument. I aim to fuse different genres and make my own unique brand of Cajun country music.”

Shaw grew up in the heart of the New Orleans music scene, and the influence of a rich music community brimming with creativity weaves throughout the music she makes. As she gears up to release a new project in 2025, she’s mixing in an additional accolade: this time she’s working with producer Kent Wells, a longtime collaborator and bandleader for Dolly Parton. The result links traditional Cajun music with modern elements for something that’s decidedly Americana.

“Growing up, I loved Rod Stewart and The Faces,” she says. “They were a rock band with fiddle, mandolin and 12 strings! Most people have an idea of what ‘fiddle music’ is but the notes are the notes and the energy you bring really defines who you are as an artist, not the instrumentation.”

As the lone musician in her family, Shaw relied on the local music community to teach her. After seeing a violin on television, she quickly began lessons and soon after, her parents began taking her to Cajun dances called fais do-dos around town. Fiddle players would teach her how to play Cajun songs while the other band members were sound-checking–songs she still plays in her sets today.

“When I was young, my parents would take me fais do-dos, an old tradition in Cajun music,” Shaw explains. “The trajectory is that after the Louisiana Purchase, New Orleans made a deal to take these French Canadians because they needed farmers. They spoke Cajun French, which is obviously different than French. Come the 1940s, people were being drafted for the war without speaking English. So eventually, their language became outlawed.”

“The 1940s were not that long ago,” she continues. “You had something that was so well preserved because it was a community full of people that regarded folk traditions. When you listen to the music, much of it was about love found, love lost, and how life is hard. But come the weekend, the fais do-dos were dedicated to the community coming together. Life is also joyful, and it's meant to be celebrated. I hope my music continues to share the same ideas.”

Shaw’s dad grew up in Ponchatoula, a small town in southern Louisiana, and her mother grew up in Guatemala. As Shaw delved into Cajun music and learned more about its niche culture, she also learned to admire her own uniqueness. 

“I grew up really close with my mom's family, a culture which is also super joyful. I think it’s partly why I connected with Cajun traditions so much,” she says. “Growing up, there were not very many families that looked like mine. On Grandparents’ Day, kids at school would be like ‘Why do your grandparents talk that way?’ Or ‘Why do they look that way?’ Because we really were the only family like mine.”

Shaw dove headfirst into music for a deeper understanding of who she was and how she fit in it. And it went well. By the time she was 15, Shaw had a record deal with Rounder Records, appeared in two Disney films, and filmed the documentary Hurricane on the Bayou. “That’s probably why I’m still so short,” she quips. “I was too busy–I didn’t get enough sleep or growth hormones during those years!”

Since then, Shaw has appeared as part of a number of notable pop culture touchstones: national appearances on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve, the Today Show's Roker-thon and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and once-in-a-lifetime performances with Cyndi Lauper, among many others. She’s received prestigious local honors including the Big Easy Award for Best Female Entertainer and Louisiana Music Hall of Famer, and has released an impressive nine EPs and albums to date. 

In conversation, Shaw is quick to mention how important Lousiana is to her, and how important it is that Cajun tradition be an understood piece of Americana music as a whole, and her own. 

“I’m inspired by the place where I grew up and I really want to be part of continuing to put Louisiana’s musical influence on the map in a modern and forward-moving way,” she says. “I want to exude that joy in my music.”