Tara Shannon’s “Think I’ll Stay Alone” Named August “Best Song Of The Month”

Tara Shannon, a country singer/songwriter based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, has won the SongwriterUniverse “Best Song Of The Month” Contest for August, for her song “Think I’ll Stay Alone” (co-written by Jonathan Helfand). This song is included on Shannon’s album Cover Story, which she released in October 2025 on her label, Willow Sound Records.

“Think I’ll Stay Alone” is well-crafted country/pop song that has a warm, appealing melody and a thoughtful lyric theme. The song starts softly with a piano intro, and gradually builds emotion and energy. This recording provides a good showcase for Shannon’s expressive, soulful lead vocals and there are good harmonies in the chorus. “Think I’ll Stay Alone” was expertly produced in Nashville by renowned record producer & label exec Jim Ed Norman, who has produced many hits with Anne Murray, Kenny Rogers, Dylan Scott and Hank Williams Jr.

Shannon grew up in Ontario, and she studied at the Royal Conservatory in Toronto. She learned how to play piano and saxophone, and attended McGill University in Montreal. Impressively she has released seven albums, starting with The Beginning in 1996, and one of her favorite albums is Unfinished, which came out in 2017.

For her new album, Cover Story, the album mostly consists of Shannon’s renditions of classic songs and reimagines songs by Celine Dion, Joni Mitchell, Sarah McLachlan and Alanis Morissette. In the bio for Cover Story, it says that the album is a heartfelt tribute to the Canadian women who shaped her artistic journey.

For this album, Shannon decided to record one of her original songs. Notably, she picked “Think I’ll Stay Alone,” which Jim Ed Norman also liked, and it resulted in this quality recording.

Currently, Shannon has been promoting this album, and she and her band have been playing shows in Ottawa and other cities in Ontario. In addition, she will be releasing a holiday single later this year.

Interestingly, Shannon is involved with other music projects besides her career as an artist. She runs her record label, Willow Sounds Records, which has signed other artists to the label. She also does teaching and coaching, and she hosts workshops. On top of this, she is an author who wrote a book called You And Music Business.