East London singer-songwriter Shelana Azora links up with Dutch artist, producer and creative entrepreneur Richandell for ‘Can’t Trust’, a sleek R&B and hip-hop collaboration shaped by instinct, lived experience and an effortless cross-border creative connection.
There is a familiar tension running through ‘Can’t Trust’. It is the point where disappointment stops being something to wrestle with and starts becoming something to move on from. Shelana Azora and Richandell tap into that feeling with a track that pairs soulful vocals with a rhythm-led production style, turning broken trust into something more self-assured.
Shelana’s vocal performance sits at the centre of the record. Direct and emotionally controlled, she moves between vulnerability and confidence without overplaying either. There is a sense of someone who has already done the processing and is now drawing a line under the situation. The result feels less like a traditional breakup track and more like a statement of boundaries.
Richandell handles the production from top to bottom, taking on songwriting, recording, mixing and mastering duties alongside the beat. His approach brings together R&B, hip-hop and global rhythmic influences, giving the track a polished, spacious feel while keeping the focus firmly on Shelana’s delivery and the story behind it.
For Shelana, ‘Can’t Trust’ fits naturally into a period of artistic evolution. Known for switching between singing and rap, she has spent years developing her sound through London’s live scene and earlier releases including Epiphany. A more recent period of personal reset has also influenced the direction of her work, bringing a stronger emphasis on honesty, independence and knowing where to draw the line.
Richandell arrives with his own extensive experience across both sides of the studio. The Dutch-Caribbean creative has worked as an artist, producer, songwriter and educator, with credits and connections spanning Sony Music, Top Notch and Wisseloord Studios. He is also the founder of Rotterdam-based creative hub Sound Co-Lab Studios and has used his From Scratch initiative to support and develop emerging talent, reaching more than 5,000 young creatives.
The pair first crossed paths in Amsterdam, where an early studio session quickly established a natural creative chemistry. Rather than being a one-off meeting, that initial connection developed into an ongoing exchange of ideas, eventually leading to ‘Can’t Trust’.
The single was recorded at Wisseloord Studios, a location with serious musical history. The Dutch studio has welcomed artists including Michael Jackson, U2, Elton John and The Police, making it an appropriately storied setting for a collaboration that connects London’s contemporary R&B sensibility with Richandell’s Dutch-Caribbean perspective.
What makes ‘Can’t Trust’ work is its refusal to get stuck in the fallout. The track acknowledges betrayal, but its energy is directed elsewhere. There is no need to keep picking at the wound when the lesson has already landed.
Instead, Shelana and Richandell turn that realisation into something with movement. Soulful, rhythm-heavy and quietly defiant, ‘Can’t Trust’ captures the moment when self-respect becomes louder than disappointment.
For both artists, it is a meeting of styles and experiences that feels less like a calculated crossover and more like a natural studio connection finally finding its form.
