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New Documentary 'Presenting Princess Shaw' Follows New Orleans Singer From YouTube To Concert Hall

New Orleans singer Samantha Montgomery is the subject of the documentary "Presenting Princess Shaw."
Courtesy Magnolia Pictures
New Orleans singer Samantha Montgomery is the subject of the documentary "Presenting Princess Shaw."

A new documentary feature film, "Presenting Princess Shaw," follows the life of Samantha Montgomery, a New Orleans singer and elder care nursing assistant, as she goes from her own obscure YouTube channel to starring in a video by international music mashup artist Kutiman.

New Documentary "Presenting Princess Shaw" Follows New Orleans Singer From YouTube To Concert Hall

Since 2012, Montgomery has posted videos to YouTube under her online persona Princess Shaw. Those run the gamut from acapellasinging sessions to venting about her busted car and sharing painful emotions about a difficult childhood.

FilmmakerIdoHaar's"Presenting Princess Shaw" tracks the discovery of these videos byKutiman, an enigmatic music producer and YouTubemashupartist in Israel, who takes Montgomery's vocals and makes them the centerpiece of several songs, fleshing them out with music played by otherYouTubers. It's only when his work goes online that Montgomery learns she's been an unwitting collaborator, and heads to Israel to record and perform withKutiman.

The film premieres in New Orleans May 31, 7 p.m. at the CAC. A performance by Princess Shaw follows.

Copyright 2016 WWNO - New Orleans Public Radio

Eve Troeh was WWNO's first-ever News Director, hired to start the local news department in 2013. She left WWNO in 2017 to serve as Sustainability Editor at Marketplace.