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360 recently ran into Dancehall and Reggae artist Shenseea. This 25-year-old seemed wise beyond her years.
The Jamaican dancehall singer has already collaborated with notable artists including H-Town’s own Megan Thee Stallion, Tyga, Vybz Kartel, Kanye West, 21 Savage, and Christina Aguilera.
However, as she crosses new boundaries in music, not everybody knows exactly who she is or her music catalog.
Is Shenseea Her Real Name or Stage Name?
Born as Chinsea Lin Lee, Shenseea was born on October 1, 1996, in Mandeville, Jamaica. It’s the capital and largest town in the Manchester parish in Middlesex, Jamaica. Her moniker was developed during her time working with promotions in Kingston.
Her Road To Education and Music
She moved to Kingston to nurture her musical ambition and enrolled in Exed Community College to study Entertainment Management. However, financial setbacks put a pause on the completion of her studies. 500,000 plus Jamaicans, which accounts for nearly 20 percent of the population, are living in poverty and unable to afford proper healthcare for themselves.
During an interview, she explained why the business of music was important to her,
“I’ve always wanted to be an artiste as well as to learn the business,” Shenseea said. “There is just so much to learn, from what routes to take to strategy, marketing and development. And I want to learn it all, so I can help myself and those around me that have been there pushing me from the beginning.”
She continued,
“I was really bummed that I couldn’t continue my studies, but I moved on. The opportunity came and I took it without knowing how far I would get. Who knows, if I had finished how long it would’ve [taken] me or what things I would have to face and do to reach where I am today?”
Why Social Media Is The Way For Gen Z and Late Millenials
Shenseea admitted that social media played a part in her development for being put on.
“I first got my start in music in 2016 when I used to put up a lot of freestyles on my Instagram, on my Facebook. I used to broadcast them through my WhatsApp,” she told BET.
That’s when she caught the attention of Romeich Major, a well-known entertainment promotion businessman in Kingston. Their business collaboration led to opportunities such as publicity development for projects and recording sessions at an in-house studio located inside his main office.
The young beauty was using her opportunities to promote brands such as Smirnoff and Hennessey in some of Jamaica’s hot spots as a catalyst to launch her career and build a following.
Her musical debut took place in 2016 with the release of her hit single “Jiggle Jiggle.” However, one of her biggest hits was in 2019 with rapper Tyga on the song “Blessed” which has over 60 million views since its release.
Shenseea On Motherhood
In 2015, she gave birth to her son Rajerio Lee with her baby’s father, Rob. Not much has been disclosed publicly about their relationship. However, the singer has definitely doted on her son. She took her son to this year’s Billboard awards looking like royalty on the red carpet.
The Alpha Debut
After six years of releasing singles with the help of Romeich Entertainment and an infectious single with Vybz Kartel called “Loodi,” it was only a matter of time before the major labels took notice.
In 2019, Interscope Records signed Shenseea which she shares with Billie Eilish, DaBaby, Selena Gomez, and Moneybagg Yo.
Interscope’s EVP, Joie Manda said,
“She represents Jamaica in a loud and truly authentic voice…Many artists go to Jamaica to learn the culture, Shenseea teaches it.”
On March 11, the release of Alpha made its way to streaming services, and positive reviews for the 14-track album. Beenie Man and Sean Paul, two successful crossover dancehall artists, were just a few of the star-studded features of the project.
Of course, you can’t leave out her track “Lick” with Megan Thee Stallion which followed its own controversy following the collaboration of Stallion and Cardi B’s “WAP.”
When asked as to why she titled the album Alpha, she said,
“…It resonates with my personality, it’s who I am. I’m a leader when it comes on to my ShenYengz and whatever I want to achieve in life, I lead first, I set the trends. It doesn’t matter if the world is against me, I’m gonna do what I wanna do because I am the ALPHA, I am strong, being everything that I have endured till this day in my life,” according to HipHopKit, per MTV News.
Shenseea added,
“I know who I am, I know what I want, I know the strength that it took for me to get here and I just feel like it was the perfect name.”
Shenseea’s Dream Collaborations and Influences
Being from the Caribbean, Rihanna is definitely an analog of influence for reggae artists. It comes as no surprise that she’s included in Sheneseea’s ideal musical combinations,
“I would say Rihanna for sure. Nicki Minaj and Post Malone,” when asked who she’d want to work with in the industry.
