Shenseea opens up about her first reaction after learning she received a Grammy nomination and the first time she heard her song played at a party.
Shenseea has been in the business since she was 19 years old, and while some might view her ascension in the entertainment industry as very quick, the now rising hip hop artist has not gotten to the top overnight. In her latest interview for Honda and Billboard’s Honda stage, which features artists and their powerful and inspirational come-up stories, Shenseea talks about her entry into music and achieving some of the biggest milestones artists who are many years her senior is yet to see.
Shenseea went from a bottle service girl working at music festivals where she would take the mic from time to time. Even though her music was out and being played on radio, TV, and at parties, the youngster was still working as a bottle girl but had her focus on music.
“I was working at a party and one of my friends said that she wanted me to have a meeting with her boss. I had the meeting with him, I started working for him as a bottle, he discovered my talent and said that he wanted to be a part of my musical journey,” she said about her local manager Romeich Major who discovered her talent.
Shenseea says she was blown away by her talent.
“I remember when for the first time I heard my song being played at Dream Weekend, I literally sat on one of the benches and was like ‘yo I sound good’…Every time I do a show it’s more and more people you know I love that for us because I consider all of us a family,” she said.
She also spoke about her biggest inspirations in life- the women who raised and nurtured her.
Her passion and drive at just 19 years old with a one-year-old baby was one of the biggest challenges she faced but according to Shenseea, growing up with her mother and aunt, who nurtured and raised her, taught her some valuable lessons.
Shenseea has always been open about the fact that she never knew who her father was, and she did not grow up with a father figure. However, the young superstar says she had a sound upbringing from her mother and aunt.
“The majority women are in my fan base, I love that because what I have learnt from my aunt is how to be a strong woman but I have learnt from my mom how to be independent. I try to instill that on women and young women.”
Earlier this year, Shenseea was nominated four times in the rap and pop category for both of her features on Kanye West’s Donda album and two other separate collaborations. She shared her reaction to the milestone at such a young age.
“When I found out I I got nominated for a Grammy, my co-manager called me like ‘yo you got nominated’ it was just ecstatic man. I Love where I am at now because I know where I am coming from. it’s like I am walking this road and I can see the end but the end is not near,” she said.
Last week, the Jamaican singer spoke about her love for dancehall and what it means to her.
She is the latest artist to feature on Honda Stage, which previously interviewed Grammy-winning artist Koffee on her journey to stardom. Winning her first Grammy award at just 19 years old, Koffee spoke about growing up in the volatile Spanish Town community and being raised by a single mother.
In the meantime, Shenseea, who recently launched her debut album Alpha as a Pop and dancehall/ reggae fusion album, is also featured on “Light My Fire” by Sean Paul and featuring the iconic Gwen Stefani.
