Described as ‘radical and disruptive’, Shenseea has conquered Jamaica’s dancehall scene – and now she’s coming for the rest of the world
![Shenseea: I grew up listening to Rihanna. Now shes listening to me](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/87e52d295449ff76b43492847a5cd5adcde7cfa8/0_163_4830_2899/master/4830.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdGctZGVmYXVsdC5wbmc&enable=upscale&s=0d98f8abaea6698641770efc87c53cd7)
Shenseea is midway through a European tour, staying in a budget hotel at the side of a dual carriageway in London. Despite her surroundings, she exudes A-list energy. In the lift, the Jamaica-born 23-year-old checks her face in the mirror and shares her goal: to become an international star. How big are we talking? “Rihanna levels,” she shoots back, from behind large, studded shades. “And I’m on my way.”
It is a reasonable goal for a woman who grew up watching a fellow island girl dominate pop
music across the globe. And it is tantalisingly close. Last year, Shenseea signed to Interscope, a major US label. Within months, she had a global hit with Blessed, a tune that hit a sweet spot somewhere between dancehall, Latin trap and bass-heavy club pop: it has had 36m
YouTube views.