VIBE Vixen’s Boss Talk podcast amplifies the voices of women and she/her-identifying individuals in their respective industries as they discuss their journeys toward becoming the bosses we know today. From their demeanor and confidence and persevering through life’s pitfalls to make a name for themselves in their own way, being a boss is much more than ‘just running sh*t.’
Shenseea is one of the latest signees to Interscope Records. The Kingston, Jamaica-bred singer, rapper, dancer and deejay has gained notoriety in the music world thanks to an infectious implementation of reggae, soca, dancehall and hip-hop into her work.
“I think everyone in my family can sing…we been living music,” the 22-year-old tells Boss Talk host J’na Jefferson. “I was singing covers…and then I tried to see if I could write, and I did. Put it on social media, and I was like ‘this looks like it can work.”
Thanks to the success of her remix to the song “Loodi” by future collaborator Vybz Kartel, Shenseea has shown no signs of slowing down. She has toured with artists such as Sean Paul, and has worked with artists from Christina Aguilera to Tommy Lee Sparta and Tyga, who is featured on her hot song “Blessed.”
Before she blew up, however, she was working a regular desk job and singing whenever she got the chance. She details that quitting to pursue music to take care of herself, her family, and her son was not something that scared her.
“I was just doing my thing naturally, for fun, because I love it,” she smiles. “I didn’t think of how good I was, or how [much] better I should be… music was just from the soul, it was from the heart, and I loved it so much… ‘I’m just really gonna put my all into this.'”
For now, the artist is working on her debut album, which she says is going to be an “interracial” experience. She is reportedly working with Di Genius and Rvssian to bring the feel-good riddims to the LP.
“I’m trying not to focus on one set of [audiences],” she explains. “I’m trying to grab a little bit of everybody… my album, to be honest, it’s a different vibe to me, because I have so many more influences and producers that can help me bring out different sounds that I’m not normally used to.”
Elsewhere in the conversation, Shenseea discussed what it’s like to be a working woman to a toddler, she has a three-year-old son who she visits back in Jamaica often.
“When I’m overseas, I video call him every single day,” she smiles. “And he’s talking more now, so we get to have kind of conversations! When I’m home, I try to take a day for him where we go to the beach or somewhere.”
From where does Shenseea get her strength from? She says from the woman she was raised by, her aunt. She was taught to have a fierce mentality, to inundate herself with new information to become her best self, and of course, to be independent. She frequently goes back to Jamaica to spread knowledge to young girls and women in order for them to be the best they can be.
“There are a lot of [women] that are suffering… I am trying to give them the confidence to do their own thing, be your own boss. Do whatever you want to do, what makes you happy.”
Listen to the full episode below.