Houston-bred rap star Megan Thee Stallion recently linked up with Shenseea—a 25-year-old Jamaican artist—for a new track called "Lick." Following the announcement of the pair's collab and the song's music video release, Shenseea began trending on Twitter.

While Shenseea has been a well-known dancehall figure for a few years now, her new song with Megan Thee Stallion has helped put her on more people's radars, particularly in terms of mainstream U.S. culture. As Shenseea garners more recognition, some may find themselves wanting to know more about this Jamaican superstar. As such, we've put together a few moments from the artist's rising career to give new fans a look at who exactly Shenseea is. 

Humble beginnings

Before her rise to prominence, Shenseea was focused on combating financial hardships to make her dream a reality. In early 2020, she shared a pre-fame throwback photo of her cleaning a pool and vowed never to return to that life again. 

Shortly before her musical career took off, Shenseea welcomed a son when she was 19, and she committed to songwriting during her maternity leave. 

Rise to fame

Shenseea began garnering attention once she started performing covers in 2015, and her debut single—"Jiggle Jiggle"—was released in 2016. That same year, she performed on one of the side-stages at Sumfest, and her breakout hit followed shortly after that: her remix of "Loodi" by Vybz Kartel. 

"Loodi" is one of Shenseea's most popular songs to date, and its success helped catapult her to success. It's also worth noting that Vybz Kartel jumped on her remix, essentially giving Shenseea his stamp of approval.

Superstardom

Following "Loodi," Shenseea released various other hit songs, including collaborations with Sean Paul, Christina Aguilera, and Tyga. Her song with Tyga, titled "Blessed," was particularly successful—though solo singles like "Shen Yeng Anthem" and "The Sidechick Anthem" did well, too.

Aside from her music career, Shenseea was also racking up advertisements. In 2017, she became a sponsor for Pepsi-Cola Jamaica, and she was also featured in a commercial for FLOW—a telecommunications company that serves the Caribbean. 

International prominence

Shenseea was a well-respected dancehall celebrity at this point, and her prominence continued to grow and spill over into the U.S. mainstream culture. In 2021, she performed at Miami's Rolling Loud festival, quite the feat for any performer.

More recently, Shenseea was featured twice (yes, twice) on Kanye West's new and beloved Donda album, making contributions on "Pure Souls" and "Ok Ok Pt 2." Additionally, she was present at West's third Donda listening party, spotted alongside the rapper and other stars, including DaBaby and Marilyn Manson.

She was also falsely rumored to be pregnant with Drake's child in 2021, which further put her on gossip fiends radars.

"Lick" acclaim and resulting criticism

After unveiling a single titled "Dolly," Shenseea partnered with Megan Thee Stallion for "Lick," a cunnilingus anthem.

While many praised the track's music video and gushed about how Shenseea is continuing to rise as a celebrity, others critiqued her for essentially straying from her dancehall roots for the sake of appealing to U.S. audiences. As Shenseea continues to grow as a star, it looks like she may have to navigate how to experiment with her craft while remaining true to her OG fans.

On Twitter, the "Lick" artist freshly announced her debut album, ALPHA, will be released in March. 

Let's continue to watch Shenseea as she builds her career and grows as an artist.

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