The Next Women Of Dancehall, Class Of 2021
Behind standouts like Shenseea, Spice, and Jada Kingdom are a promising class of female artists poised to make their mark on Dancehall.
The women highlighted in this non-exhaustive list of upcoming talent have the musical chops, looks, and vibe to become the next big thing in Dancehall. Heard collectively, they point to where Dancehall might be heading in the future.
Lanae (@badgallanae)
Young Montego Bay native Bad Gal Lanae says she’s ‘talented & versatile’ and fans couldn’t agree more. After releasing her first song Notice in 2019, the newcomer has been swooning fans with her music ever since, and gathering millions of views on YouTube. So far the former beauty queen-turn-Dancehall artist has racked up over 5 million views for her 1-year-old release Whine and 2.4 million on the music video for another entitled Destiny. This year she recorded Stay Dung Deh with Dancehall artist Left Side, which has snagged 1.5 million views and counting.
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Honey Milan (@iamhoneymilan)
Fast-rising Dancehall vixen Honey Milan may have captured audiences as the passionate and overly doting friend of Dancehall Fresh Prince, Skillibeng, and also appearing with him on the single Chappa Gyal earlier this year. The St. Ann native, who grew up in Oklahoma City, however isn’t just a pretty face but stands apart from the rest for her slick Dancehall and rap infused bars. The “Chappa Gyal” was the Jamaica STAR’s Artiste of the Month last June and says, “I’m just here to leave my mark and create my legacy … I already know I am a natural-born star because everywhere I go, I get that reaction.”
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Moyann (@just_moyann)
Fierce and in charge, Dancehall starlet Moyann took the music industry by storm upon her entry in 2018, and has since contributed a supply of sizzling releases. She was touted by Shenseea as the next big thing. “I respect her, I rate her,” Shenseea said ahead of their collaboration on the single No Limit, which has amassed almost 2 million views on YouTube. The Montegonian singer has also collaborated with some heavyweights in the business, including Don’t Wanna Lose You with Jahmiel (6.5 million views), Bruk Pocket Man with Teejay (1.7 million views), Gangster Love with Jahvillani (991k views), and recently with Intence on the track Too Good.
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Stalk Ashley (@stalkashley)
This songbird will simply melt your insides the minute she starts crooning her surgery-laced tones on a track. The Kingston-based singer’s highly polished and confident sound that often lingers on RnB style flows mixed with Dancehall rhythms joins the few top tier female vocalists in the genre. Case in point, Jada Kingdom, who Ashley collaborated with on the single Wasteman in 2018. For Ashley, its important that her ‘music represent who she is and connects with people’. Among her ear-hooking songs that showcase her unique musical artistry are Young, Open, Drivers License, Sin Sex, Drunk Text and Incognito featuring Dancehall star, Alkaline.
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Ria Rania (@iamriarania)
Newcomer, Ria Rania isn’t your ordinary Dancehall star. The Westmoreland-born former beauty queen who was raised in Miami, Florida is your all-around kind of artiste. “Don’t just expect Dancehall or Reggae from Ria Rania,” she told DancehallMag last month. “Even though I’m Jamaican cultured, you gonna get Pop, Hip Hop, Dancehall, Reggae, Afrobeat … So just expect a lot of good, quality work from Ria and just get used to mi face cause unu ago see mi nuff!” The ‘Star Girl’ recently dropped her ‘Hard Core’ banger to showoff her raw-as-ever Dancehall forte. In others like, If You Choose, Gorilla Glue and Oh Nah, Ria spits her slick rap bars to prove she really is a hard act to follow.
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Shayy Soprano (@shayysoprano)
Bad Gyal Shayy is just one year in the making in this competitive Dancehall space but has landed as confident as ever. With the release of her singles Temptation, Like That with Bhri$2wavy and Bad Gyal with Rhandy Rover, it’s evident that she has that star quality that Jamaican music lovers are looking for. Born in New York to Jamaican parents, the young talent told The Jamaica Star in July, “I know I have the talent and the image to make it big in the music business. I’m a very hard-working individual. When I want something, I go after it earnestly, I don’t play around. I am putting in the work and I’m making the right connections. I’m confident that it’s not going to take long for me to make a breakthrough in the biz.”
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Yeza (@yeza_music)
Hailing from Bull Bay, St Thomas, which has birthed stars like Skillibeng, Jada Kingdom, Rytikal, and Quada, newcomer Yeza is looking up to be the next prized act to emerge from the talent-breeding East Side community. Her musical style exudes smooth sultry melodies on Reggae Roots aesthetics with a rude-girl flair. Since bursting into the entertainment space in 2017, Yeza has issued a slew of impactful releases, appearing on the track Rebel Code with Reggae artistes Turbulance and Blvk H3ro, along with her own singles, Kingdom, Nuh Trouble We, Is Because I’m Black, and Everything Is Irie. Last year she made an impressive debut on Beenie Man Vs Bounty Killer’s Verzuz after party.
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Rosh Rebel (@roshrebel)
Keep your eye on this one; Rosh Rebel’s talent is undeniable and her message is as wholesome as they come. The young Hanover native whose career is only three years in, is known to inspire audiences with conscious-driven songs that promise to evoke positive vibrations. She plays with a wide range of sounds from Jazz, Funk, Hip-Hop to Pop and Rock while staying true to her native Reggae roots as seen with her previously released singles Run Come, Tomorrow, Lock Down With Me, Glow, Give Me Love, Real Love and Hold On.
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Taddi Watson (@tadditwatson)
This next Dancehall newbie may just have what it takes to make it big, she has a confident delivery and the musical chops to get far. Taddi’s signature vocal style blends RnB tones with hardcore Dancehall and her tracks Thigh Gap, Pon Di Side, Romantic Gangster, Taddi Pull Up, and Taddy Ready all demonstrate her suave soul-sounding bars dialed in with her feisty deejaying swag. Taddi says she’s putting in the work to take her music career to the next level. “This year is about hard work and, with the team I have, I am confident that we will reap many successes this year and onward,” she told The Jamaica Star earlier this year.
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XTassi (@x___tassi)
Though this Dancehall diva has had a bit of a run in the music biz for about two years now, her breakthrough came when she appeared with Dancehall deejay Govana on the single That Mi Like Hear in September last year. The official music video followed up a month later to show Xtassi as a force to be reckoned with as she dominated the visuals with her very poised, bad gal persona. The Dancehall starlet would go on to star alongside Govi Govi in another track Best Friend that dropped earlier in April to once again prove to her industry competitors to take heed.
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SumeRR (@sumerrofficial)
She might not be a recognizable face to audiences in her hometown of Jamaica but singing songbird, SumeRR has been around for almost a decade now. For the last three years, she’s been waving her country’s flag in Spain’s Reggae music scene issuing tracks like 3rd Eye, Crush, Old School, Real Gyal Dem, Haed Up and Dutty Babylon adding to her rich musical catalog. The Manchester native is a powerful and versatile vocalist with a knack for merging Roots, Soul, and Rap with Reggae and Dancehall flows complete with her assertive toasts. After relocating to the European three years ago, chasing love and record deal dreams, SumeRR finally released of her 12-track debut album, Downs District, named for the Manchester community in which she was raised.
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Nordia Mothersille (@nordiamothersille)
St. Mary-born and raised singer Nordia Mothersille has surprised herself with how far she has come since embarking in the music business in 2018. The 22-year-old singer is the first female to be signed officially to NotNice Records after the label’s owner, Ainsley ‘NotNice’ Morris, caught wind of her act during a competition held on social media. “I came last in the competition,” she shamelessly said in a Jamaica Gleaner interview, “but he saw potential in me.” Nordia has gone on to stir up talks in the industry after appearing with Dancehall’s trending talents like Intence, I Waata, Bakersteez, Jafrass, Daddy1, Quada, Squiddy in the single We Rise and is featured on Jafrass’s EP on the tracks Drug Smuggler, and Faith.
Jayla (@theegoldenvoice)
Jayla calls herself ‘The Golden Voice’ and that she is as heard on her singles Special, R1 and Bring Your Body, which is a teaming with musician/producer Nashie. The upcoming Jamaican singer, actress and entrepreneur, formerly known as Janessia has her sights set on making it big, with the Billboard charts in her peripheral and a Grammy-award in her future, she’s prepared for the hard work ahead to become the next international Reggae/Dancehall sensation.
Neelah (@neelahmusic)
This Clarendon native is another fresh face in Dancehall but for Neelah, her music career is not a joke. There’s no other alternative for the budding new star, who says music is her life and destiny. The Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts graduate has already inked a deal with Cahban Rekords, a label based out of New York. She dropped her very first single, a catchy singalong chune, CAUTION with accompanying music video earlier in May.
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Prettii Prettii (@prettyofficial__)
Many will know Prettii Prettii as the former dance sensation of Team Spice. She switched gears to music and is also stars in a YouTube reality series. Prettii’s new single SAD EEH, which dropped in July was widely welcomed by fans, and has racked up almost 400k views since. She also has a few other tracks under belt namely Social Media, Mi Want A Real G, Jordon #1, 50 Shades of Red and Buzzy featuring Rebel that all released in less than a year.
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Daniiboo (@adaniiboo)
Rising star Daniiboo shot onto the scene as an unapologetic boss, strutting her stuff in the single Drop It N Pop It and again on another fan favorite, WHY back in 2020. “The feedback I get from the song [WHY] is unbelievable. When I was recording the project, I had a feeling that it would do good, but I didn’t know it would be so highly loved by the people. This only inspires me to keep going and continue to believe in myself and my craft,” she said in an interview with The Jamaica Star last year. The 23-year-old Dancehall deejay, who grew up in the Duhaney Park community in Kingston would maintain her prestige in follow up tracks Nice Gyal, Nestle, Truce, Top Things with TopGyal and Pinkz, along with Tight N’ Good with Mr. Vegas and Gold Up.
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Neeqah (@neeqahmusic)
Raised in Spanish Town, Kingston, Neeqah, real name Shanica Allen, 25, comes from a musical background being the daughter of one Jamaica’s finest entertainers, singer/comedian Apache Chief. This Dancehall vixen turned up the heat when she dropped her raunchy and rude release, Gifted last year in September. The Shab Don Records-produced single has since racked 35 million views, one the most streamed songs from an up-and-comer Dancehall artiste. Neeqah has had some other successful releases too, such as Good Vibes (2.3 Millions views) and Ms. Melanin that features Charly Black that has over 1 million views.
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Lil Hanky Panky (@lil_hankypanky)
From Russia to Jamaica, Lil Hanky Panky is not your typical Dancehall star but she’s well received in the genre’s fraternity. The professional dancer-turn-recording artiste who moved to island to study Dancehall dance culture, instantly made an impact. She was notoriously known as “the girl with the butterfly tattoo” appearing in a few local music videos including Sean Paul and Left Side’s collab Dem Nuh Ready Yet. Lately, she has embarked on a music career that has somewhat taken off since making headlines when she shot the video for her recently released single Sativa, in June. Her tracks prior were, Brand Me A Rebel and Escape.
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Starface (@starface_kmt)
This fierce Dancehall star who hails from Portmore, St. Catherine has been doing her thing for more than five years now. Known for her savvy style and catchy lyrics, Starface has quite a collection of songs to prove that she may have what it takes to one day stand among the elites in the game. Her breakout single came in 2015 alongside King Beenie Man on the track Ride Or Die. She has since made headways with a slew of other tracks like, Hold Her Man, Define Your Love , One Man, Hypocrite Gyal, Tight, Sex On The Track, Oh Yea and Tek Wuk with Elephant Man, Bend You Back and Badman Lovin to name a few.
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Amanyea (@amanyea)
Kingston-based dancer and recording artiste Amanyea is a creative force pedalling her way through the entertainment space. Among her impressive accolades, she has choreographed and danced for artists such as Sean Paul, Shaggy, Cardi B, Damian Marley, Beenie Man, Tifa, Etana, TOK, Cecile and countless others, she even appeared in the movie, King of the Dancehall, produced by Nick Cannon. In 2014 Amanyea decided it was time to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a recording artist. She released her first single Aye Aye and followed up with others Top Girl, and No Dibby Dibby that shows her adaptability for fusing Pop, Reggae and Dancehall on sexy, funky and sassy rhythms.