Shenseea Says She’s Taking Back Control For Second Album
For the first time since the release of her debut album Alpha, Jamaican entertainer Shenseea spoke pretty candidly about the fact that she ironically did not have a lot of influence over how the project was released. During a recent Instagram Live that lasted nearly an hour, the Can’t Anymore singer said she won’t be making the same mistake again, as she’s taking charge of her sophomore project.
“Alpha’s been doing great though. The thing is, I haven’t shot any video really and on tour y’all know the songs like crazy. So, I’m wondering do I really need to?” she began.
“I feel like it’s doing what it’s supposed to be doing. But my next piece of work is going to be everything that I want. Like, the first album, my vision wasn’t really executed properly and that was a turnoff for me…’Cause it’s like, yo, I know what the f–k I want. And when I don’t get what I want, it turns me the f–k off. And I don’t mind if I don’t put certain effort into certain shit no more because I know that I can put effort to make shit right in my next sh-t.”
Alpha debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Reggae Album chart after it sold 4,900 units from sales and streaming in the United States during the week following its release on March 11, 2022 via Rich Immigrants/Interscope Records.
In her virtual session with her Shenyengz, one fan inquired about why R U That with 21 Savage was seemingly prioritized to receive a music video, of all the other tracks on the album.
“Was not my decision. That’s why,” Shenseea responded. “As I said, the way how this album came out, majority of the sh-t that I personally did not want, happened. That’s why I said it was such a turnoff for me.”
She continued, “But the next one? You’re gonna see the difference. When I get to do what I want to do, it’s a difference. I’ve been doing what I’ve always wanted to do since the start of my career until last year. It’s not happening again though.”
The 25-year-old said she has her own vision for her music career.
“Most side of me wanna move on to new music, because sh-t did not happen the way that I wanted it to. Like, I wanted things to happen with certain songs and I wanted to push certain songs differently and I didn’t really get to do that for myself. And I don’t like when people feel like they can tell me what to do or control sh-t that’s happening with me. I hate that. I don’t f–k with that shit cuz. So once I start feeling like that, I start to take myself away,” she added.
“And when I want to do something, you feel the difference. You feel the impact…the weirdest thing is, when I do sh-t that I wanna do, that’s the time when my Shenyengz they really gravitate to sh-t more ‘cause they feel that energy. I don’t know how.”
Shenseea, whose real name is Chinsea Lee, was the first Dancehall artist to sign to Interscope Records in 2019. Spectators looking on from the outside might have believed it was all glitter and gold, but Shenseea said that is unfortunately not the case. She is, however, adamant about taking back the power over her career.
“I love my album. I love Alpha. The execution of it though was not the way I wanted it. But you live and you learn and one thing with me, I don’t repeat the same mistakes twice. That’s a fact. I do not,” she said.
“People need to leave the artists let them do what they do man. You have some artists that they go with what people say and they continue going with what people say, while you have some that learn. I’m one of those persons—I’m one of those artists.”
Delving a bit deeper into the issues, Shenseeea said there’s a lot of politics going on that has left a bitter taste in her mouth.
“Yes! It’s the politics. Mi nuh like di bloodclaat politics when it come on to my music. Mi nuh like it. I don’t like it if anybody had told me that a lot of things that are happening behind the scenes artists go through it and it’s normal, I think they would be lying,” she said in response to a viewer that had concluded that the underlying issue was in fact ‘politics.’
Many viewers became seemingly concerned that her record label may have her in a chokehold, after her reiteration that she has been instructed what to do career-wise, since last year. She, however, shot down that assumption.
“I think my label treats me really good, to be honest. Better than how other labels treat other artists I would say. Labels will be labels,” she said.