The tremendous difficulties faced by female artistes trying to break through the tough and often-cruel exterior of the entertainment industry are well documented. Hence, those who succeed are quite worthy of our admiration for their tenacity.

Rising dancehall star Ms Chinsee Lee, better known as Shenseea, is the latest Jamaican female sensation to have caught our attention for her steady climb in that potentially lucrative but unyielding industry.

Our Wednesday edition reported that, just months after she was featured on Mr Kanye West’s Grammy-nominated album, DONDA , Shenseea has once again landed another huge international feature, noting: “This time, the ‘Trending Gyal’ artiste has teamed up with the leader of the ‘Hotties’, Megan Thee Stallion.”

Their single titled Lick is expected to be released tomorrow and will mark her as the first Jamaican female artiste to collaborate with the phenomenal Megan Thee Stallion, who previously collaborated with Popcaan on the song Intercourse in 2020.

And this is coming off her being recently named the 2021 Best Reggae Act by the British-based MOBO Awards, which honours exceptional British and international talents in the musical fields of hip hop, grime, R&B/soul, reggae, jazz, gospel, and Afrobeats.

In what some in the industry are calling her biggest success to date, she was part of the line-up in the VEWTOPIA Concert, which took place during Super Bowl Weekend in Miami, Florida, last year. The all-star concert included the likes of Cardi B, DaBaby, Megan Thee Stallion, DavidO, Gunna, Ty Dolla $ign, Jeremih, Kid Capri, Koffee, Burna Boy, Rema, Alex Sensation, DaniLeigh, Satori, Afro B, Squash, Safaree, and Kali Cass.

With exceptional talent, camera-ready looks and an ability, so far, to avoid the usual cass cass among artistes, Shenseea, 25, was put at a net worth of US$1.5 million ($232.5 million) by Exactnetworth.com — a deceptively small figure but clear indication of the potential earning power of this young lady.

We are struck by the fact that Ms Lee, despite several collaborations with Vybz Kartel, the still popular dancehall artiste convicted for murder, has managed not to be tarnished by all the drama and controversy surrounding him.

Coming out of humble beginnings in Manchester, Shenseea has had to overcome many odds to find success. Dancehallmag reported that the obstacles she faced in her early years included struggling to raise a child she had at 19, while chasing her career dreams.

It is to her considerable credit that, after a string of hit singles, in the midst of which she had to bury her mom, the former Romeich Entertainment brand ambassador, is now gearing up to release her debut album, even as she hinted at some big international musical collaborations in the making.

We hope that Shenseea’s success will symbolise a new era in the entertainment world in which women can compete on the same level as the men on the basis of their talent, creativity, and propensity for hard work. Of course, they will need all the support they can get.

And who knows? We could be looking at the next Rihanna from the Caribbean, or the first female mega star from Jamaica.