No Female Reggae Act Has Debuted on Billboard in Over A Year, Will Shenseea Change That?

KINGSTON, Jamaica — it has been more than a year since an album by a female reggae acr debuted on any Billboard chart. The last being Sister Nancy’s 1982 album One, Two.. which made its chart entry at No. 3 on the chart dated April 26, 2025.

Since then, despite more than a dozen albums and EPs released by female reggae artists, no woman has secured a new entry on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart through early November.

Shenseea is set to release her debut EP Catalyst via Columbia/Since93 on November 6. Her last time on the chart was with her sophomore album Never Gets Later Here on June 8, 2024.

Already Catalyst has over 8 million streams on Spotify thanks to the previously released Vybz Kartel collaboration Talk To Me Nuh.

Among the reggae releases by women this year are Sharon Marley’s Firebird (March 20), Jah9’s Open Heart Project (March 27), Etana’s The Ganja Collection (April 20), Keishera’s She Is Life (May 29), Kelissa’s The Good Side of Things (June 30), Aza Lineage’s Rebel Daawta (June), Etana’s Dubclaat (July 3), Queen Ifrica’s Breath of Life (August), and Dezarie’s Power Shift (September 4).

Shenseea visuals for “Loyalty”

Other projects included Debbie Ryvers’ Ryvers Run Deep (May 1), Dezarie’s 7th Heaven (August), and Miriam Simone’s Rise Up (October 23). 

Meanwhile, male acts including Masicka, Vybz Kartel, Buju Banton, Protoje and Alkaline have registered new chart entries this year.