The accolades continue to come in following the appearance of dancehall’s It girl Shenseea on Sunday’s Billboard Music Awards.

Shenseea began trending on social media after she walked the event’s red carpet with her son, Rajeiro Lee. But it was her appearance on stage to present the Pepsi Mic Drop award, complete with wardrobe change, that sent her figures even higher.

The “big up Jamaica” salutation and her presentation skills, with her authentic Jamaican accent, were well received by the online audience.

The University of the West Indies lecturer and specialist on popular culture Professor Donna Hope is among those who were impressed with Shenseea’s presence on the Billboard stage.

“I was pretty excited about the fact that Shenseea was part of the Billboard Music Awards because it means something not just for her own career, but in a lot of ways it showcased Jamaica, Jamaican talent, and the kind of music that comes from here,” Hope noted.

“One of the things that caught my eye was that she appeared on the red carpet with her baby boy. Yes, she looked lovely, the outfit was lovely, and she was trending. But taking her son on the red carpet signalled for me a lot of positives vibes about motherhood, and about her own role as a mother, and about a Jamaican woman with a child who is doing extremely well internationally with her career. She represented Jamaica very well. At every turn she reminded them that she was Jamaican. “Wah gwaan?” she continued.

Hope noted that she was pleased with the moves that Shenseea has been making over the years and how she has been positioning herself in the international market.

“She is living up to her Trending Gyal status as a dancehall artiste who has broken barriers. From the first time I started paying attention to her and then broke out with that Loodi collaboration with Vybz Kartel, I must say I am extremely excited for the role she is playing and the vision she is putting forward for young women like herself from the working classes of Jamaica. They go through the dancehall music route… I call them rebel women, and they make a big splash, make a huge name for themselves and open doors that others looking on can see, and really sets a kind of profile signalling to others that this is Jamaica and who we are, and excellence is our hallmark,” Hope said.