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Dancehall artiste D'Angel is excited about being one of the nominees for the International Reggae and World Music Awards' (IRAWMA) Best Female Dancehall/Rap Artiste 2023, following what she described as a year in which she "reclaimed her 'Dancehall First Lady' status".

"I dominated 2023, so it's well deserved. I feel elated, trust me, I'm just happy that it's celebrating us as entertainers and players of musical instruments, and anything that represents us and celebrate our culture is always something that I'm excited about. Being nominated is an honour and a great rewarding feeling, because music is not a competition, it's a mission and I've always been on that mission. So good luck to everybody in that category," she told THE STAR.

"For 2023, I undoubtedly reassigned my position as 'First Lady of Dancehall', and I took on the 'War Angel' moniker to strengthen up the vibe and personify what I'm all about - the fire that I come with. Mi always a blaze down the stage, but I reinvented myself, and this is a success of the reinvention to be named [among the nominees] as Female Dancehall Artiste of the Year. I put in the work and it feels good to be recognised," D'Angel added.

Others vying for the category are 'Queen of Dancehall' Spice, Stefflon Don, Jada Kingdom, Shenseea and Shaneil Muir.

D'Angel has also been nominated in the Best Social ÐÓ°ÉÐÔ°É Entertainment Influencer category, and will receive a Special Community/Humanitarian Award for her eight years of work through her charitable platform, Angel's Foundation.

"I have been single-handedly doing this for eight years, and now my son has joined me. The passion of giving back is something that the whole world can see that I enjoy doing, and even though I don't get the support that I'd love to get, I keep pushing and hoping that one day I will. I never did this for an award, I'm mostly rewarded when I see how fulfilling these things are. But it feels good to be awarded for the great work that I'm doing. I'm thankful for my fans and the few people who made this possible. And it's a good feeling to be recognised on an international level because I always pray for the recognition, to get more sponsors on board so I can help my Jamaican people - the elderly and children," she shared.

D'Angel said she will be looking towards more nominations and rewarding accolades as she sets to "take it all for 2024".

"From the Billboard to the Grammy, fulfilling my dream career in modelling, the Oscars, because I'm also an actress, anything out there internationally that suits my talent, I'm just going for everything this year. I've been training for this for over 20 years, so I'm ready," she stated.

The singer is currently promoting her recent singles, Jealousy and Start It. The visuals for both Jealousy and her new track Chat Chat will be released shortly.

The IRAWNA celebration will return to Florida for its 41st staging on Friday, March 22, at the Lauderhill Performing Arts Center.