Shaneil Muir sets Grammy goals
Dancehall's 'Top Gyal', Shaneil Muir, is making her Grammy ambitions clear. Fresh off a jaw-dropping performance at Reggae Sumfest in Montego Bay, St James, last weekend, the ' Proud Side Chick' deejay is riding high on a wave of love from her home town crowd and laser-focused on making global history.
"I hope I will win a Grammy one day, especially because of the Echoes Of Her EP," Muir told THE WEEKEND STAR.
"It was doing really well. And, I'm hoping that that can be the case. But it's just to continue putting in the work and see where it takes me."
Only one woman, Koffee, has ever won the Grammy in the Best Reggae Album category. She achieved this feat in 2000, when her album, Rapture, won at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards, becoming the first solo female artiste to do so.
Now, Muir is writing her own story and is determined to have the words 'Grammy-winning artiste' next to her name. Last weekend, her glittering, gold ensemble hugged every curve as she took command of the Reggae Sumfest stage, captivating fans with a magnetic performance that had the crowd singing, dancing, and vibing in pure home town bliss.
"It was very exciting to see their reaction," she gushed. "They were all singing, dancing and just vibing. It was a good feeling to be back in my home town and experience that kind of love once again."
Muir's recent performance also served as a celebration of her latest project, Echoes of Her. The deeply personal EP was released in April and showcases her versatility and lyrical abilities across five tracks, and an additional acoustic version of another song.
" Echoes of Her is doing its thing on its own right now," she beamed. "I'm just putting the icing on the cake by doing a lot of performances and establishing myself with more fans, and just trying to spread my music as far as I can."
Muir is determined to keep the momentum of Echoes of Her going as she showcases raw emotion, sultry melodies, authentic storytelling and playful lyricism on the project. Looking ahead, however, the rising star has her eyes set on bigger stages and bolder collaborations as she teased a few exciting projects in the works.
"For the rest of the year, I have a few things lined up. I have a few collaborations lined up as well. We're getting ready to work on the Paradox Part Two with Valiant; I'm excited about that. I'm also getting ready to drop some singles with Chemist Records. It's a good amount of work ready to pop. Just watch out!" she said.
Muir's hard work is already being recognised. She has been nominated for a Caribbean Music Award in the category of Female Dancehall Artiste of the Year, a nod she finds especially meaningful, given how quiet her release schedule was for part of the year.
"I feel good about it. I didn't even drop a lot of music, but still they see the work in itself. So I'm really appreciative of that," she said. "There's a lot that was going on, but yet still the patrons can sit around and consider me to be a part of the nomination. It's a really good feeling to be considered."