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When teasers for a new Mariah Carey track dropped on the singer's Instagram Story on Thursday, no one saw this collaboration coming.

As the news spread to other social media platforms like X, users reacted with eye emojis, signalling their curiosity about the unexpected pairing of the We Belong Together singer, American R&B artiste Kehlani, and dancehall star Shenseea.

Shenseea, who has long admired Carey - sharing that My All is one of her favourite songs - told THE WEEKEND STAR that she was almost in disbelief when she was introduced to the song. The track, named Sugar Sweet, was officially released on Friday, July 25.

"I almost couldn't believe it. Mariah is one of my favourite [singers] and the reason is that she is not easy to replicate. Her sound is one of a kind, and I admire that," she said.

Donny 'Dizzy' Flores, Shenseea's American manager and CEO of We Good LLC, told THE WEEKEND STAR that when Carey's team sent over the track, he knew it was a perfect fit.

"Shenseea is versatile. She doesn't put herself in a box. It's great to see her grow, and she keeps growing; it's amazing to see people keep putting her on different platforms," he said.

Describing Shenseea's contribution to the track, Dizzy added, "It's a bit like R&B and Afrobeats combined. But, still staying true to her roots."

When asked which side of Shenseea fans will experience on Sugar Sweet, the artiste laughed before replying, "I think I've experimented enough, and now I'm sticking to my roots in everything I do. You might still hear me infusing genres and stuff, but you'll be able to tell I'm 100 per cent Jamaican."

As for what's next, Shenseea said she's taking a break from collaborations and turning her focus to her next single, with plans to shoot the music video in Jamaica.

"The Mariah collab is the one I made an exception to because after the success of Ayetian [with Tip (Remix)] and Shake it to the Max [with Moliy and Skillibeng], I was like, I don't need to do any more collabs right now. But I couldn't turn down this opportunity!" she said.

Over the past year, Shenseea has been experiencing a series of big moments, including her first Grammy-nominated album, Never Gets Late Here, in the Best Reggae Album category. She's also graced stages in France, Germany, and the Netherlands, and appeared on the soundtrack for Smurfs: It's My Party, released in June alongside the new Smurfs movie.

For Shenseea, it's all about continuing to put in the work. "I'm laser-focused on what I have to do."