Suspense means business

Suspense is no longer waiting for the music industry to figure out what to do with her. Nine years after winning Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall, the entertainer is approaching her career with a different mindset — one built as much on strategy, branding, and business as it is on talent. At the start of 2026 the Jamaica Observer named Suspense among its artistes to watch for the year. Months later she believes she has made good on some of that promise, but she is nowhere near ready to declare the mission accomplished. “Since the beginning of the year I’ve been putting in the work — creating new music, developing my image, connecting with my audience, and making sure people understand who Suspense is as an artiste,” she said. “I’m proud of how far I’ve come so far this year, but I wouldn’t say I’m satisfied yet.” That hunger is central to what Suspense previously described as her “rebirth” — a period that saw her reassessing not only her music, but the way she conducts her career. “When I said this chapter was a rebirth I really meant that I was becoming a new version of myself — not just as an artiste, but as a woman,” she explained. “Over the past eight months, I’ve been learning to trust myself more, be more intentional about the moves I make, and understand the kind of artiste and brand I want Suspense to represent.” That has meant refusing to be confined to one sound. Suspense has experimented with reggae, rap, and house music, while maintaining her dancehall foundation. She has also taken her act beyond Jamaica, completing three tours this year — two in Canada and one in England. “I’m not trying to fit into a box or follow what everybody else is doing,” she said. “I’m learning what works for me and building from there.” There have been signs that the approach is paying off. Suspense points to Too Bad, her collaboration with Nhance, as one of the year’s major wins. According to the artiste, the track has surpassed five million views on YouTube and inspired more than 42,000 uses on TikTok. She’s now banking on her follow-up single to keep that momentum going. The track, Female Boss, produced by Countree Hype, deliberately presents a different Suspense — less aggressive than the sound on which she initially built her name, but no less confident. She says the response so far is proving that exploring her versatility is invaluable. “The response to Female Boss has shown me that my audience wants music that feels empowering, relatable, and authentic,” she said. “It’s different and it’s proving that switching things up has its rewards. Listeners are taking on well to my new calm sound.”

Suspense

The artiste went on to explain that the latter is part of a larger effort to understand exactly where she fits in an increasingly competitive female dancehall market without simply mimicking what is already successful. “I respect the women who are commanding attention in the genre right now. I see myself as part of that movement, but I also understand that I have to earn my space through consistency, originality, and the quality of the music I create,” she said. “I believe my versatility is one of my strengths. I want to be authentic without being predictable. And I want each record to show a different side of my personality while still feeling true to me.” Perhaps the biggest change since 2017 has happened away from the microphone. When Suspense won Magnum Kings and Queens, she believed talent coupled with a major opportunity would naturally propel her career. Experience taught her otherwise. “I’ve learned that the music business is a business first,” she said. “You have to understand your brand, your publishing, your splits, your contracts, your team, your relationships, and how to create opportunities for yourself instead of waiting for opportunities to come to you.” It is a lesson she’s adjusted to well. “One song can open a door, but what you do after that is what keeps the door open,” she said admitting that she now understands herself far better than the young artiste who emerged from the televised competition. “In 2017 I was still figuring out who I was as an artiste. Today, I have a much clearer idea of what Suspense represents, what I want my sound to feel like, and how I want people to experience my brand,” she said. “Back then I had the talent and the hunger; today, I have the experience, the business knowledge, and a much stronger sense of self to go with it.” With that said, Suspense revealed that she has also made significant changes to the machinery around her career. She recently closed out a three-year management arrangement which she described as an experience that helped build her in several ways but also came with difficult lessons. She has since been working closely with the Monstaway team connected to Nhance, while expanding relationships outside Jamaica. Those moves include collaborations with Canada-based artistes and writers Tash Simone, Bugatti and Supreme, as well as visual work with Canadian production company Abstract Production House. Her latest completed project, Serious, produced by Canada-based Realascanb, was scheduled for a September 18 release. Work completed in England is also in the pipeline, including an upcoming record produced and recorded by Kodistar. Suspense has also signed on as an ambassador for JAMRACK, a new platform designed to bring artistes and their audiences into closer contact.