“I am going to step in the K-pop market,” Jamaican artist Shenseea told World Music Views in a 2024 interview. While she stopped short of naming collaborators, she made it clear that the move was already in motion and it is part of her long term plans.
On July 10, Shenseea fulfills that declaration as she makes her official entry into the K-pop space alongside TWICE leader JIHYO on “Distant Lover,” a cross-cultural collaboration that blends K-pop, dancehall, rap, and Afrobeats.
The “Hit & Run” artist explained that while opportunities were already developing behind the scenes, she wanted to approach the culture with authenticity and respect rather than rushing into it because of her heritage.
“We’ve already started making some moves where that is concerned, but I’m also pacing myself because I don’t want it to seem like, ‘Oh yes, I’m half Korean, so I’m somewhat a little bit entitled.’ I don’t want to go in not knowing anything about the culture, you know.”
Although Shenseea’s father is Korean, she was raised in Jamaica and emphasized that she wanted to learn about Korea before fully embracing that side of her identity publicly.
“Because I was raised in Jamaica for over 24 years, I’d like to take my time to even at least learn some words just to have respect for the culture, you know, and to learn more about the food—just the cuisine, everything about it. So I’m doing that right now.”
She even shared some of her first experiences exploring Korean culture in Los Angeles.
“I just went to Koreatown for the first time the other day. Yes, it was so amazing.”
And perhaps most memorably, Shenseea joked that Korean snacks had completely won her over.
“Right now, I’m retiring all Jamaican and American snacks. I’m sorry, Korean snacks, they’re it.”
Asked about her favorites, she enthusiastically listed several discoveries.
“I just had Korean barbecue, which is just a variety of stuff. But there’s this specific snack that I tasted called Turtle Chips. It’s a corn snack—they have it in different flavors. This one was corn and it was so good.”
She also recalled trying one of Korea’s most iconic dishes.
“I tried the kimchi—it was like some cabbage in some red sauce—not my favorite.”
“Distant Lover” is the latest release from Fandom, the fan-owned music initiative created by Musicow in partnership with Roc Nation Distribution. Following successful cross-cultural collaborations including Jon Bellion and Swae Lee’s “Two Car Garage” and Ahn Hyo Seop and Khalid’s “Something Special,” the project continues its mission of bringing together artists from different genres, cultures and audiences through global collaborations. “Distant Lover” will be released on all major streaming platforms on July 10, with limited-edition box sets featuring exclusive photo cards and posters to follow.
