Ce'Cile

Ce'Cile was born Cecile Claudine Charlton in Manchester Parish, Jamaica, and grew up between Porus, Mile Gully, and Mandeville before the family settled more fully in Kingston. She grew up in a musically engaged household and began her professional path behind the scenes — writing, doing backing vocals, and working in studios — before stepping out as a solo artist, crediting Michael "Ibo" Cooper of Third World with helping her find her way into the music business.

She broke through with her self-produced, self-written 2001 single "Changez," a sharp song calling out male double standards in relationships. She trained and recorded with major producers of the early-2000s dancehall era such as Cordel "Skatta" Burrell and Don Corleon, developing her signature "singjay" style. Her international profile jumped when she featured on Sean Paul's track "Can You Do the Wuk," which appeared on his Grammy-winning, multi-platinum 2002 album Dutty Rock.

Ce'Cile released her full-length international debut album Bad Gyal in 2008, followed by Waiting (2009), Jamaicanization (2011), Still Running (2014), Diary of a Journey (2016), Music + Magic (2019), and Sophisticated (2021). She built a particularly strong following in Germany and Japan, and scored a major crossover hit as a featured vocalist on UK producer DJ Fresh's "Gold Dust," which reached the UK Top 30 and was certified triple-platinum. Other notable songs include "Give It to Me" and "Do It to Me Baby," the latter of which drew public backlash in Jamaica for its explicitly sexual, pro-feminine content.

Ce'Cile is widely credited with opening space for later generations of female dancehall artists — including Shenseea, Jada Kingdom, and Lila Iké — by centering themes of female desire, self-worth, and independence at a time when women's voices in dancehall were largely secondary to men's. She had a child in 2012 with fellow reggae artist Christopher Martin, and has continued to speak publicly on parenting and women's issues alongside her music career.