Dancehall Queen Carlene Set To Launch Her Own DHQ Competition

Dancehall Queen Carlene Smith pioneered the concept of a female dancehall competition, so it comes as no surprise that she will be launching her own.

The ‘butterfly dance’ creator revealed her plans in a recent interview on the Wizology show.

“I am coming with my own dancehall queen competition so be ready for that,” she said. “It will be a total different way where the girls won’t just be a winner for the night. I’m giving them the opportunity now to be a queen, not to say they’re not before… I’ll make sure there are some jobs there when (you are crowned) the night. As with every other beauty contest in the world, you reign for the year, not for the night… You will just have more out of your title.”

A teenaged Smith conceptualized the dancehall queen contest in 1992 after she was invited to an event. Smith recalled that while she was in the space, she observed the fashion and class of the women and got the idea to do a competition between dancehall (her team) and uptown. She approached the event promoter who was sold and the show became a pop culture phenomena.

As the winner, Smith created the title “Dancehall Queen” which would go on to inspire the dancing contest in 1997. Though Smith gave her blessings for the latter, she said she did not want to be involved in the event and gave her view of its global evolution today.

“It’s not all that I would want but it’s okay,” she said. “It’s my baby that I gave birth to and I’ve watched it grow till now it’s out in the universe on its own so it’s something I’m very proud of.”

Smith also wears the entrepreneur title and said she has her own fragrance in the works.

“I have a perfume that’s in the making,” she said. “My other half and I, Ryan, from 2018. It’s just, as we said, everything slow down because of the pandemic and I like to do things once so I want to have it at the right peak, at the right time. The name of it is Pink Crystal. We’re perfecting it, it’s not ready yet but it will be.”

Her daughter’s name is Crystal Davis, which could have inspired the scent name.

Smith also wants to do a documentary about her life.

“I have it in my head, I’ve not done anything yet but it’s gonna happen. That’s how I am. I tell people what I’m gonna do and I do it.”

Smith already has her own line of sweet potato pudding and the blueprint for the first ever dancehall road March, which was put off last year because of the pandemic.