Dancehall sensation Grace Hamilton, who sings under the moniker Spice, has been the centre of attention in recent weeks.

The negativity and criticism she, along with ace DJ Vybz Kartel, has been facing for the single Rampin' Shop was somewhat overshadowed, as the artiste recently received four awards.

Spice copped the award for Female DJ of the Year at the EME's and then followed with three others at the Youth View Awards (YVA), which included Young Hot and Hype, Favourite Local Female Artiste of the year and Favourite Dancehall Female Artiste of the year.

Votes from the public

"I am extremely happy, what makes this moment so special is the fact that it was the votes from the public that determined who got these awards," Spice told THE STAR in an interview.

"I want to thank God, my very supportive mother and my son. Every time I look at him, I am motivated to work harder. Also to my husband, Nicholas Lall, who is my backbone, to the fans, nothing would be possible without them and to Karen Clarke, promoter of the YVAs. Sorry I wasn't there in person to collect them (the awards)," she added.

The road to this recent success was not an easy one as Spice often had to go to extreme measures to ensure that her dreams were brought to life.

"At times, I basically lived in my car, I carried everything in it, so from there to here, it has been a lot of hard work and am now reaping the benefits of that work that I put in. It all started with my first hit Fight Ova Man, special thanks to Dave Kelly and Baby Cham," she said.

Spice, in looking ahead, now has a new single out called No Matter What. "The song will basically show the softer side of Spice. I just want to show my versatility, as I am actually singing. The video shoot will follow soon, so I just want the fans to get familiar with Grace Hamilton. I also want a manager," she chuckled. Spice is also planning an upcoming tour for the United States and England.