August has been a very good month for Spice. ‘Mirror 25’, the dancehall diva’s latest album, entered the Billboard Reggae Albums chart at number seven.

Released on August 9 by her Spice Official Entertainment, the set contains collaborations with Busta Rhymes, Chronic Law, Jada Kingdom, Patoranking and Ky-Mani Marley.

One week later, the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) awarded the deejay a silver certification in the United Kingdom for ‘So mi Like It’, her 2014 song. The Brit Certified Silver Award signifies sales of over 200,000 units.

In July, ‘So Mi Like It’ picked up a gold certification in Canada for more than 40,000 units sold.

The accolades come as Spice celebrates her 25th year in the music business. ‘Mirror 25’, released three days after her 42nd birthday, is part of that silver anniversary party.

“This body of work is very diverse. I wanted to give every aspect of my artistry and take my fans on a journey of different sounds infused with reggae/dancehall. I’ve worked extremely hard to get where I am today and It couldn’t have been possible without God and my fans,” said Spice.

One year ago, she made headlines but not for her music. News circulated in the Jamaican media that Spice was fighting for her life after a botched plastic surgery procedure.

With her management keeping a lid on information, speculation was rife that she was at death’s door but in April, Spice posted on Instagram that she underwent multiple surgeries to treat a sepsis infection.

‘Mirror 25’ was released one week after Vybz Kartel, Spice’s mentor, was released from prison in Jamaica after 13 years. He has since announced a comeback show scheduled for the National Stadium in Kingston on January 1 with Spice among the guest acts.

She was part of Kartel’s infamous Gaza Empire, and shared the mic with the controversial deejay on ‘Ramping Shop’, a risque 2009 hit. Spice is unapologetic about their friendship.

“A lot of people don’t know that we knew each other before the fame. We both come out of Portmore (a housing development on the outskirts of Kingston) and were trying to make it at the same time. We both called each other up on shows,” she recalled.

“How ‘Ramping Shop’ came about, we were both booked for a show in Guyana in 2008 at the National Stadium. The event was so packed that the promoter asked if we could come back the next day and do another show. It was sold out two days in a row. It was there Kartel turned and said to me, ‘Muma, I think it’s time we do a song’. The next day we flew back to Jamaica and he called me and said, ‘Muma, mi find it’, and the rest was history.”

Spice is from Spanish Town, Jamaica’s first capital. Her first song, ‘Complain’, was produced by Dave Kelly and released in 2003.

In recent years, Spice has found a new audience by appearing in ‘Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta’, the popular VH1 reality series.

(Photos contributed)