# Shay (rapper)

Vanessa Lesnicki (French pronunciation:; born 16 August 1992 in Brussels), known by her stage name Shay (/ʃaɪ/, SHYE; French:), is a Belgian francophone rapper. After a collaboration with Booba in 2011, she has released many songs, notably a hit with "XCII" on the record label 92i. Her debut album Jolie Garce was released on 2 December 2016 and was certified gold. Her sophomore album Antidote was released on 10 May 2019. Her third Studio Album Pourvu qu'il pleuve was released on January 19, 2024 under her own Label Jolie Garce Records. Her style is a combination of hip-hop, trap, urban pop and R&B. Previously signed to Capitol Music, now she is signed to Because Music, under her own Label Jolie Garce Records.

## Early life

Shay was born in Brussels, Belgium. Her father is Belgian (whose father was a Polish Jew who married a Belgian), and her mother is Congolese. On her mother's side, Shay is the granddaughter of singer Tabu Ley Rochereau.

## Musical career

In 2014, Shay joined the 92i label of her mentor Booba and released several singles like XCII and 1200. In early summer 2016, Shay released the first single from her album, entitled PMW, which was certified as platinum. On 7 October 2016, Shay released the music video of the song Biche from her album, which was viewed more than 7 million times. Her song Cabeza was released a few weeks late, and went on to be certified gold. On 17 February 2017, Shay released the music video of her single, Thibaut Courtois, dedicated to the goalkeeper of the Belgium national team with the same name. This song was also certified gold.
In 2018, Shay posted an extract from a track entitled Notif on social networks. She also unveiled her return to the studio with producers Heezy Lee, Junior à la Prod and Le Motif on Instagram. At the same time, Shay also collaborated with Jul on the track Pim Pom, taken from the latter's album Inspi d'ailleurs.
She made her comeback and released the track Jolie on 30 November 2018, accompanied by a video clip directed by Guillaume Doubet. On 11 January 2019, Shay released Cocorico, the second single from her new album, which she had previously announced would be released in 2019. On 22 February 2019, she released the track Notif, accompanied by a video clip that, like the video for Jolie, was directed by Guillaume Doubet. Her second album, Antidote, was released on 10 May 2019. On 1 July, she released the video for the song Liquide, a duet with French rapper Niska. The track was certified gold.

## Discography
### Albums

| Title | Album details | Peak positions | Peak positions | Peak positions | Certifications |
| Title | Album details | BEL (Wa) | FRA | SWI | Certifications |
| Jolie Garce | Released: 2 December 2016 Label: 92i, Capitol Music France Formats: CD, streaming, digital download | 48 | 60 | — | SNEP: Platinum |
| Antidote | Released: 10 May 2019 Label: Capitol Music France Formats: CD, streaming, digital download | 5 | 15 | 43 | SNEP: Gold |
| Pourvu qu'il pleuve | Released: 19 January 2024 Label: Because Music, Virgin Formats: CD, streaming, digital download | 3 | 3 | 9 | |

### Singles
#### As lead artist

| Title | Year | Peak positions | Peak positions | Certifications | Album |
| Title | Year | BEL (Wa) | FRA | Certifications | Album |
| "XCII" | 2015 | — | 153 | | Non-album song |
| "PMW" | 2016 | 9 (Ultratip*) | 33 | SNEP: Platinum | Jolie Garce |
| "Biche" | 2016 | — | 72 | | Jolie Garce |
| "Cabeza" | 2016 | 29 (Ultratip*) | 107 | SNEP: Gold | Jolie Garce |
| "Jolie" | 2018 | 30 (Ultratip*) | 38 | | Antidote |
| "Cocorico" | 2019 | — | 102 | | Antidote |
| "Notif" | 2019 | 15 (Ultratip*) | 22 | * SNEP: Gold | Antidote |
| "DA" | 2022 | — | 40 | | Non-album singles |
| "Jolie Go" | 2023 | — | 32 | * SNEP: Platinum | Non-album singles |
| "Comando" | 2023 | — | 61 | | Non-album singles |
| "Sans cœur" (featuring Niska) | 2023 | 42 | 5 | | Non-album singles |
*Did not appear in the official Belgian Ultratop 50 charts, but rather in the bubbling under Ultratip charts.

#### Other charted songs

| Title | Year | Peak positions | Peak positions | Certifications | Album |
| Title | Year | BEL (Wa) | FRA | Certifications | Album |
| "Thibaut Courtois" | 2016 | 16 (Ultratip*) | 39 | SNEP: Gold | Jolie Garce |
| "La go" | 2016 | — | 178 | | Jolie Garce |
| "Liquide" (feat. Niska) | 2019 | — | 21 | SNEP: Gold | Antidote |
| "Ich liebe dich" | 2019 | — | 73 | | Antidote |
| "Cœur Wanted" | 2019 | — | 87 | | Antidote |
| "Amour & Ses désastres" | 2019 | — | 107 | | Antidote |
| "Même pas bonne" | 2019 | — | 111 | SNEP: Gold | Antidote |
| "Désillusions" | 2019 | — | 114 | | Antidote |
| "Pleurer" | 2019 | — | 152 | | Antidote |
| "Villa" | 2019 | — | 174 | | Antidote |
| "Oh oui" | 2019 | — | 192 | | Antidote |
| "Prends ton time" | 2019 | — | 200 | | Antidote |
*Did not appear in the official Belgian Ultratop 50 charts, but rather in the bubbling under Ultratip charts.

#### As featured artist

| Title | Year | Peak positions | Certifications | Album |
| Title | Year | FRA | Certifications | Album |
| "Ivre" (Benash feat. Shay & Damso) | 2017 | 75 | SNEP: Gold | CDG |
| "Guerrier" (Fally Ipupa feat. Shay & Damso) | 2017 | — | | Tokoos |
| "Pim pom" (Jul feat. Shay) | 2018 | 33 | | Inspi d'ailleurs |
| "Kobe" (Fresh feat. Shay) | 2022 | 27 | | Non-album song |

## Filmography
### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2021 | Rhythm + Flow: Nouvelle École | Judge | Released on Netflix |