A 11-year-old girl of Jamaican heritage has become one of the youngest singers ever to make it on the Billboard Chart.

Janessa Smith’s gospel song, “He’s Able”, peaked at No. 210 out of 1,000 songs and has been on the Christian Billboard Chart for 20 weeks. Her record-breaking success has also seen her nominated for a Stella Award in the Youth Project of the Year category.

Speaking to The Sunday Gleaner, the talented youngster said: “My first song was written in a car drive with my dad at four years old. It eventually became my first single, titled One Day. I recorded it at six years old and released it when I was eight.

“I didn’t really write it down on paper. I just wrote it in my heart, and my dad helped me put it together,” she said.

“He’s Able” is a follow-up single to her first release called “One Day.”

Her first single was released in 2019 and got noticed by key industry insiders and was played on some gospel radio stations. But it was her second single which became a record-breaker.

According to her father, Kevin Smith, Janessa, is the youngest recording artist to make it onto the Christian Billboard Chart.

Speaking to The Sunday Gleaner, on his daughter’s success, Mr Smith said: “If there was a word that could sum up my feelings, it would have to be ‘Wow’, but it’s all God’s doing for sure.

“When she started out on this journey, it was not in our intentions for her to be on the Billboard charts or to even be nominated for a Stellar Award, the VOGMA (Voices of Gospel Music Awards) or the Antigua Barbuda Gospel Music Awards.

“It was just God’s plan for us to be in this position right now,” he said.

For Mr Smith and his wife, Anne Marie, who are Jamaican, they are incredibly proud of what their daughter has achieved.

They have expressed their delight at her accomplishments and have said they will continue to support their daughter, who also dreams of becoming a Psychologist when she grows up.

The couple, who are based in New York, said they hope to ensure their daughter remains “happy and enjoys her life.”

For the young star, she praised her parents for believing in her and said: “It’s good that I not only have my dad with me, but my mom as well.

“She helps me with my style, and of course, she puts me together, so it’s fun.

“My father plays a big role in my music creations.

“He always tells me I can do anything, musically, if I put my mind to it.”

For the Smith family, they will have to wait until July 10, to find out if their daughter scoops the Youth Project of the Year Award, when the 36^th Stellar Awards take place.

This year’s star-studded ceremony will take place in Nashville, Tennessee, and has been dubbed the biggest night in Gospel music.