Jamaican-American singer is the first reggae artist to be apart of CoverGirl campaign The cosmetics company booked songstress Nefatari, as one of the faces for their new product line of lipsticks and matte foundation. The former backup singer is a face for the brand’s TruBlend Matte Made Foundation and Exhibitionist lipsticks. The singer says this big shot in her career falls in line with her ultimate goals as an overall artist.

“It was luck and preparation and the opportunity,” she said. “I’ve been shooting and working on my image a lot and when the opportunity came I was ready.”

Prior to becoming a singer, Nefatari — whose name was given by her parents and inspired by the Egyptian queen Nefertiti — was modeling full time and doing work with fashion lines like Tommy Hilfiger and black hair magazines. She later paused her modeling aspirations to pursue her true passion in music. Further into her musical career, she realized she wanted to overhaul her entire image, and decided to return to her modeling roots to rebrand herself.

“I had modeled before I did music because my friends and family would ask me ‘Why don’t you model?’ — but the real love was in music, so I stopped to use my time and energy for it,” said Nefatari.And it was a logical step to take in how she wanted to market her music, and she points to many others who found stardom from being discovered in one aspect of entertainment.

“Today the way artists are being discovered — they’re being found through other ways,” she said. “People like Jamie Foxx, Tyrese, and Cardi B are examples of this, and in the past year I have found success other ways, so I said to myself, ‘Let me go back into modeling and help my music career.’”Taking this route would be a smart decision because those photos would help her become a standout in being chosen for the campaign.

The new lines of Cover Girl’s foundation has over 40 shades, and the lipstick line comes in 48 colors. In one of the promotional advertisements, the singer showcases how some of the brand’s lip colors looks on different ranges of skin tones. “They have a lot of shades and it’s a big spectrum that runs the gamut,” she said. “As one of the women in the brand, it shows all of us, who are of different backgrounds and four different complexions, and I think this is indicative of their inclusion.”

As a deeper hued black woman, she says she often struggles with finding makeup in her complexion, but also adds that the company launching a line that caters to more than three dozen hues helps reduce the challenge for black female consumers. “Mostly for black women in this generation, and women of color in general — it can be hard finding a shade of foundation and I used to mix foundation shades a lot just to get the right color,” said Nefatari.

Neftari says she is not only thrilled and proud to be part of the campaign, but excited that the company has always been inclusive in creating products for women of color and recognizing the base.

“I think it’s amazing and kudos to CoverGirl for being involved in this mission,” she said. “I know how empowering this will be for women.”