Wande is a Nigerian Christian hip-hop artist. She has been releasing music since 2013 and, in 2019, became the first-ever female to sign to influential Christian hip-hop label, Reach Records. Her debut single for them, 2019’s ‘Blessed Up’, has been streamed and downloaded over 4 million times. She released her debut album, Exit, in December 2020. Today, she stands as one of the premier voices in Christian hip-hop music with a huge social media following that totals over 150,000 followers and subscribers across various platforms.
Wande was born Mutiat Yewande Isola in Nigeria in 1996. She grew up, however, in Texas. Raised in a predominantly Muslim family, she became interested in Christianity through her mother. Although at one point she was forbidden to go to church, her interest in the faith led her to look for Christian rap on the internet, which she duly found and became a fan of. She accepted Jesus into her life and converted to Christianity at a summer camp when she was 13. This, along with her later decision to become a rapper, caused problems with her family that took a long time to resolve.
Wande actually intended to become a doctor and began studying medicine. However, she felt increasingly drawn to Christian hip-hop, which again conflicted with the expectations of her community. Eventually, music won out, and by 2016, she was performing at major industry event South by Southwest. To support herself financially, she began working in admin for Reach Records, home of some of Christian hip-hop’s biggest names. They eventually realised she was also an incredible rapper and signed her up in 2019, giving her profile the huge boost that she deserved.