Nigerian American Christian hip hop artist, actress, and former journalist and A&R administrator Mutiat Yewande Isola prominently known as Wande was born on the 04th of March 1996 in Nigerian and grew up in Austin, Texas, United States of America, she speaks English and Yoruba fluently. Wande has been making waves in the music industry since her signing to Christian hip-hop label Reach Records in 2019. The first woman to be signed to the label, she had previously released multiple singles and made numerous featured appearances on various songs as an independent artist between 2013 and 2018, as well as working as a music journalist.
Most of her family members are Muslim but she converted to Christianity in seventh grade while interning at a camp in Columbus, Texas in 2009. Her interest in Christian rap was sparked when she stumbled upon the 2006 song “Prayin’ for You” by Lecrae while searching the internet for Christian rap.
Initially interested in becoming a doctor, Wande’s interest in music grew after a biology teacher allowed her to compose a rap about cellular transport instead of writing an essay or making a presentation. Despite this, she initially continued studying health and sciences and even acquired a license to be a nurse’s aid.
However, she ultimately switched majors to study journalism and public relations at the University of Texas at Austin.
As a journalist, Wande started writing for the Christian hip-hop website Rapzilla and soon started assisting the Christian hip-hop record label RMG. She also rapped at campus events as a form of Christian ministry. She was a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha and Sigma Phi Lambda sororities, the National Association of Black Journalists, the IGotSole Dance Company, and the Texas Orange Jackets.
Wande’s first released record was a feature on the song “B.I.G.” by D-Flow on their 2013 album Quarter to Vinci. She released her first single, “No Flex” featuring ikilledmarlon, in May 2016 and performed at South by Southwest in 2016, 2017, and 2018. She did some A&R work for Ace Harris and, in 2017 while still pursuing her university education, she began an internship at Reach Records. She released eleven songs in 2018, making the Rapzilla list of 15 freshmen of 2019. Shortly before her graduation in 2018, she was hired as an administrator for the label’s A&R.
Wande’s debut extended play (EP), “Exit,” was released on April 24, 2020, followed by a mini-EP “The Decision” on December 4, 2020. Her signing to Reach Records in 2019 marked a milestone in the label’s history, as she became the first woman to join their roster.
