Early life Anike was born in Nigeria but raised in
Round Rock, Texas and then
Austin, Texas, United States. Most of her family members were
Muslims, except for her mother, who was Christian. At first she was not allowed to go to church, and then started having to get up at 5 A.M. to read the Bible and go with her mother to work so that she could get picked up to go to church. Anike said in April 2020 that she used to joke "that I'd go to Mosque and church". While at the camp, she also saw a performance by the Christian hip hop collective
116 Clique, which at that time consisted of Lecrae,
Trip Lee,
Tedashii, and
Sho Baraka. Despite this, she initially continued in studying health and sciences, even acquiring a license to be a nurse's aid. and
Sigma Phi Lambda sororities, the
National Association of Black Journalists, IGotSole Dance Company, and the Texas Orange Jackets. Her first released record was a feature on the song "B.I.G." by D-Flow on their 2013 album
Quarter to Vinci. 2017, and 2018. She did some A&R work for Ace Harris, and 2017, while still pursuing her university education, she began an internship at Reach Records. Shortly before her graduation in 2018 she was hired as an administrator for the label's A&R.
Reach Records (2018—present) The following year, after five months after her hire as A&R, she was signed as a recording artist to Reach. She released her debut single on the label, "Blessed Up", in April. The single would be listed the next year on
Michelle Obama's playlist. Wande is the first woman signed to the label. She has expressed a hope that her signing will make it easier for other women rappers to pursue a career in the highly male-dominated Christian hip hop genre. "I think it'll show other labels that you shouldn't be afraid to sign females. I hear a lot of excuses like, 'Oh it's expensive' or 'Oh, we don't know how the market will react to a woman.' 'Will they buy her music?' Obviously, a lot of Christian companies don't have the money to just casually experiment with a Christian artist because you have to make sure they are profitable. So a lot of women get the short end of the stick because they don't want to gamble on a woman." She said that it initially took a while for her music to be released because of resistance that she encountered in the music industry because her abilities were undervalued on account of her being a woman. For example, she recounts that "I would fly somewhere, write a whole album, and would ask for the beat and the person wouldn't send the song. I learned a lot about how people value you." and the single "Happy" was released April 3, 2020. "Be the Light", featuring Evan and Eris, followed as a single on April 17, 2020.
Exit was released on April 24, 2020. Wande also has released music has part of 116 (formerly 116 Clique). She said in an April 2020 interview that her father and her have made peace over her conversion and her decision to pursue a hip-hop music career. On December 4, 2020, she released a three-song mini-EP entitled
The Decision.
Name change In July 2024, she changed her stage name from Wande to Anike, a short form of her new middle legal name, Ireoluwa-Anike, a
Yoruba phrase meaning "the goodness of God" == Personal life ==