Introducing Wande

5.14.2022

Wande

Mutiat Yewande Isola, professionally known as Wande, is a Nigerian American Christian hip hop artist and former journalist and A&R administrator from Austin, Texas, United States. She signed to the Christian hip hop label Reach Records in 2019, where she had worked as an A&R administrator.

She is the first woman signed to Reach Records. Her debut extended play (EP), Exit, was released on April 24, 2020, followed by a mini-EP The Decision on December 4, 2020.

Background

Wande was born in Nigeria but grew up in Round Rock and then Austin, Texas. She is fluent in English and her native language Yoruba. The majority of Wande's family was Muslim but her mom was Christian. Early in her life she was not permitted to go to church. Her curiosity about God led her to research Christian rap on the internet; and her first result was the 2006 song "Praying for You" by Lecrae.

In the seventh grade, she converted to Christianity while interning at a camp in 2009 in Columbus, Texas. Her decision to live for Christ led her to being at odds with the rest of her family. At camp, she saw a performance by the Christian hip hop collective "116 clique," which at the time consisted of Lecrae, Trip Lee, Tedashii, and Sho Baraka.