VanJess was a
Nigerian-American R&B duo composed of sisters Ivana and Jessica Nwokike. The duo began their career on
YouTube performing cover songs. After one of their videos, a cover of
Drake's "
Headlines", had viral success, they decided to pursue a serious career in music. In 2011 the duo hired a manager and recorded in a studio for the first time. On 12 November 2018, the group announced that they had signed to the
RCA joint venture label
Keep Cool. Thus far in their career, VanJess have released one studio album, ''Silk Canvas'', and one EP, ''Homegrown''.
History
The sisters are first generation Nigerian immigrants of
Igbo origin, although they were both born in the United States. According to Jessica, they spent 'about eight or nine years' of their childhood in Nigeria, before moving to
La Palma, California with their mother, when they were 10 and 8 years old, respectively. They later moved to
Cerritos. Jessica and Ivana attended a performing arts elementary school. In middle school and high school, they performed as a duo in talent shows.
They have supported causes like the "Louder than Words" campaign in 2012 and performed at 2013's "Lights Camera Cure" dance-a-thon.
They have made appearances on shows like VH1's ''The Linda Perry Projec''t.
The duo re-released their debut EP ''00 till Escape'' in 2015 which charted in the
iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
top ten and trended worldwide. Their debut album ''
Silk Canvas'', an album of original material, was self-released by the duo in 2018. The duo released five singles from the album: "Adore", "Touch the Floor", "Through Enough", "Addicted", "Easy", and "Control Me". The album includes collaborations with
Masego Masego is a Tswana/ Pedi name (a Bantu tribe found in Botswana and South Africa) meaning blessings that may refer to:
*Masego (musician) (born 1993), modern hip hop artist who utilizes elements of jazz and house music
* Masego Kgomo (c. 1999–2009) ...
,
GoldLink,
Little Simz,
Leikeli47, and
Berhana.
They released their EP, ''Homegrown'', on February 5, 2021. The project includes collaborations with
Kaytranada,
Phony Ppl, Jimi Tents, Garren, and Devin Morrison.
The duo have listed
Michael Jackson,
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreog ...
,
Xscape,
TLC, and
SWV as their biggest musical influences. In a 2021 interview with ''Buzzfeed'', they listed
Brandy
Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured with ...
,
Toni Braxton, and
Whitney Houston as additional influences to their music.
On March 16, 2023, Jessica announced that Ivana had stepped away from VanJess eight months earlier. Jessica also announced that she will continue to make music on her ow
Discography
Studio albums
EPs
References
{{authority control
Musical groups established in 2009
Girl groups
Sibling musical duos
American people of Nigerian descent
American musical duos
Female musical duos
Contemporary R&B duos