R&B duo VanJess has gone through a breakup. They are from Nigeria but have a strong presence in America. Sisters Ivana and Jessica Nwokike made up the group. The fact they were a duo set them apart from many other R&B acts. This allowed them to do many creative things with their vocals. Their music was in a lane that reminded many of '90s R&B, but they also had several dance tracks in their discography, with some hosting productions from Kaytranada.
VanJess Had Humble Beginnings
Many long-time supporters of VanJess remember their YouTube origins. The duo began by posting videos covering popular songs. These introduced viewers to their unique delivery style as a duo. After a series of releases like this, they developed a fanbase without even having original music out. They signed to Keep Cool/RCA Records in 2018 and released their debut album Silk Canvas the same year. Features included established acts like Masego and Little Simz. The project exposed them to new audiences right away. Further, a second version of this Silk Canvas was released and included remixes of many of the songs from the original album.
Their second album, Homegrown, arrived in 2021 and received a deluxe edition with five additional songs. This album included their single “Slow Down,” which received a contribution from Lucky Daye on its deluxe edition. VanJess's popular track “Come Over” was included on this album, too. The album also has the Kaytranada-produced track “DYSFUNCTIONAL.” This is a unique track because he released it as a single in 2019. However, this single version also includes the song's instrumental. Listeners celebrated this collab and were glad they came together again on Kaytranda's album BUBBA on the song “Taste.”
Music Will Still Come From One Member of VanJess
The VanJess break up news reached fans in March 2023. Jessica posted a letter on Instagram that revealed the specifics. Fans hadn't received music from the duo since August 2022. It came as a surprise to many, but they accepted it. Many fans offered support and encouragement to the sisters in light of the news. This is a testament to the type of supporters they have. These people treat them as human beings instead of machines making music for them. There was nothing but love in the sisters' social media comments sections; this is a great thing to see in the climate of the current music world.
In the VanJess break up announcement letter, Jess explained that Vanessa decided to step away from the group eight months earlier. However, Jess went on to say she is releasing music on her own. The letter was signed “Amaka,” her name as a solo act. The day after this post, the duo’s Instagram handle changed to “@amakapls.” Naturally, all posts related to VanJess as a duo were deleted (or, likely, archived) to make way for Amaka's promotional pictures. The same situation happened with their Twitter account. Followers adjusted quickly and continued to interact with the accounts just as they were previously doing.
Amaka Already Released a New Single
Jess, now known as Amaka, has already reintroduced herself as a solo artist with new music. Titled “Cruisin,” the song is very dance-esque and focuses on how well her voice blends with the production. Since Kaytranada is on production for this one, too, the dance feeling is spot on. Amaka has promoted this song through anime edits posted on her TikTok and Twitter. Listeners have praised her for this as she has used clips from famous anime shows like Cowboy Bebop and Michoko & Hatchin. At the time of this writing, there is no official music video for the song. However, this has not stopped listeners from praising the track and patiently waiting for more music from Amaka.
An artist changing direction will always bring a reaction from their listeners. In the case of VanJess, going from a duo to a solo act was surprising. This is even more dramatic when the solo act changes their moniker. However, this helps ensure they are truly in a new chapter as an artist. It will not stop people from comparing their new work to their old catalog, but it will minimize it. Amaka has established that she respects her sister’s decision to leave the music duo they had. In turn, fans appreciated Amaka for her decision to continue making music.
[Via]