VanJess was a Nigerian-American R&B duo composed of sisters Ivana and Jessica Nwokike. The duo began their career on

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performing cover songs. After one of their videos, a cover of

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", 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 November 12, 2018, the group announced that they had signed to the RCA joint venture label Keep Cool. Thus far in their career, VanJess has released one studio album, ''Silk Canvas'', and one EP, ''Homegrown''.

History

The sisters are first-generation Nigerian immigrants of Igbo origin, 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

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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,

GoldLink D'Anthony William Carlos (born May 17, 1993), better known by his stage name GoldLink, is an American rapper and singer from Washington, D.C. He gained recognition following the release of his debut mixtape ''The God Complex'' (2014), which was ...

, 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 has listed

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

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 choreogr ...

, Xscape,

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, and SWV as their biggest musical influences. In a 2021 interview with ''Buzzfeed'', they listed

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Toni Braxton Toni Michele Braxton (born October 7, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and television personality. She has sold over 70 million records worldwide and is one of the best-selling female artists in history. Braxton has won seven ...

, and

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer, actress, film producer, model, and philanthropist. Commonly referred to as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, the Voice", she is List of awards and no ...

as additional influences on 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 own.

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

References

{{authority control Musical groups established in 2009 African girl groups American R&B girl groups Sibling musical duos American musicians of Nigerian descent American musical duos Female musical duos Contemporary R&B duos