In mid-March 2023, Nigerian-American sisters Ivana and Jessica Nwokike of beloved R&B performing duo VanJess announced that they were no longer making music together. It was a shock to longtime fans who had followed their journey from their stunning harmonies and cover arrangements on their YouTube channel nearly 15 years ago, and had championed their transition to full-time recording artists. After self-releasing a few projects, the pair signed to RCA Records and released the critically lauded EP Homegrown, a stunning, silky affair that pays tribute to their ‘90s R&B influences while showcasing their signature harmonies and vocal dexterity.
When Ivana chose to step away from VanJess, Jessica fully supported her sister, and saw this as an opportunity to start creating music as a solo act. “I’ve spent the last few months finishing a project I’m beyond excited for you to hear,” Jessica announced in an Instagram post about the split. “With my sister’s blessing, I will continue to post here and hope you all stay for the ‘ride’: Tomorrow is the start of something new.”
Upon the suggestion of record exec Tunji Balogun, who initially signed her to RCA, Jessica took her middle name, Amaka, as her performance name – stylizing it in a similar all-caps fashion as her close friend and collaborator KAYTRANADA – as an homage to her Igbo background and culture as well as her late father, who supported her artistic dreams. The VanJess Instagram account was then converted to AMAKA’s, and Jessica began the process of reintroducing herself to the world.
Charting out a new path as an individual act has been a journey full of anxiety, but AMAKA has been blessed to have a strong support system in her corner, including her vocal producer and engineer Lauren D’Elia, longtime friend R&B singer Khalid, and KAYTRANADA, who exclusively produced her debut solo EP, Oasis. The project fleshes out themes introduced in VanJess’ Silk Canvas EP and earlier KAYTRANADA collabs such as “Taste” and “Dysfunctional,” emotional dance records with varied genre influences and space for the vocalist to shine, tailor made for late summer nights. These textures are seamlessly integrated with a collage of contemporary sonics out of the African popular music scene, with tracks such as her February record with DJ Spinall, “Just to Be,” leaving a distinct imprint on the project’s layered percussive rhythms. The resulting melange is a vibrant experience that she defines as uniquely Afro-futurist: a melodic site of escape over six tracks, channeling the confidence and freedom she unleashed throughout her songwriting process.
AMAKA’s reintroduction has been months in the making, and an exercise in patience and timing — but, she says, “I truly think right now is the right time.” AMAKA has found her voice, and she is ready for everyone to hear it.
Teen Vogue: This project has more of a dance influence. But I know that's something that you had been hinting at wanting to move towards since last year, right? What made you want to lead into that direction with your musical tastes for this current project?
A: Even with VanJess records, I've always leaned more towards writing up-tempo songs. Part of it is just the performance aspect – I’m always thinking about every element of the art when I'm writing, and I've always been moved by percussion and movement, and it's informed the way that I write records. So oftentimes when I'm in the studio, with the beat selection, I usually will go for those [that are] upbeat. Over the years since, I think people are more accepting of Black artists and R&B artists not just being solely R&B or [fitting] in any box. So for me with this project, that's the space I want to be in — I have no genre, I'm just me. That's kind of what has informed the direction in general, it’s wanting to expand and innovate and never fit in one box musically. Genre-wise, I'm going in so many directions, and it's very exciting.
TV: You've been thematically arranging some of the records – both “Cruisin’” and “Leave it Behind” seem to be drawing on this “open road” aesthetic. Love the visualizer [for “Leave It Behind”] by the way, I thought it was really inspired.
A: Wow, you picked up on it. For me, “Cruisin’” is the takeoff. “Leave It Behind” is what led to the takeoff. “Oasis” is the destination — like we're finally here, we've arrived.
TV: One of the things I've loved about your voice is you have such dynamism. You have this rich lower register, but you can still get up there. With your sister it made for some amazing harmonies, but you're doing really interesting things in the vocal production on these dance tracks as well. What was it like thinking through the melodies that you wanted to create and stacking on your own vocals?
A: I had a lot of fun with it. In the past I had a bit more limits with the way that I would arrange stuff not for any reason other than not wanting too much to be happening. You sometimes have to tone down vocal production when it's multiple voices and it made sense for those records, but when it's one person it gives you so much more room to play around. “What can I add that's going to elevate, that's going to make this more interesting, dynamic?” With “Oasis,” for instance, that hook when it's like “it’s Saturday, gyrate,” I wanted the ad libs to feel like odes to [Nigerian] Pidgin, you know, when I go eehh – it’s like little easter eggs that I think of in the moment. I go with the flow.
TV: I know that you lost the collaboration with your sister, but you are working with a frequent collaborator of yours with Kaytranada on these tracks. What was that experience like, of curating the records you wanted to use for this project that would reintroduce you to the world?
A: Honestly, a dream. Kay is also someone who has no bounds with genres. There's no rules. It's just feeling, it’s soul. Creating with someone like that, it’s literally magical. A lot of the beats — I think most of them besides maybe one, he made from scratch.
TV: Wow.
A: Creating with Kay is super special, he just has this elite ear, it's unmatched. I can't even follow his train of thought sometimes and the ideas he has. The references he makes to the ‘80s and ‘90s and synths and African music, the way he's able to just seamlessly blend everything. I'm grateful that he gave me those palettes to work off. I could write a good song, whatever, but having the tools to support that is…I can't say enough good things about him.
TV: You have such prodigious artistic sensibilities, from songwriting and vocals to things you're doing visually. The first visual you put out as AMAKA was you with these braided ropes which seemed to imitate the Japanese Shibari style, and recently you showcased choreography in the dance video for “Cruisin.’” I didn't even know you could dance like that. I’m used to Homegrown Motown Glam. What made you want to poke around and showcase all these different parts of yourself?
A: I know it sounds corny, but I think it's just confidence in myself. It’s also just me doing the work to get better at these things I want to express, and be more intentional. All these things I've always been interested in, I've always pulled from, I just felt scared to express it. With Japanese culture specifically – I've always been a huge fan of Japanese electronic music. Even with the title for “Cruisin’”, I was listening to this J-Pop group named Perfume [and] they have a song called “Baby Cruising Love,” and I went from there.
The dancing, I’d watch Britney [Spears] and Janet [Jackson], and since the pandemic, I started practicing on my own. I would just watch YouTube videos and be in the garage as a hobby, and I would take classes very privately, and I'm still in the process of it. There's something special about having those private journeys. I definitely believe in being a dark horse and a slow burn.
TV: With this project, you really flex your songwriting and play around with different themes. You had publicly alluded to “Cruisin’” coming out of the grief of losing your father two years ago. As you were working through the rest of the project, how were you thinking through crafting these songs?
A: “Cruisin’” and “Hold Tight” – those two I wrote in the same session, and they both came from the same space. I say that “Oasis” is the destination because it was a game changer. The energy that I was approaching it with is, “This is the version of myself that I hope to get back to.” After that, I just thought, “Let's make songs that people will play at parties.” I got very inspired [by] the party scene in L.A. — not the wack parties, like industry parties. Lit raves and sh*t. When you go to an actual good party, where there's an amazing DJ… I got so inspired by that world and wanted to create music that could be in that realm.
Lyrically, I always pull from different places. Kay was telling me he had a house party [once] that went kind of left because someone broke something, and he was just like “Get all these people out of this house!” “Unfamiliar,” I wrote basically [inspired by that]. This is just such a relatable thing. “Undercover” was inspired by “Spanish Guitar” by Toni Braxton, more… sexy. I love those songs, where it’s like “you see me in a crowd…” For me, I like to have layered meanings and things people could take [from the lyrics]. The overall thing I want people to listen and feel is empowered, like free. That's the energy I want to be encompassed in – you are your own oasis.
TV: I think that empowerment is really coming across – you're presenting yourself in a very self-assured way.
A: There are so many women I look to and I've been so inspired by [their] audacity and the boldness, and the ability to just unapologetically be. I've always loved artists and women like that: Rihanna, Doja Cat, Solange, SZA, I can name so many Black women. You are carving your own lane; I've always wanted to have the confidence to be that. For me, the boldness in everything I'm doing is [this] space I'm in personally. I don't want to be scared to express the more vulnerable parts of me, you know? I hate the way that the industry and the world try to dictate the way women live their own lives. If I can ever continue to just be anti-that and do the things that genuinely make me feel good, I want to continue to do that.
TV: What comes next for you? Are you planning to tour this? I know that Homegrown came out in the middle of the pandemic. What is your roadmap?
A: The performance element we're definitely taking our time with. I want that to be right, and I made the decision [that] I'm not going to do any shows until I really put together a show that the fans deserve to see, and I could be proud of. It's coming. I would love to just go out [and play] but there's so much behind the live show, man. But definitely more music, so people can definitely expect more from me. I've recorded so much music, I already have my little project two SoundCloud link. I'm working.
