Wé Ani

As a child, young Wé balanced her time between Harlem, New York and Paterson, New Jersey, with her entry into music happening pretty early on. Raised on the greats like Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, and even Freddie Mercury, Wé Ani’s passion for a wide range of ‘70s and ‘80s artists became the direct inspiration for the music she would later make. However, she didn’t even realize that she could sing because everyone in her family could. “I was maybe like ten,” she recalls of her first realization. “My voice has always been really high when I speak, and when I sang it was deeper. And I'm thinking that everybody can carry a tune, because everybody in my family can carry a tune. So, if you're at a cookout, everybody's singing in key.” 

As a student at the world-renowned Harlem School of the Arts, she truly learned the fundamentals of being classically trained. By 16, she was ready for The Voice, packing into the Jacob Javits Center with thousands of other contestants before later placing third in the highly competitive reality competition series. She kept the momentum going, dropping a series of singles, including an intoxicating cover of “To Sir, With Love.” By 2023, she was back on the reality competition platform, placing in the Top 5 on American Idol. From performing at the Apollo Theater, to the Gershwin Prize Tribute concert, and even off-Broadway in Rocktopia alongside Dee Snider, there are dimensions to her craft, and it shows. Her 2023 viral single “Disgusted” (off her critically acclaimed Frantic EP) was proof that Wé Ani had the staying power of a star, with over 11.7 million streams on Spotify alone and rapidly gaining popularity with her vocal talent.