Wande was born in Nigeria and raised in Round Rock and then Austin, Texas, United States. In addition to English, she is fluent in Yoruba. Most of her family was Muslim, except for her mother, who was Christian. She converted to Christianity in seventh grade while attending a camp in 2009 in Columbus, Texas, a decision for which she encountered opposition from within her family. She became interested in rapping after a biology teacher allowed her to compose a rap about cellular transport instead of writing an essay or making a presentation. She majored in journalism and public relations at University of Texas at Austin, and rapped at campus events as a form of Christian ministry. She was a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha and Sigma Phi Lambda sororities, the National Association of Black Journalists, IGotSole Dance Company, and the Texas Orange Jackets. Her first released record was a feature on the song "B.I.G." by D-Flow on their 2013 album Quarter to Vinci. She released her first single, "No Flex" featuring ikilledmarlon, in May 2016. She performed at South by Southwest in 2016, 2017, and 2018. In 2017, while still pursuing her university education, she began an internship at Reach Records, and shortly before her graduation in 2018 she was hired as an administrator for the label's A&R. The following year she was signed as a recording artist to the label, and she released her debut single on the label, "Blessed Up", in April. Wande is the first woman signed to the label. She has expressed a hope that her signing will make it easier for other women rappers to pursue a career in the highly male-dominated Christian hip hop genre. "I think it’ll show other labels that you shouldn’t be afraid to sign females. I hear a lot of excuses like, 'Oh it’s expensive' or 'Oh, we don’t know howthe market will react to a woman.' 'Will they buy her music?' Obviously, a lot of Christian companies don’t have the money to just casually experiment with a Christian artist because you have to make sure they are profitable. So a lot of women get the short end of the stick because they don’t want to gamble on a woman." On March 30, 2020, Wande announced her forthcoming extended play, Exit, set for release on April 24, 2020. The single "Happy" was released April 3, 2020.
