Who is Waje?
Waje is a Nigerian singer, actress, and vocalist. She was one of the judges of the debut season of “The Voice Nigeria” talent show in 2016.
She is known for her ability to cover three vocal octaves which earned her the nickname “the voice powerhouse” of Nigeria.
Waje’s full name is Aituaje Ebele Aina Vivian Iruobe. She was born on September 1, 1980, in Akure, Ondo State. Her mother is from Anambra while her father is from Ondo State. Waje is the first child and daughter of her parents.
The 41-year-old singer grew up in Benin with her mother when her parents got separated at a young age. She is the elder sister of Nollywood actress, Amaka Iruobe.
Meaning of Waje’s name
Nigerian singer Waje revealed herself that her stage name is an acronym of the phrase: “Words Aren’t Just Enough”.
Waje’s education and how she started her music career
Waje graduated with a degree in Social Work from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. She launched her music career in 2007 as a member of the eastern-based record label “Dome”, while still in the university.
Her first major recognition in the Nigerian music industry came after she featured in the remix of P-Square’s hit single “Omoge Mi” in 2007. She was also featured in the P-Square hit track of 2018, “Do Me”. She was one of the runner-ups of Advanced Warning, a reality TV show organized by MTV Base South Africa, and Zain Nigeria.
Waje released her self-titled debut studio album ‘W.A.J.E’ in 2013.
Waje’s acting career and movies
Waje debuted as an actress in 2014 with the movie “Tunnel” starring alongside other movie stars like Femi Jacobs, Patrick Doyle, Nse-Ikpe Etim, and Lepacious Bose.
Waje’s marriage and wedding
As of the time of writing this article, Waje is not married but she is a single mother of one. Waje has a grownup daughter whom she gave birth to while in the university.
Who is the father of Waje’s daughter?
The identity of Waje’s baby daddy has never been revealed. The singer disclosed in an interview with Genevieve Magazine that she has not been dating and has never allowed her male friends to her house or even introduced them to her daughter.
Her only known relationship, according to her, is the one she had with her daughter’s father during her secondary school days. There were speculations in January 2021 that Waje was set to walk down the aisle with Nigerian singer Ric Hassani after she uploaded a romantic picture of them together.
It later turned out the photo was a publicity stunt to promote their duet.
Waje’s husband
As of the time of writing this report, Waje is not married and does not have a husband. The 41-year-old singer also has no publicly known husband, fiance, boyfriend, or baby daddy.
Waje has vehemently concealed the identity of her baby daddy from the media and there is hardly any information about her private life online.
Waje’s relationship with Ric Hassani
Waje was speculated to be walking down the aisle with singer Ric Hassani in January 2021 after she posted a romantic picture of herself and the singer on her Instagram page early last year.
According to information gathered by DNB Stories Africa, her romantic pose with the male singer and suggestive caption ignited the rumour.
The caption read:
“It’s time….”
Some days later, on January 22, 2021, Waje released the music video of her song with Ric Hassani titled “Best Thing”. The public finally realized there was no wedding and that the romantic photo with Ric had only been a publicity stunt.
About Waje’s rumoured lover, Ric Hassani
Ric Hassani is a Nigerian singer and songwriter known for his 2016 debut studio album “The African Gentlemen” which earned him 3 nominations at the All Africa Music Awards in 2016.
Ric’s full name is Ikechukwu Eric Ahiazu. He was born in Port-Harcourt and raised both in Port-Harcourt and Lagos. The singer attended two different universities, one in Nigeria (Covenant University, Ota) and another one in the United Kingdom (University of Surrey, Guildford, England).
Waje’s children
As of the time of writing this report, Waje is a single mother of one.
The singer had her daughter at the age of 18 while writing her final exams in secondary school. She made it known that her mother did not know about the pregnancy until it was five months old.
Waje’s daughter’s name is Emerald Iruobe and she was born on March 28, 1999. She is currently 22 years old.
Emerald has often featured in her mother’s songs and music videos. It is also speculated that the young lady might tread her mother’s path in her choice of career.
