Vanessa Mahi (born 17 December 1997), known professionally as Ivorian Doll, is a British-German rapper and internet personality of Ivorian descent.[2][3][4] She made her debut in collaboration with Abigail Asante, releasing singles under the name Abigail x Ivorian Doll. She has since gone on to release several singles as a solo artist.
Ivorian Doll | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Vanessa Mahi |
| Born | 17 December 1997 Flensburg, Germany[1] |
| Origin | London, England |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2017–present |
YouTube information | |
| Subscribers | 136,000 (April 2024) |
Early life
editMahi was born in Flensburg, Germany to parents from the Ivory Coast and moved to East London when she was three years old with her father.[5][6] Her mother initially stayed in Germany, later joining the family when Mahi was a teenager and her parents reunited.[1] Her pseudonym refers to her Ivorian heritage. Mahi's father is a pastor.[1] He took her to acting classes from the age of 11.[7] She attended Haggerston School.[7]
Career
editBefore starting her music career, Mahi was a YouTuber.[2] Mahi describes herself as having gone into a rap career "accidentally".[6]
After making her musical debut collaborating with Abigail Asante, Mahi began releasing music as a solo performer in late 2019.[6] Her debut single was "Queen of Drill".[6]
She released her breakout track, "Rumours", in April 2020.[1] The music video for the track on YouTube reached a million views within a month.[7]
Mahi was nominated for Best Newcomer in the 2020 MOBO Awards.[8]
In December 2020, Birmingham rapper Lady Leshurr released a diss track about Mahi, "DIV".[9] Mahi was announced as part of the Wireless Festival 2021 lineup in April 2021.[10] She also performed at Reading Festival 2021.[11]
In 2021, she collaborated with Birmingham's Duran Duran on the track "Hammerhead" for their album Future Past, released in October 2021.
Artistry
editMahi has described Nicki Minaj,[6] Lil' Kim[12] and Foxy Brown[12] as musical influences.
Discography
editSingles
editAs lead artist
edit| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Queen of Drill (QOD)" | 2019 | Non-album singles |
| "Rumours" | 2020 | |
| "Body Bag" | ||
| "Daily Duppy" | ||
| "Clout" | ||
| "Boss" | 2022 | |
| "Bow Down" | ||
| "Big Booty" | ||
| "Messy" | ||
| "Petty" | ||
| "Big Bad IVD" | 2023 | |
| "Diss to Dillon" |
As featured artist
edit| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "The Situation" (Abigail Asante with Ivorian Doll) |
2019 | Non-album singles |
| "Bouji" (AB feat. Ivorian Doll) | ||
| "Bezerk" (Br3nya with Ivorian Doll) |
2020 | |
| "Dumb Flex (Remix)" (Miss Lafamilia featuring Ivorian Doll, A9bdo Fundz, Offica, and Poundz) |
2021 | |
| "WTF" (Tanya with Ivorian Doll) | ||
| "Sad Party" (solo or acoustic by KAMILLE featuring Haile and Ivorian Doll) | ||
| "Victory (My Destiny)" (Tokio Myers featuring Ivorian Doll) | ||
| "Faded [Remix]" (B1 featuring 22Gz, Ivorian Doll, and Dezzie) | ||
| "Holy F4k" (Smallgod featuring Ivorian Doll, Vic Mensa, Black Sherif, Kwaku DMC) | ||
| "Hot" (Stepz with Ivorian Doll) |
2023 | |
| "Plenty Plenty" (Steel Banglez featuring S1mba, Midas the Jagaban, and Ivorian Doll) | ||
| "Money Come (Remix)" (Iggy Azelea featuring Ivorian Doll and Big Boss Vette) |
References
edit- ^ a b c d Baah, Nana (25 January 2021). "Everybody's Talking About Ivorian Doll". Vice. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
- ^ a b "Ivorian Doll: From YouTube drama to Queen of Drill". BBC News. 12 November 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
- ^ "On The Radar: Ivorian Doll". www.musicweek.com. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
- ^ "YouTube Star Turned Rapper Ivorian Doll Is Making Drill 'Fun and Sexy'". www.vice.com. 19 October 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
- ^ "Bio". Ivorian Doll. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Itseli, Minou (31 July 2020). ""I'm Just Trying To Compete With The Boys": An Interview With Ivorian Doll". Complex. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
- ^ a b c "Cover story: The gospel according to Ivorian Doll". Crack Magazine. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
- ^ "Lianne La Havas, Aitch and Nines lead 2020 MOBO Awards nominations". NME. 24 November 2020. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
- ^ "Lady Leshurr Smacks Down Ivorian Doll". Clash Magazine. 18 December 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
- ^ "Skepta, Future and Migos to Headline London's Wireless Festival 2021". HYPEBEAST. 28 April 2021. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
- ^ "Ivorian Doll at Reading Festival 2021: "I want to be a big international artist"". NME. 28 August 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
- ^ a b "Meet Ivorian Doll, the Reigning Queen of Drill". www.hungertv.com. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
