Aituaje Iruobe (Born September 1), known as WAJE (an acronym for
"Words aren’t just enough") is a Nigerian singer whose vocal range
covers three octaves. She participated in the remake of P-Square’s “Omoge Mi” and featured as the female voice in the duo’s 2008 hit track “Do Me,” Banky W "Thief my Kele," M.I "One Naira."
Waje was born in Akure, Ondo State in Nigeria then moved to Benin City, Edo State and was raised by her parents. As a young singer she once sang gospel tunes to the delight of the late Archbishop Benson Idahosa
of Church of God misson int. Archbishop Benin was quite impressed by
her singing and decided to help her throughout her whole secondary
school days. She then moved to Nsukka to receive a degree in social work at University of Nigeria.
During her school years, Waje focused on her musical works such as
school concerts and fellowships. She listened and learned from her
mentors such as Whitney Houston and Aretha Franklin to improve her music.
Career and success
Waje's vocal range covers three octaves. She was found singing in
church as a young lady whose love for humanity led her to study social
work at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka
(UNN). Being very productive whilst in school, Waje worked part-time in
tourism. She however still believed she could touch a lot more with her
singing talent. This gave her the drive to stay focused in her first
love, music. In 2007, Waje decided to take the next step and fully
launch her music career. She was still a student at the time and paid
her dues by doing lots of free shows and gigs, singing at every given
opportunity.
The first major spotlight she received was her being featured in the
hit single by P-Square titled "Do Me", a critically acclaim track across
widely known across Africa and some parts of Europe. This helped boost
her career a little further, after which she participated in Advanced
Warning (a reality TV show which featured artists that are on the verge
of a breakthrough). The reality show was organised by MTV Base South Africa and ZAIN Nigeria, where she came out as the first runner up.
Waje has shared the stage with various international artists such as Wyclef Jean in South Africa, opening for Kerry Hilson during a show organised in Calabar, and has also worked with a lot of artists who had hit singles, including "One Naira" with M.I, "Do Me" with P-Square and more. She also collaborated with Dencia on "True Love".
Waje has a list of songs that have received a number of award
nominations and winnings. She released her self titled debut studio
album in 2013. Waje is currently working with the youths of her
community through an organisation she calls WajeSafeHouse, where she
teams up with other NGOs quarterly to help fight for their cause.
Awards and nominations
Awards
BEST RHYTHM AND BLUES SINGER 2011 CITY PEOPLE ENTERTAINMENT AWARDS,Nominations
NIGERIAN MUSIC VIDEO AWARDS 2009 (best new video)
WORLD MUSIC AWARDS 2014 (WORLD BEST FEMALE ENTERTAINER)