Chika | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Chika in 2020 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Jane Chika Oranika (1997-03-09)March 9, 1997 (age 28) Montgomery, Alabama, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 2017–present |
| Labels | Warner[2] |
Jane Chika OranikaListenⓘ (born March 9, 1997),[3] knownmononymously asChika (often stylizedCHIKA), is an American rapper. She first garnered attention on social media before signing toWarner Records in 2019. The following year, she was included inXXL's 2020Freshman Class and was nominated for theGrammy Award for Best New Artist. In July 2023 she released her albumSamson: The Album, which was met with high praise from various music publications and critics alike.
Chika was born inMontgomery, Alabama.[4] Because of her interest in music andslam poetry, she attendedBooker T. Washington Magnet High School. She was accepted at the prestigiousBerklee College of Music, but due to tuition costs, she enrolled at theUniversity of South Alabama instead. She dropped out after her first year to focus on a music career.[5]
Chika first gained widespread attention following anInstagram post from November 9, 2016, the day after the2016 United States presidential election. In the video, she covers herself in pale foundation, saying "African-American? Never felt that, never heard of that, never tasted that, never smelled that". Early in 2017, she created the #EgoChallenge, usingthe Beyoncé song of that title to promotebody positivity and self-love. That year she also released aPride-themed remix ofEd Sheeran's "Shape of You".[6][7][8] On June 4, 2017, she released an independent EP of poetry calledFull Bloom.[9]
In 2018, Chika went viral for a freestyle addressed atKanye West over West's own "Jesus Walks" beat.[10] The freestyle concerned West's support forDonald Trump and caught the attention ofJada Pinkett Smith,Sean "Diddy" Combs, andErykah Badu.[11] She later released a freestyle dedicated toNia Wilson.[12] In August 2018, she featured onRachel Crow's single "Coulda Told Me".[13]
Chika released her debut single, "No Squares", in April 2019. The following month, at the invitation of guest hostLena Waithe, she performed "Richey v. Alabama", another of her songs, onJimmy Kimmel Live!.[14] The song dealt with the state ofAlabama's2019 abortion bill and was named for a friend of Chika's.[15] That summer, she signed a deal withWarner Records.[16] Chika released two more singles as a lead artist in 2019: "High Rises"[17][18] and "Can't Explain It" featuring Charlie Wilson.[19][20] That year, she also featured onJoJo's "Sabotage", which reached number 18 on theBillboardUS R&B Digital Downloads.[21][22]
In December 2019, Chika announced that she was working on her debut extended play titledIndustry Games.[23] On January 23, 2020, Chika confirmed the title and posted snippets of music from the EP, telling followers the release was two months away.[24][25] She released the EP's titular single on February 18.[26] The EP was released on March 12, 2020.[27]On August 11, 2020, Chika was included onXXL's 2020Freshman Class.[28] She was nominated for aGrammy Award for Best New Artist.[29] and anNAACP Image Award for Outstanding New Artist.[30] On March 11, 2021, Chika announced that her second EPOnce Upon A Time would be released at midnight.[31]
On April 10, 2021, Chika posted a widely publicized note to her Twitter account explaining her decision to retire from music while reflecting on the "mental toll" that life as a musician in the spotlight had taken on her health. In an Instagram Live session in which she interacted with fans following her initial retirement announcement, she criticized "trolls" or "stans" who "dogpile on top of people's other mental problems and make them worse." She specifically cited the effects of online abuse on her ongoing battle with depression on her decision, although she left a small possibility for a comeback in her final statement.[32][33]
On July 7, 2023, Chika announced her full-length debut,Samson: The Album, by sharing lead single "DEMIGOD." The full album was released later that month.[34]
Chika had a role as a high school student in the 2020 Netflix Original filmProject Power. She also contributed the track "My Power".[35][36]
In May 2019, Chika featured in aCalvin Klein #MyCalvins advertisement,[37] also writing poetry for the brand's S/S 2019 campaign.[16] That same year, she participated in aBusiness of Fashion panel atParis Fashion Week and posed for the December cover ofTeen Vogue.[4][38] She was recognized byBusiness of Fashion as one of the top 500 people shaping the fashion industry in 2019.[39]
Chika is the youngest of her Nigerian-American parents' three daughters. She is ofIgbo descent and was raised in thePentecostal faith.[4]
Chika isbisexual and addresses her sexuality in her music and videos.[40] In her video for "Can't Explain It", she put her own queer spin onA Different World, one of her favorite sitcoms.[41]
On May 30, 2020, Chika was briefly detained by police at aLos Angelesprotest following the policemurder of George Floyd. She addressed the incident on social media the following day, emphasizing the peaceful nature of the demonstration prior to police involvement.[42]
Chika shared hermental health struggles in a 2023 interview withRolling Stone magazine published alongside the release ofSamson: The Album. She described how the project had been influenced by her experiences processingtrauma and disclosed that she had been diagnosed withbipolar II disorder the year prior.[43]
On March 25, 2022, Chika took to her Instagram story with concerning messages alluding to taking her own life. With posts such as "I'm not making it home" and "Madison, actually. Hope ur happy," fans begun to get concerned. The following day she went back to her Instagram stories to discuss her suicide attempt at the InterConntinental Hotel in St. Paul Minnesota, with some heartfelt messages thanking fans for their concern and discussing the mental hardships she had been enduring.[44]
| Chika discography | |
|---|---|
| EPs | 4 |
| Singles | 19 |
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Samson: The Album |
|
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Bloom // A Poetry EP[46] |
|
| Industry Games | |
| Spotify Singles |
|
| Once Upon a Time |
|
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Dance [48] | AUS [49] | IRE [50] | NZ [51] | UK [50] | ||||
| "xFaded"[52] | 2017 | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | |
| "Juke Jam"(cover)[53] | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Love Galore"(cover)[54] | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "(Get You)"cover[55] | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Lovin' You"(poem)[56] | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Spoiled"(cover)[57] | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Smile"[58] | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Monsters"[59] | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Congratulations"(cover)[60] | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Want Me"[61] | 2018 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "KOD"(Remix)[62] | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "No Squares" | 2019 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "High Rises" | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Can't Explain It" (featuring Charlie Wilson) | 2020 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Industry Games" | — | — | — | — | — | Industry Games | ||
| "U Should" | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | ||
| "My Power" (fromProject Power) | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "FWB" | — | — | — | — | — | Once Upon a Time | ||
| "Too Much Sun in LA" | 2021 | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |
| "Requiem for a Dream" | 2023 | — | — | — | — | — | Samson: The Album | |
| "Truth or Dare" (withFreddie Gibbs) | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Demigod" | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Places to Be" (withFred Again andAnderson .Paak) | 2024 | 10 | 51 | 43 | 27 | 35 | Ten Days | |
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| US R&B Dig. | |||
| "Coulda Told Me" (Rachel Crow featuring Chika) | 2018 | — | non-album singles |
| "Sabotage" (JoJo featuring Chika) | 2019 | 18[22] | |
| "CHORE" (Chelsea Peretti featuring Chika) | 2020 | — | |
| "Can't Put It in the Hands of Fate" (Stevie Wonder featuringRapsody,Cordae, Chika andBusta Rhymes) | 2020 | — |
| Title | Year | Director |
|---|---|---|
| "No Squares" | 2019 | Jack Piatt |
| "High Rises" | Cierra "Sh00ter" Glaude[16] | |
| "Can't Explain It" (featuring Charlie Wilson) | Top Shelf Jr., Chika[65] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Project Power | Akeela | |
| 2023 | Ladies First: A Story of Women in Hip-Hop | Herself | [66] |
| † | Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | The Hair Tales | Herself |
| Organization | Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grammy Awards | 2021 | Best New Artist | – | Nominated | [67] |
| NAACP Image Awards | 2021 | Outstanding New Artist | "High Rises" | Nominated | [68] |
| GLAAD Media Awards | 2021 | Outstanding Breakthrough Music Artist | Industry Games | Won | [69] |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
