There was the time when all the vibes belonged to the cherished Sade Adu, but the new kid on the block happens to be ANE.
ANE was born in Nigeria and raised in Ireland but operates currently out of London, England.
An engaging spirit of song and dance, she has at her command a wide range of talents that compel attention.
She is at a once a vocalist, poet, songwriter, fashion designer, and above all else a personable human being of uncommon qualities.
Named Annette Aigbogun at birth, she aspires to soar into the stratosphere of music and entertainment with the stage name ANE.
Her study at Under-Grade level of Law and Spanish has served to influence her musical potentials, and she is now engaged in studies for a Master’s degree in Music Industry Management at the University of West London.
ANE grew into music in the company of her father who was a big fan of Celine Dion, and she did enjoy the mellifluous tunes.
Her preference in Nigerian music evolved from the twins Peter and Paul of P-Square.
She is as ever quite determined to win global laurels now that Nigerian Afrobeats is all the rage in world music.
She makes broadcast the good news: “I will be performing at Galaxy music awards in the course of February 28 to March 2, 2025.”
According to ANE, “Singing has always been my passion. I got into the semi-finals of a local singing competition in my town, and I used to be in the choir.”
The Irish-born Nigerian singer who is writing fresh new chapters in Afro Rhythm ‘n’ Blues used to post singing covers online on her YouTube page.
She reveals her previous engagements thusly: “I used to be a business owner to a 5-figure clothing brand called Naetiv. It was quite successful. I didn’t start writing and singing professionally until 2020, during COVD time. I stopped the business to pursue music fulltime. I had time on my hands during the lockdown, then I found a studio and recorded my first song. It was a pure RNB song because I felt that was the exact direction I wanted to go. I then took a break and came back with my other songs.”
As per her hobbies, she said: “I love to draw, dance class and I recently picked up knitting.”
She’s used to writing poems, as she narrates: “As I child I didn’t go out often. I was a little bit of an introvert and an extrovert. Music was more like my escape. I got CDs and listened to the artistes and wrote their lyrics on paper. I was really into poems and my favorite subject in school was English. So poems where my original gateway to songwriting.”
ANE cherishes the combo of her Nigerian and Irish heritage in the makeup of her sound: “I will say my actual sound is Afro RNB. That’s why it doesn’t sound like a typical RNB and doesn’t sound like pure Afrobeats either, and that’s very intentional because for me, growing up, Afrobeat to me had a lot of culture in it and for you to be able to get your message clear you have to be raised in Nigeria, so with that I understand there is only so much I can do. That’s why my sound is Afro RNB. That’s my way of bridging the gap.”
ANE delivers inspirational music that can be quite motivational. She brings to bear from the Diaspora the feel-good template. She does not indulge in esoterica and her qualities are based on actuality.
In her words, “For me personally, the aim isn’t to sound like what’s already out there. The aim isn’t to sound like Asake. The aim isn’t to sound like Tems or Ayra Star. The aim is to sound like ANÉ and be the best at what I do.”
She plans to storm Nigeria during the year for her full EP. She hopes to shoot some musical videos and undertake a musical tour of the southern and western states of Nigeria. Meantime, in the first quarter of 2025, she is hard at work on a 3-part project. The mission is to have a collabo with a handful of elite Nigerian artistes.
“I believe I do have a similar kind of vibes with Omah Lay,” she stresses.
ANE can thrive and exhale on the global stage in the same manner that towering international artistes such as Beyoncé, Chris Brown, Ed Sheeran, and Major Lazer have collaborated with Nigerian Afrobeats stars to conquer the world musical stage.
This year of our Lord 2025 surely belongs to the latest singing sensation called ANE.
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Image: Ane’s FB page