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 nameVanessa Mahi
Born (1997-12-17) 17 December 1997 (age 26)
Flensburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany[1]
OriginLondon, England
Genres
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • internet personality
Years active2017–present
YouTube information
Subscribers136,000 Edit this at Wikidata
(April 2024)

Early life

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Mahi 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

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Before 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

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Mahi has described Nicki Minaj,[6] Lil' Kim[12] and Foxy Brown[12] as musical influences.

Discography

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Singles

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As lead artist

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List of singles as lead artist, with selected details
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"
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List of singles as featured artist, with selected details
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

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  1. ^ a b c d Baah, Nana (25 January 2021). "Everybody's Talking About Ivorian Doll". Vice. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Ivorian Doll: From YouTube drama to Queen of Drill". BBC News. 12 November 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  3. ^ "On The Radar: Ivorian Doll". www.musicweek.com. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  4. ^ "YouTube Star Turned Rapper Ivorian Doll Is Making Drill 'Fun and Sexy'". www.vice.com. 19 October 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  5. ^ "Bio". Ivorian Doll. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ a b c "Cover story: The gospel according to Ivorian Doll". Crack Magazine. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  8. ^ "Lianne La Havas, Aitch and Nines lead 2020 MOBO Awards nominations". NME. 24 November 2020. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  9. ^ "Lady Leshurr Smacks Down Ivorian Doll". Clash Magazine. 18 December 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  10. ^ "Skepta, Future and Migos to Headline London's Wireless Festival 2021". HYPEBEAST. 28 April 2021. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  11. ^ "Ivorian Doll at Reading Festival 2021: "I want to be a big international artist"". NME. 28 August 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  12. ^ a b "Meet Ivorian Doll, the Reigning Queen of Drill". www.hungertv.com. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
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