Who is Vanessa Mdee?

Vanessa Hau Mdee, known professionally as Vanessa Mdee, is a Tanzanian singer, songwriter and philanthropist. She started her career as a video jockey on MTV Base Africa in 2009. She released her debut album Money Mondays in 2014. The lead single Kisela was a smashing success and remains one of her most famous singles. She has been featured by numerous renowned African artists such as Diamond Platnumz and Sauti Sol. She is also an ambassador for the UN Women’s HeForShe campaign.

Early Life and Career

Vanessa was born on 7 June 1988 in Arusha, Tanzania. She spent most of her childhood in Moshi before moving to Dar es Salaam for secondary school. She joined MTV Base Africa in 2009 as a VJ where she worked until 2011 when she left to pursue music full time. She released her debut album Money Mondays in 2014 and it was well received in Tanzania and the rest of East Africa.

Collaborations and Philanthropy

Vanessa has collaborated with various artists including Diamond Platnumz, Sauti Sol, RJ The Dj and Otile Brown among others. Her work has earned her numerous awards including Best Female Artist East Africa at the Nigerian Entertainment Awards in 2015. In 2012 she became an ambassador for the UN Women’s HeForShe campaign which works towards gender equality. She also established the Vanessa Mdee Foundation in 2017 which works to empower women financially, socially and emotionally.

Latest Projects

In 2019 Vanessa released the single Moyo which was accompanied by a video featuring American rapper Rick Ross. The same year she released her second album Expensive The Album which featured artists from all over the world such as Ghanaian singer Stonebwoy and British rapper Trey Songz. In 2020 she released the single Cash Madame featuring South African rapper Kwesta.