She addressed the incident on social media the following day, emphasizing the peaceful nature of the demonstration prior to police involvement. On May 30, 2020, Chika was briefly detained by police at a Los Angeles protest following the police murder of George Floyd. In her video for "Can't Explain It", she put her own spin on A Different World, one of her favorite sitcoms. Ĭhika identifies as bisexual and addresses her sexuality in her music and videos. She is of Igbo descent and was raised in the Pentecostal faith. Personal life Ĭhika is the youngest of her Nigerian-American parents' three daughters. She was recognized by Business of Fashion as one of the top 500 people shaping the fashion industry in 2019. That same year, she participated in a Business of Fashion panel at Paris Fashion Week and posed for the December cover of Teen Vogue. In May 2019, Chika featured in a Calvin Klein #M圜alvins advertisement, also writing poetry for the brand's S/S 2019 campaign. She also contributed the track "My Power". Films Ĭhika had a role as a high school student in the 2020 Netflix Original film Project Power. 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. 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. On MaChika announced that her second EP Once Upon A Time would be released at midnight. and a NAACP Image Award for Outstanding New Artist. She was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best New Artist. On August 11, 2020, Chika was included on XXL 's 2020 Freshman Class. She released the EP's titular single on February 18. On January 23, 2020, Chika confirmed the title and posted snippets of music from the EP, telling followers the release was two months away. In December 2019, Chika announced that she was working on her debut extended play titled Industry Games. That year, she also featured on JoJo's " Sabotage", which reached number 18 on the Billboard US R&B Digital Downloads. Chika released two more singles as a lead artist in 2019: "High Rises" and "Can't Explain It" featuring Charlie Wilson. That summer, she signed a deal with Warner Records. The song dealt with the state of Alabama's 2019 abortion bill and was named for a friend of Chika's. Alabama", another of her songs, on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. The following month, at the invitation of guest host Lena Waithe, she performed "Richey v. Ĭhika released her debut single, "No Squares", in April 2019. In August 2018, she featured on Rachel Crow's single "Coulda Told Me". She later released a freestyle dedicated to Nia Wilson. The freestyle concerned West's support for Donald Trump and caught the attention of Jada Pinkett Smith, Sean "Diddy" Combs, and Erykah Badu.
In 2018, Chika went viral for a freestyle addressed at Kanye West over West's own " Jesus Walks" beat.
On Jshe released an independent EP of poetry called Full Bloom. That year she also released a Pride-themed remix of Ed Sheeran's " Shape of You". Early in 2017, she created the #EgoChallenge, using the Beyoncé song of that title to promote body positivity and self-love. 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".
Career Music Ĭhika first gained widespread attention following an Instagram post from November 9, 2016, the day after the 2016 United States presidential election.
She dropped out after her first year to focus on a music career. She was accepted at the prestigious Berklee College of Music, but due to tuition costs, she enrolled at the University of South Alabama instead. Because of her interest in music and slam poetry, she attended Booker T.