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Vera Hamenoo-Kpeda (born 23 June 1992),better known by her stage name MzVee, is a Ghanaian singer, afropop, dancehall and R&B artiste. Her debut solo album features several hit singles including ‘Borkor Borkor’ (meaning – Slowly), ‘Natural Girl’ and ‘Dancehall Queen’. MzVee was signed to the record label Lynx Entertainment and was the winner of the New Artiste of the Year award at the 2015 Ghana Music Awards. She parted ways with Lynx Entertainment in the year 2019. She is currently a solo artist.
Early life
MzVee was born in South La Estates, Accra to Ernest Hamenoo-Kpeda, a businessman, and Florence Hamenoo-Kpeda, a caterer. She has two older sisters and a brother and attended St Martin de Porres School in Dansoman, Accra in her early years. She moved on to St. Mary’s Girls’ Senior High School and is now studying Business Administration at Ghana Telecom University.
Music career
2012 – 2013: Early beginnings
MzVee first burst onto the Ghanaian music scene in the summer of 2012 as the lead singer of Lynx Entertainment’s girl band D3. The band had popular hits like “Good Girls Gone Bad” and “Gyani Gyani” before disbanding at the end of 2013 due to the young members’ educational commitments.
2014 – 2016: Breakthrough
MzVee launched her solo career with debut single ‘Borkor Borkor’ released in January 2014. She followed this with hit single ‘Natural Girl’ and went on to win the ‘Unsung Artiste Award’ at the 2014 Ghana Music Awards. Her debut album was released in November 2014 and features collaborations with several award-winning artistes such as Stonebwoy, VIP, Shatta Wale, Richie Mensah, M.anifest and Didier Awadi.
Following the success of her award-winning debut album, MzVee released her second album titled Verified in November 2015 to rave reviews. The album has earned MzVee 7 nominations at the 2016 Ghana Music Awards including ‘Album of the Year’ and ‘Record of the Year’ for the single ‘Abofra’ which features Efya. Her highly anticipated third album DaaVee was released in May 2017.
2017– 2019: Hiatus
MzVee took a two-year break from the Music Industry from 2017 to 2019. In an interview with TV3 on Monday, 5 January 2020, she revealed that her reason for leaving the music industry was a massive depression which she was going through. This has dismissed pregnancy rumors that some people were saying is the reason for her absence from the Music Industry. Throughout the two-year period MzVee found help from her friend Efya who kept supporting and encouraging her until she overcame depression. She has announced that as of 2020 she is back to music and will be releasing a single she has titled “Sheriff”.
2020 – 2021: inVeencible
One other thing MzVee said when she returned from her depression-induced hiatus from music was that she will be releasing two albums. However, she obviously could not release the two albums as she promised due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
She rather managed to release one album dubbed inVeencible. The album which featured Sarkodie, Mugeez, Efya, Medikal, Kelvyn Boy, Kojo Funds, as well as Falz and Navy Kenzoo, was released on 11 December 2020. In March 2021, she partnered with Trace TV to release her music video for her song ‘You Alone’.
2022: 10 Thirty
On 24 June 2022, MzVee released her fifth album, titled 10 Thirty inspired by her 10th year as a musician and to celebrate turning 30 years. 10 Thirty, a ten–tracked album featured Nigerian musicians, Bella Shmurda, Yemi Alade,Tiwa Savage and Ghanaian musicians Stonebwoy and Kofi Kinaata.
Musical style and recognition
MzVee’s music contains elements of afropop, R&B and dancehall and her strong vocal abilities earned her a nomination for ‘Female Vocalist of the Year’ at the 2015 Ghana Music Awards and the award for ‘Most Promising Act’ at the 2015 Ghana Music Honors. She is regarded as one of the stars of Ghana’s dancehall scene and received the award for ‘Best Female Vocalist of the Year’ at the 2015 Ghanaian dancehall awards, BASS awards. Her trademark natural African hair and hit single ‘Natural Girl’ has made her an inspiration to young girls across Africa who want to celebrate their natural look.
MzVee’s impressive rise to the top continued with a nomination in June 2015 in the ‘Best International New Artist’ category at the BET Awards 2015. This brand new fan-voted category celebrates rising stars from across the channel’s international footprint.
In October 2015, MzVee was appointed the World Bank Ambassador for their ‘End Extreme Poverty Campaign’. She released the official campaign song titled ‘End Poverty’ and became a World Bank #Music4Dev Guest Artist; a role which has been held in the past by a number of award-winning artists including D’Banj and Fally Ipupa.
MzVee was named in MTV Base’s list of the top African artists to watch out for in 2016. This list featured the breakthrough hit makers of 2015 on the African continent. She has also been nominated in the ‘Best Urban Artist’ category at the 2016 KORA Music Awards and received 7 nominations at the 2016 Ghana Music Awards including Songwriter of the Year with Richie Mensah and Efya, Album of the Year and Best Female Vocalist.
On 20 May 2016, MzVee was nominated for the BET Awards 2016 – Best International Act: Africa category and became the first Ghanaian female musician to be nominated for a major BET Award. She was also nominated in the Best Female category in October 2016 for the MTV Africa Music Awards.
MzVee continues to receive both critical and commercial acclaim for her work and was awarded the Best Female Artist Honour at the Ghana Music Honours on 4 March 2017. She was also nominated for Reggae/Dancehall Artiste of the Year, Best Female Vocalist and Overall Artiste of the Year at the 2017 Ghana Music Awards.
Discography
Re-Vee-Lation (2014)
Verified (2015)
DaaVee (2017)
InVeecible (2020)
10 Thirty (2022)
Awards and Honors
1. VGMA (Vodafone Ghana Music Awards)
MzVee has been a prominent figure at the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards, one of the most prestigious music award ceremonies in Ghana. Over the years, she has received several VGMA nominations and clinched several awards, showcasing her excellence in the music scene. Some of her VGMA achievements include:
– 2016: Best Female Vocalist of the Year.
– 2016: Best Music Video of the Year for “My Own.”
– 2016: Best Female Act of the Year.
These awards acknowledge MzVee’s outstanding vocal abilities, musical creativity, and her contribution to the Ghanaian music industry.
2. 4Syte TV Music Video Awards
MzVee’s music videos have also received recognition, with her captivating visuals adding to her musical appeal. Notable awards in this category include:
– 2014: Best Female Video for “Borkor Borkor.”
– 2016: Best Female Video for “Hold Me Now.”
These awards highlight her ability to tell compelling stories through her music videos and connect with her audience on a visual level.
3. Nomination at BET Awards
In 2016, MzVee received a significant international nomination at the BET Awards in the category of Best International Act: Africa. While she didn’t win, her nomination served as a testament to her growing global influence and the recognition of her talent beyond Ghana’s borders.
4. Hit Singles
MzVee’s music catalog includes numerous hit singles that have topped charts and garnered widespread acclaim. Some of her standout tracks include “Natural Girl,” “Sing My Name,” and “Come and See My Moda” featuring Nigerian artist Yemi Alade. These songs have solidified her reputation as a hitmaker in the Afrobeats and dancehall genres.
Conclusion
MzVee’s journey in the music industry has been marked by awards, honors, and chart-topping hits. Her incredible talent, charismatic stage presence, and dedication to her craft have endeared her to fans both in Ghana and internationally.
