Wendy Shay biography: real name, early life, family, hometown, net worth
When you listen to her voice and songs, you will not know that she is a nurse by profession and once worked as a midwife. Wendy Shay, at one time, thought of music as a hobby. But after her friends inspired her to join the industry, she came to realise that singing was the best way for her to succeed. Through that decision, she has become an award-winning singer, a brand ambassador for the youth, and one of the most talented musicians in Ghana.
Source: Instagram
Wendy Addo is a Ghanaian Afropop and Afrobeats singer, who has been in the music industry since 2018. Despite her short stint as a singer, she has got numerous nominations and won several awards for her excellent work in music.
Wendy Shay bio summary
- Full name: Abena Ofusuhemaa Asiamah Addo
- Citizenship: Ghanaian
- Age: 24 years
- Date of birth: 20 February 1996
- Birthplace: Accra, Greater Accra Region, Ghana
- Parents: Mr and Mrs Addo
- Profession: Singer, Nurse
- Hair colour: Black
- Marital status: Single
- Ethnicity: African
- Education: Morning Star School, St. Martins De Porres
Early life
Source: Instagram
Wendy Abena Ofusuhemaa Asiamah Addo, popularly known as Wendy Shay, was born on 20 February 1996 in Accra, Greater Accra Region, Ghana. On record, her parents are Mr and Mrs Addo, although their first names remain unknown at this point. She comes from a family of four children who were all born in Ghana.
Is Wendy Shay called Melissa? Around July 2019, Ghanaian singer, songwriter, and actor Shatta Wale released a song titled Melissa. He released the song in honour of Wendy Shay, claiming that Melissa is the unknown middle name of Shay.
Shatta Wale even went further to post on Instagram to reveal the inspiration behind the song. On her part, Wendy Shay reacted to the post with a love emoji. But this bio cannot fully determine whether indeed Melissa is Shay’s middle name.
Where is Wendy Shay from?
Wendy grew up in Accra, Ghana, where she experienced some part of her childhood. At barely five years old, she lost her father due to an illness. That proved challenging to her upbringing, and living without him felt like hell. Her mother found it hard to take care of the family. She decided to send them to her grandmother and travel abroad for a while in search of greener pastures.
Education
Source: Instagram
While living in Ghana, Wendy went to Morning Star School and later St. Martins De Porres junior high school. The latter is a private co-educational learning institution in Dansoman in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana.
However, the songstress never completed her secondary education in her home country. Instead, she relocated to Stuttgart, Germany, with her three siblings -a sister and two brothers.
Wendy Shay educational background also includes her stay in Germany. In Germany, she continued her education from Grade 7 or JHS1. She completed her learning in the country and went on to train as a nurse. Wendy also attended a music school in the German municipality of Bernhausen.
The award-winning singer studied music for four years. It is from this experience that her passion for singing began. But even before she ventured into music, she liked singing and dancing, both in church and at family events. After spending several years in Germany, Wendy returned to Ghana to pursue a career in music.
Family, husband, and children
At the age of 24 years, the Ghanaian songstress is not a married woman. Wendy was quiet about her relationship until rumours emerged she was dating OGee. But she subdued the gossip when she released photos of herself with an unidentified male sharing what seemed a “couple’s moment.” That made many people conclude they were dating based on the nature of the photos.
In 2020, she came out and suggested she was single and ready to mingle. She also described the type of man she wanted. According to the songstress, she did not have an ideal man and that the man she wants should be God-fearing. He should also share the same vision with her and not be stingy.
Wendy Shay does not have any children yet. But as a musician, her busy schedule means she may probably take some time before showing off her boyfriend.
Professional career
Wendy Shay’s professional career began in Germany in her early 20s. She first trained as a professional nurse and worked as a midwife. But she did not last long in the profession because she decided to go back home, in Ghana, to pursue her music career.
Source: Instagram
In 2018, the musician signed a five-year deal with Rufftown Records. Rufftown Records is a record label founded by Bullet, a Ghanaian musician, songwriter, and artist manager. After agreeing to join the company, Wendy Shay released her first single titled Uber Driver. Her fans received it with mixed reviews, with many praising it for its simplicity and style.
After the release of Uber Driver, she continued to produce more songs that have become hits in Ghana and made her one of the best female musicians in the country. Some of the Wendy Shay songs she has released since joining the music industry include:
- Bedroom Commando
- Astalavista
- Psalm 35
- The Boy Is Mine
- All For You
- Kut It
- CTD
- Tuff Skin Girl
Wendy has also worked with top musicians in Ghana in some of her songs. These include Kuami Eugene, Sarkodie, Eno Barony, Ray James, and Shatta Wale, among others.
Although the songstress has many singles, she also has an album that she released in 2018 titled Shay On You. The album has ten songs, including Highlife, Masakra, Keep Moving, Mama, and Shay On You.
Wendy Shay awards and nominations
Despite being in the Ghanaian music industry for two years, Wendy has won several awards and received many nominations for her brilliance in music. The top awards she has won since 2018 are:
- 2018 Ghana-Naija Showbiz Awards (Best New Artiste of the Year).
- 2018 Ghana Music Awards SA (New Artiste of the Year).
- 2018 Eastern Music Awards (Music Video of the Year for Uber Driver).
- 2019 3 Music Awards (Breakthrough Act of the Year).
- 2019 Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (Discovery of the Year).
- 2019 Ghana Music Awards UK (New Artiste of the Year).
Wendy Shay’s Uber Driver has received two nominations, including 2018 MuseAfrica's "Bangerz of the Quarter" Awards for Afrobeats Song of the Quarter and Introlude Song of the Quarter.
Despite appreciating the impact of music on her life, Wendy Shay announced she was quitting the industry and returning to her nursing profession. Around 2019, the songstress posted on her Instagram page saying she was doing away with music and going back to nursing.
However, many players in the Ghanaian entertainment scene thought of it as a publicity stunt since she never went back to Germany. Instead, she released a new hit titled Ghana Boys. But her talent in music has enabled her to perform on some of the biggest stages in Ghana. Some of her acts include:
- Miss Ghana 2018 Finals
- RTP Awards Africa 2018
- BF Suma Ghana Connect 18 concert
- Afronation Music Festival Ghana 2019
The songstress has also received several honours in her lifetime. These include:
- Enstooled as the Ahenemba Hemaa of Gomoa Afransi with the stool name Queen Ewurabena Ofosuhemaa Shay 1.
- Brand ambassador for the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) in Ghana (although she lost the position due to controversy).
What is Wendy Shay net worth?
On 21 April 2020, Wendy Shay posted on her Twitter page a picture of an estimation of her net worth. She was lamenting that somebody had estimated she was worth between $1 million and $5 million. But the songstress thought of the figures as disrespectful since she was worth "more than that."
She also disclosed that music pays her a lot of money, hence the reason she quit her nursing career. One of the things she has bought through music includes a customised Jeep Wrangler.
The Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) for a 2019 Jeep Wrangler Sport 2-door starts at about $29,540. But that price can increase to $50,000 based on other factors like the build type and customisations. Aside from that, she also poses regularly next to a BMW X6 on Instagram, but it is not clear whether she owns the car.
When it comes to earnings from music, the musician gets plenty of airtime in radio and tv stations and she graces multiple performances. While Wendy Shay earns a lot of money from her new-found career, this bio could not establish her correct net worth.
Wendy Shay is a Ghanaian singer known for the song, Uber Driver. Despite being a nurse by profession, she turned to music around 2018 and has released several singles and one album. At 24 years of age, and being in the entertainment industry for only two years, she has won several awards and got honoured as an ambassador for the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) in Ghana.
In a poll conducted by Yen.com.gh, Shatta Wale was chosen as the best singer in Ghana. Stonebwoy and Sarkodie closely followed him. Among the top 9, the only ladies were Wendy Shay and Joyce Blessing.
The poll, which was open for Ghanaians and readers of YEN, received a good response from fans. Its outcome shows just how much fans appreciate local music.
Source: YEN.com.gh
