Eri Ife has long navigated the dual worlds of courtroom and studio, tradition and innovation, personal testimony and universal emotion. With the release of his new EP, “Rubicon,” the UK-based Nigerian artist marks a decisive creative and spiritual threshold. Drawing from his roots in a family of traditional drummers in Ibadan and refining a signature blend of Afrobeats, Alternative R&B, Soul, and faith-infused songwriting, Ife delivers a project that feels both intimate and expansive. In this conversation, he opens up about the tensions and triumphs that shaped “Rubicon.”
You started making music more seriously around 2014 while also pursuing a career as a barrister. How has balancing (or eventually choosing between) law and music shaped the artist you’ve become today?
This is a question that I get asked a lot because it seems crazy that someone is balancing work as “serious” as being a lawyer with creative work like being an artist. I love these two things, and I just try to do them with all of my heart when I get the opportunity to do them. Although music will always be number one in my heart, I recognise the value that I add in supporting artists from my entertainment law perspective because I’ve been in a situation where I needed that support as well, so it’s a way of me being there for people who make music in a way that I didn’t have access to when I was just starting out.
Coming from a family of traditional drummers in Ibadan and now based in the UK, how do your Nigerian roots and diaspora experiences influence the sound and storytelling on Rubicon?
My Nigerian heritage will perpetually be a part of the type of music that I make because it forms a part of who I am, and my creative expression is a function of who I am. So there is just no question about it, I guess. Interestingly enough, I don’t know yet that there have been any real diaspora impacts on my music-making—maybe with the exception of the one time when I experimented with afro house, which was a lot of fun to make, but beyond that, I think my storytelling has always had a more ubiquitous appeal, so relocation to the UK has not had a significant or profound impact on how I create.
The title Rubicon famously refers to a point of no return. What personal or artistic “crossing the Rubicon” moment does this EP represent for you?
I truly, truly, truly wish I were at liberty to discuss the extent of how personal, how personally relevant Rubicon is to me as a project. I will call it divine providence that it is named what it is named, and I guess I’m just using the opportunity to say that it’s Jesus or nothing for me. That’s really it. It’s also signalling a bolder move I’m about to make, but it’s one of those things that will be clear for everyone in hindsight—’cause that’s how it happened for me as well LOL.
Tracks like “Torun Tori,” “Aroma,” “Ebenezer,” “Rubicon,” and “KSMD” make up the project. Can you walk us through the creative process or the emotional thread that ties these songs together?
I think the emotional threads, the two central themes, are love and commitment. They are the feelings and sentiments that inspired writing for the whole project. With the exception of “KSMD,” which is more inspired by thankfulness.
Your music often blends Afrobeats, alternative R&B, soul, and elements of faith/gospel. How does Rubicon continue or evolve the sonic identity you established on earlier projects like Centre(d) and Yours Sincerely, Eri Ife?
My sonic identity is most prevalent, I think, in my songwriting. I like to experiment with sounds and genres a lot, so I think for me my songwriting style has been the most reliable way to keep the music authentically me. In that sense, you’ll see on the new EP there’s more uptempo stuff than you’ve probably heard from me for the most part, but it remains unmistakably Eri Ife. In terms of how it evolves my sonic identity, as I said, I like to experiment with sounds. It’s one of the ways I grow as an artist, and so it’s why for this project I tried a more uptempo approach, which was very fun to work out.
Faith, love, and personal testimony appear frequently in your work. How openly do you approach writing about your spiritual journey on this new EP compared to previous releases?
I think it’s been steadily growing, especially from Centre(d). My faith has become increasingly prominent in my work, and I think this song has some of my most overt expressions of my Christian faith, especially as I have a lot more clarity on who I am and who God calls me to be. That’s reflected a lot more now.
After taking a break for studies and returning with projects like Centre(d), what feels different about your approach to music-making and releasing work in this current season with Rubicon?
Most of the songs from Centre(d) had been written or conceptualised for years. And so it was an amalgamation of expressions from, say, 2018 to 2023 that tracked my life over those years. It felt like a release of the person I’d been until then. I think since then I’ve focused on falling in love with the process even deeper and keying into the thrill of writing a sweet song or receiving a song from God’s spirit. It’s a major form of fellowship for me now. Very special.
You’re known for intimate, letter-like songwriting. Which track on Rubicon feels the most personal or vulnerable to you, and why?
Yeah, I like to think I write love letters to everyone. God, my fans, my friends & family, and my partner. For me, that intimacy is so necessary and so special. “Ebenezer” & “Rubicon,” I think, were the most vulnerable I was on this project. The first 2 lines of “Ebenezer” were—in real time—how I was feeling when I wrote them. It might as well have been a journal entry. [Laughs] “Rubicon,” interestingly, is a song I received but didn’t realise I received. At the time, I just wanted to write a lamba but over the past few months I’ve gained perspective that closely aligns the words of that song with my commitments in my faith, and it’s been overwhelming [laughs].
As a rising artist with a growing international audience, what are your hopes for how Rubicon connects with listeners, and what direction do you see your music taking next?
I’m definitely hoping to connect with a newer demographic. Like I said, it’s a newer sound to my usual work. The connection is still there & strong, so you know it’s Eri Ife, but it’s definitely an exploration. I’m excited to see who comes along in this phase. I think the project has a wide demographic appeal, especially with songs like “KSMD”—for some of the older owambe crowd or even those who like mid-tempo, “jelenke” stuff. Ballad lovers will find themselves on “Torun Tori,” I suspect, and for anyone who likes gbedu, 60% of the project is for you.
With “Rubicon,” Eri Ife has crossed a threshold of his own makingrooted in heritage, sharpened by experience, and guided by faith. The EP stands as both declaration and invitation: a bolder sound, a clearer voice, and a point from which there is no turning back.
