Funbi returns with Love Lust

Nigerian artist Funbi makes a resurgence with Love Lust.

Funbi, at the beginning of the 2016 surge of Nigeria’s alternative scene, was an artist many had eyes on. He won the hearts of many with the quasi-gospel track Hallelujah in 2016. The single’s success earned him a nomination for the Headies Award for Best Recording of the Year in 2018.

Funbi followed the hot single with Serenade, a six-track EP featuring productions from long-time collaborator and partner,  Ikon Ekuwasi. The sultry lead single to that EP with the same title was a lovers’ anthem that cemented Funbi as a musical icon.

However, after 2018, Funbi seemed to fade into obscurity, his once resounding voice lost in the cacophony of Nigeria’s bustling music scene. Yet, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, he made a triumphant return in March 2023, with the release of “Love Lust” on Good Friday—an iconic moment marking his resurgence.

In 2017, when Funbi debuted, his music was relegated to a few music lovers. Although Hallelujah was a favourite on the radio, his other singles appealed majorly to alternative music lovers. In the seven years since Funbi released Hallelujah, the Nigerian music scene has expanded. The audience is consuming many genres and is more accepting of Afro-fused music. Love Lust comes at an opportune time for the singer. Not only is the Nigerian audience more accepting, but the impact of music streaming is especially kinder to artists that dabble in alternative pop Nigerian music by introducing the sounds to audiences outside of Nigeria.

Funbi’s Love Lust is an EP with a global appeal and local flavour. The EP dabbles in the realms of R&B, afrobeats and funk, with singles like Distance, All Good and Muse standing out as our newsroom favourites. The EP includes productions from Spax known for his work with multi-award-winning artist Tems on Damages, Oxlade’s DKT and Blaqbonez BBC.

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