Nigerian singer-songwriter Lodù has released Wine & Honey, her latest extended play (EP). The project treats love as both an experience and something a person gives, and in an interview she explains how she made it and how her work has changed since her 2024 debut.
The EP takes its concept from the different dimensions of love and is grounded in the Song of Solomon, a book of biblical poetry. Lodù draws on its treatment of desire and devotion, particularly its association of love with the intoxicating qualities of wine.
The title reflects that duality. Honey stands for sweetness and wine for intensity. Across the project, the contrast appears in warm, folk-inflected arrangements and an intimate sonic atmosphere.
Live feel and home-studio production#
The arrangements have the warmth and spontaneity of a live performance, and Lodù describes the atmosphere as that of a quaint jazz room in which each instrument, inflection and passing note is deliberately placed. Asked about her favourite part of making the project, she named the vocal production.
She took up vocal production in 2024 and handled it across the entire EP. She said she “learned on the job” while experimenting with recording, layering and harmonies from her home studio. Background vocals were a particular focus of her production work.
Language and artistic growth#
Lodù made her debut in 2024. She said her earlier releases, made when she was 18 or 19, did not give her much room to express herself in her native language. She says she has grown more comfortable with her voice, her lyricism and her words since then.
She now sings predominantly in Yorùbá. She said the songs on Wine & Honey sound more mature and have more depth than her earlier projects.
Training and influences#
Lodù is an ABRSM (Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music)-certified, classically trained artist who also plays the violin. She was introduced to music theory and classical music at age 8, which she says gave her a foundation in sound, tones and pitch. She said her ears are tuned, especially when it comes to production.
She named the following artists as influences:
- DOTTi The Deity
- Sola Allyson
- Raye, whose album 21st Century Blues she cited as a particular inspiration
She said that from the first track of that album, “it felt like I was in the room with her.” She added that the album greatly inspired the intro of a track on her own project.
The meaning behind the title#
Lodù said the project was inspired by love in its agape, romantic and familial forms. She describes herself as “a church girl” and said she drew heavily on the Song of Solomon, which she credits with some of the best love songs and poems, likening love to the intoxication of wine.
On romantic love, she said it can feel so intense that a person cannot get enough of the object of their desire. She wanted a title that captured that feeling, and said Wine & Honey “was perfect.”
