MONIFÉ INTERVIEW: Today, we welcome Monifé, the sensational R&B artist hailing from East London. With proud Vincentian-Nigerian heritage, Monifé’s signature sound is deeply influenced by the icons she grew up listening to, including Erykah Badu, SZA, and Usher, to name just a few.
Since her debut single, ‘Unreachable’, in 2019, Monifé has been captivating an ever-growing audience. Her undeniable talent has earned her international recognition across Africa, Europe, and the United States.More than just a musician, this dynamic artist is also a biomedical scientist. Monifé’s authenticity shines through every track, where she effortlessly blends relatable lyricism and smooth vocals to explore narratives of love, life, and passion.
What five words define your sound?
Smooth, Soulful, Emotive, Relatable, Confident
Tell me something unique about your creative process.
I’m a melody first girly and I usually like to write a verse and chorus of a track in a session then go away, give myself some time to breathe and listen the demo and then revisit with fresh ears. But also that feeling of listening back to a fresh demo I’m excited about, in the studio at the end of a session is top two. One of my favourite things about being a singer/songwriter. When I listen to other artists, I often imagine their version of that moment in studio.
Which song of yours would you like people to hear first?
‘Nothing Is The Same’
What inspired you to make that song?
A lot of the time the energy I get from a beat is what inspires what I share, in terms of stories and words. ‘Nothing is the Same’, produced by Likkle Jay and Marceli, the beginnings of the beat, to me, sounded moody and punchy. The first words that came to me were “tell me something different.”
What’s the most vulnerable you’ve allowed yourself to be when writing/making music?
Music is healing, that’s what I love about it. You can listen to a track by an artist and relate instantly, even though they could be speaking about something completely different, you reflect on your own situation, and you feel heard. As a writer that sense of healing has another layer. I have one unreleased track, that I’ve never properly recorded but on rare occasions I sing it live. It doesn’t have a typical ‘song structure’ but it was almost like a journal of how I feel, and I think it summarised how I felt better than any conversation I’ve had about the situation. Whenever I perform it live, people come up to me and tell me how it moved them and they could relate and for that I’m really happy.
What’s the best/worst experience you’ve had on stage?
My first – of many, fingers crossed – international performance meant I was performing to a crowd who didn’t speak English at all. I wouldn’t say it was bad! But it definitely made me think of other ways I can communicate with my crowds.
What is your favourite song to perform?
Of my own tracks I would say ‘Desire’. It’s just so fun to get the crowd involved and it has a bounce you have to bop to.
Which artist/song/album made you want to make music?
I’ve always loved singing and being a singer but never considered myself much of a writer. When I first began writing, SZA’s ‘CTRL’, H.E.R’s self-titled album and India Arie’s ‘Acoustic Soul’ were my comfort listens and definitely influenced me to begin writing my own songs.
What’s the meaning behind your name?
monifé is a Yoruba (Nigerian) name meaning “I have love.” And I feel it! I think I will address my fans as “my loves.”
If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing instead?
Pretty much the same as I do now! I am a Specialist Biomedical Scientist, so I work in a hospital lab helping doctors investigate and diagnose diseases for their patients. I do think I would still have to do something music related though just to keep me sane. I love it.
What’s success to you?
Undeniably great bodies of work, sold out shows and tours, being able to make a life from my music.
What moment in your life/career forced you to change direction?
I don’t know if I can pinpoint the exact moment, but in the past, I was scared to try too hard. Nobody likes rejection and I felt like it would be embarrassing to put my all into something and not get to where I or onlookers thought I should be. Thankfully, I realised that’s just me being a scaredy cat, I’m enjoying the journey, the lessons and trials on the route to what I want to be. More importantly I’m proud of how far I’ve come and I’m so excited for what is to come!
Where can people keep in touch with you?
Find me on socials, Instagram – @itsmonife, TikTok – @itsmonife1, X – @itsmonife but also come down to a show! You can find my next one in my bio!
