Ify Folorunsho’s vocal prowess on her debut single “Etutu,” already positioned her as one of the
stars to watch out for in the Nigerian music industry. She doesn’t sound like a neophyte, what
you listen to makes you rank her among some of the soon-to-be greatest in the gospel industry.
Etutu is a Yoruba word that means sacrifice. In this song, Ify Folorusho praises God for the love
and affection shown to her.
The opening ten seconds of the song is riddled with percussion: soft drums, bright strings,
shakers, and others, all collide to form the basis for the production of this song. The production
of the song already let the fans into a serene scene, this made it more lovely for Ify Folorusho’s
vocals to come through.
When the artiste’s vocals came up, she started with exhortation: “The story of Calvary is beyond
the story, it is very light, she states. This introduction alludes to the Bible chapter Luke 23:33.
Calvary as used in this context means skull and refers to the skull-like hill on which Jesus was
crucified also known as Golgotha, which is the Aramaic name of the location where Jesus was
crucified outside of Old Jerusalem.
By the time the exhortation ends, thunderous drums kick the song into proper play. It’s jaunty
and lovely at the same time. Lyrically, “Etutu,” finds Ify Folorusho basking in God’s love over her.
The first verse of the song adequately captures how Ify Folorunsho changes her disposition
towards love. While on her new journey, she gets to understand the effectiveness of God’s love:
“It is amazing what you have done, now I believe in love, it is different from what I thought,” she
sings. This light bulb moment seems to have served as the inspiration behind the song;
something like Saul on his way to Damascus. Ify Folorunsho unashamedly sings about this new
revelation in the first verse.
In the second verse of the song, Ify Folorunsho becomes more energized. The result of the
revelation seems to be manifesting as she adores God’s way of doing things.
At the three-minute mark of the song, the singer took the listeners to the Yoruba people’s way of
worshiping God. The section of the song allows the percussion to come up more as it becomes
more infectious, giving space for dance.