Ibeyi Channel Ritual and Renewal on 'Offering'

It’s often said that twins share a bond that goes beyond striking similarities—something instinctive, almost telepathic. For Ibeyi, the French-Cuban duo whose name means “twins” in Yoruba, that connection has always been central to their music, channeling something that feels both deeply personal and spiritually expansive. Four years after their last album, Spell 31, they return with Offering— that’s exactly what it feels like.

 

Their first album as independent artists and perhaps their most expansive work to date, the record finds twin sisters Naomi Diaz and Lisa-Kaindé Diaz embracing a new creative freedom, as themes of transformation, identity, and reconnection pulse across a sound that scores heavy basslines, intricate percussion, and raw vocals.

That evolution moves from sonic to spiritual. Shot entirely in Havana alongside local artists and collaborators, the album’s visual world is deeply rooted in the Cuba that has long shaped Ibeyi’s artistic identity, offering a cinematic portrait of place at a moment when the island continues to face profound challenges, remaining largely misunderstood by those beyond its borders.

 

 

Following the mystical lead single “Aset” and the title track “Offering,” the duo have entered a new, almost mythological chapter where independence and creative reinvention merge with a sense of renewal.

We caught up with Naomi and Lisa-Kaindé to discuss building Offering on their own terms, a homecoming to Havana, and what it means to create from a place of freedom.

---

TEETH: Offering feels like an album about transformation, releasing old versions of yourself while reconnecting with something deeper. What did you each have to let go of in order to make this record?

Naomi: We had to let go of expectations, of fear, of old narratives. We wanted to have the same mindset we had at the start of our career. To be free, to be bold. We just wanted to have fun and be true to ourselves and our realignment.

 

This is your first album as an independent act. How did stepping away from a label structure change the way you created it?

Naomi: Being independent is betting on yourself. And we wanted that. We wanted to have no fear. Betting on yourself even through the hard [times] is loving yourself.

 

The title feels very intentional—almost like the album itself is a gift or a ritual. What does the word “offering” mean to you?

Lisa: Actually, naming the album Offering was very intentional. I saw, in a vision, the goddess Yemayá, the goddess of the sea, tell me, “Only offerings now.” When I came out of the meditation, I said, “Oh, I used to make spells. Now I make offerings.” And that’s when I knew the album should be called Offering.

Our last album was called Spell 31, and I think that reflected the state of mind I was in, where the reaction of the audience felt like the most important thing—as if I needed to put a spell on them so they would love me.

It was liberating because I wanted to concentrate only on the giving, on what I could control, on the ritual of giving and the beauty of what I was offering.

 

Your music has always existed between worlds, whether in physical places or spiritual planes. With this album, did you feel like you were exploring identity differently than before? What did you find in that exploration?

Lisa: Every album is a different journey, especially with Ibeyi, because we make it a point to never do the same album twice.

This was one of the wildest processes because it took us three years to make. We left our label, changed managers, and after working with Richard Russell for three albums, we suddenly found ourselves looking for new producers and collaborators.

It became a total realignment with who we were. It was a rediscovery of our identity in terms of music, but also our personal identity—what it meant to be Naomi, and what it meant to be Lisa-Kaindé. What happened was that we both grew stronger individually. Naomi took more space, and I took more space, and our worlds were allowed to stretch. What’s incredible is that Ibeyi has infinite space for both of us. It was powerful to realize that our worlds could both grow—even though they’re opposites—and it could still feel like Ibeyi.

I also think this is probably the most personal album we’ve ever made. Even though all our records are personal, this one is about our own experiences in a very immediate way because we wrote it in the studio as we were living them.

 

What was it like returning to Cuba and creating this visual world there at this particular moment?

Lisa: When we realized how intimate this record was, we knew we needed to film at home—either at our grandma’s house in Paris or in Cuba. It became obvious that it couldn’t just be a studio shoot. It needed to be real.

We called our friends and family in Cuba to ask how they felt about us filming there during such a difficult time. They told us it felt even more important to honor Cuba now.

Filming there was a way to honor our dad, our culture, and everything the island has given us. We wanted to show our Cuba—not the version people expect with colonial architecture, cigars, and American cars, but the Cuba that feels like home to us.

Working with Cuban artists and our friends made it one of the most incredible experiences of our lives. The rituals in the videos—Naomi dancing herself into a trance, Naomi shaving my head—were all real, and getting to experience those moments in Cuba made them even more meaningful.

 

After four albums, how have you evolved—not just musically, but as sisters moving through the world together?

Naomi: We are constantly changing. We finally feel that we don’t need to “prove” ourselves anymore like we used to when we were younger. People know we can play, we can sing, we can produce.

Ibeyi has always been about finding the common ground between our two very different worlds. Sometimes the needle goes more towards one or the other. I think with Offering, it’s going towards Naomi more and will probably keep going in that direction for a while. This album is the end and the beginning of something.

 

What are your favorite songs from the album? 

Naomi: I hate to choose, but today I’ll say “Hurry Hurry” and “Lucky.”

 

What is something people would be surprised to learn about the two of you when you’re not making music—a habit, obsession, or little sisterly ritual?

Lisa: Something people would be surprised to know about me is that I make piñatas. I’m obsessed with it. I make them by hand for my friends’ and loved ones’ birthdays, and it really fills me with joy.

Another thing is that I’m trying to write a book. Maybe I’m saying it out loud now so that I actually go through with it, because it’s such an incredible and complex adventure after writing songs for so long.

As for Naomi, people might still be surprised by how much she loves architecture and design. She makes sculptures and painted ceramics, and she would also love to be an actress. She’s been in a couple of shorts, and she’s actually very good. The camera loves her.

 

Looking back to when you created the album, what does Offering represent in your lives right now?

Naomi: This album is like a map through all the emotions a human being goes through after failure. It is us regaining trust, confidence, and a sense of direction. Trusting the process. Honoring it all—the good and the bad, the happy and the sad.

---

Ibeyi will be touring Europe this year and North America in 2027. Stay up to date with their live shows and visuals on Instagram and on their website.