From Jersey Club Dance Floors to the Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival: Eric Roberson on House Music, Liberation, and Process

For independent R&B and soul artist Eric Roberson, liberation isn't an abstract concept—it is something felt deep in the body, cultivated on the dance floor, and carried onto the stage.

Growing up in Rahway, New Jersey, Roberson’s artistic identity was shaped in church choir rehearsals, cafeteria hip-hop ciphers, and the sweat-slicked dance floors of house music hubs in Newark and East Orange like Club 88. Practicing moves in front of his living room mirror as a kid, he discovered early on how deeply sound could free a person.

"The beautiful thing which really helped me as an artist is just how freeing house music was," Roberson shared. "... house music still can help you forget where you are, forget your pains."

That spirit of rule-breaking and independence has defined his 30-year career. With 18 albums released on his own terms, Roberson has sustained his life and family through his art by prioritizing the journey over commercial metrics.

Ahead of his headlining performance at the Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival, following a residency with the August Wilson African American Cultural Center, Roberson is preparing a two-night experience rooted in spontaneity and connection.

His Saturday set will be fully improvised—an unscripted trust fall with the audience—followed by a Sunday performance packed with the beloved anthems his community has celebrated for decades.

Whether building an unscripted song live on stage or reflecting on how his music soundtracked births, weddings, and quiet moments of healing for listeners, Roberson remains grounded in the present.

Roberson’s headline performance comes as part of the August Wilson African American Cultural Center’s sixth annual B.U.I.L.D. Residency Program, made possible with major support from the Joyce and George Wein Foundation.

Designed to close opportunity gaps for Black artists and bolster their artistic and business capacities, the program pairs Roberson alongside fellow residency artist and hip-hop icon Kid Capri.

By bringing both Capri’s legendary turntablism and Roberson’s soulful improvisation directly to the streets of downtown Pittsburgh from September 17–20, the festival serves as a living, holistic celebration of how these interconnected genres continue to shape and sustain global culture