Little Simz is a British-Nigerian rapper who rose to fame with the independent release of her four albums – A Curious Tale of Trials + Persons (2015), Stillness in Wonderland (2016), Grey Area (2019) and Sometimes I Might Be Introvert (2021). Known for her originality and versatility, she has become one of the UK’s most revered musical artists, winning prestigious awards like the Mercury Prize, Ivor Novello Awards, NME Awards, Brit Award and Libera Award.
This is a biography of the British-Nigerian rapper who is making waves as an outlier in British entertainment.
Little Simz biography
Little Simz was born Simbiatu Abisola Abiola Ajikawo on February 23, 1994, in Islington, London, United Kingdom. She attended Highbury Fields School in London before enrolling into St. Mary’s Youth Club, an institution that pop stars, Leona Lewis and Alexandra Burke attended.
Simz later studied at Westminster Kingsway College and The University of West London.
Little Simz career
Little Simz showed interest in pursuing a music career at the age of 10 when she performed in front of her classmates at her youth club, wearing a red Ecko tracksuit, with her hair parted in two bunches.
“It was where it all began for me, it was like a second home. It was somewhere to go after school instead of just hanging around on the roads, causing trouble or whatever. We had dance, the gym for the boys, cooking classes, we used to go on trips. It was like a big family,” she said in an interview with Redbull.
Growing up, she listened to rap stars like Busta Rhymes, Nas, Biggie Smalls and Lauren Hill, all of whom influenced her career as a rap artist. She began doing music while doing “double shifts” at her art gallery side job and found creative ways to record from her bedroom without a budget.
“I couldn’t afford a pop shield that stops all your Ps, Ts and Ds from penetrating the mic, so I used a sock,” she says in an interview with Vogue.
In 2011, Simz was the opening act for Gorillaz during their Humanz Tour. She was also the vocalist for the song “Garage Palace” in their Super Deluxe edition album, Humanz.
Her first album was released, A Curious Tale of Trials + Persons was released on September 18, 2015, and she performed at the Royal Albert Hall in the same year. She also went on a tour with Nas, Lauren Hill and Kehlani in 2016.
On December 16, 2016, Simz released her second studio album, Stillness in Wonderland, alongside the comic book, Welcome to Wonderland. Her third album, Grey Area, featured popular songs like “Offence,” “Boss,” and “101 FM.”
Simz also drew inspiration from jazz musicians like Nina Simone, John Coltrane and Billie Holiday for her fourth album, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert, which was a critical success. The album debuted at number 4 on the UK album charts and won the ‘BBC Album of the Year’.
On December 12, 2022, Simz released her fifth album, No, Thank You, which explored the theme of mental health in black communities. In total, Simz has released five albums, six Extended Plays (EP), and four mixtapes. In addition, Simz has found her way into acting, making her debut in the BBC children’s series, Spirit Warriors. She was also featured in Netflix’s Top Boy, playing Shelley. Simz also featured in the Spider-man Universe film, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, where she sang her son, “Venom”.
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Little Simz exploits in diaspora
Simz is regarded as Britain’s beloved rap superstar for capturing the imaginations of her fans with her storytelling through music. When she was 10 years old, she performed a song called “Achieve, Achieve, Achieve”, in front of her classmates and announced that “in 10 years, I wanna be a performer that can entertain”.
Today, Little Simz is unarguably the performer that can entertain. With five albums, over six Eps and mixtapes, Simz has earned her place as one of the greatest rappers to come out of Britain. Her album, Grey Area, won the Ivor Novello Awards and NME Awards, both for ‘Best Album’. Sometimes I Might Be Introvert was deemed the ‘best album’ in 2021 and earned her the Mercury Prize, the Brit Award for ‘Best New Artist’ and the Libera Award for ‘Best Hip-Hop/Rap Record’.
Rejecting record deals Simz has released her music independently. Speaking to Vogue, she said: “I’m fine making mistakes as long as they’re new. If it’s twice, I’m a dummy but just once – that’s just being human, isn’t it?”
“It’s OK to bump your head as well. I’ve bumped my head so many times, but it’s all learning,” she added.
On June 29, 2024, Simz was the penultimate act on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury, which received rave reviews.
Little Simz’s Connection to Nigeria
Little Simz was born to Nigerian parents of Yoruba heritage. She is the youngest of four children. Her parents were divorced when she (Simz) was young and the children were raised by their mother and barely know their father. She credits her love for music to her home, which was full of a variety of sounds such as garage, grime, neo-soul, funk, afrobeat and reggae, all of which influenced her sound.
Little Simz age
Little Simz is 30 years old as of 2024.
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