Little Simz

Early life

Ajikawo was born in Islington, London, to Nigerian parents. She was raised on a council estate with two older sisters. Her mother was also a foster carer during her childhood. She is ethnically Yoruba.

She studied at Highbury Fields School in London and also attended St Mary's Youth Club in Upper Street, Islington, with pop stars Leona Lewis and Alexandra Burke. Ajikawo has credited Mary's Youth Club for its influence on her career, describing it as "the place where it all began for me … a second home".

Ajikawo later studied at Westminster Kingsway College and The University of West London where she pursued her music career.

Artistry

She describes her music as rap and experimental. Whilst she is closely affiliated with the grime genre, she has also pulled inspiration from other genres including reggae, blues, synth-rock and jazzy R&B.

Ajikawo grew up listening to rap artists Busta Rhymes, Nas and Biggie Smalls, which influenced her to pursue a rap career. Lauryn Hill has often been cited as one of her biggest influences. Ajikawo stated "I think The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was really my education. Lauryn Hill was one of the first artists that really made me feel the power of music." She also drew inspiration from jazz musicians Nina Simone, John Coltrane and Billie Holiday for her album Sometimes I Might Be Introvert. Other inspirations include her idol Kendrick Lamar, who called her "the illest doing it right now" in 2015.

Ajikawo met producer Inflo of the R&B band Sault at a youth center, and he would produce three of her albums including Sometimes I Might Be Introvert. A financial conflict with Inflo caused Ajikawo to part ways with him and have Miles Clinton James (known for producing Kokoroko) produce her sixth album Lotus instead.

Career

Music

2015–2017: Career beginnings and ''A Curious Tale of Trials + Persons'' and ''Stillness in Wonderland''

Ajikawo has performed at Rising Tide, iluvlive, Industry Takeover (Urban Development) Hackney Empire, Somerset House and the House of Lords. She also performed at the BBC 1Xtra Prom 2015 at the Royal Albert Hall, alongside a full orchestra led by Jules Buckley. Ajikawo can be heard on the Leave to Remain film soundtrack, performing the song "Leave It As That". In early 2013, she appeared on BBC Radio 1Xtra to discuss her performance at the Hackney Weekend. Ajikawo went on to do a Maida Vale session for Huw Stephens. She released her debut studio album, A Curious Tale of Trials + Persons, on 18 September 2015.

She was given the opportunity to tour with Nas, Lauryn Hill, and Kehlani in 2016. On 12 December 2016 Little Simz released the lead single to her upcoming album, "Poison Ivy". Just two days later, Simz released the album's second single, "Picture Perfect". On 16 December 2016 Simz released her sophomore full-length studio album, Stillness in Wonderland, alongside its comic-book companion, Welcome to Wonderland.

In 2017, she performed as the opening act for Gorillaz during their Humanz Tour, and was the vocalist for the song "Garage Palace", featured on the Super Deluxe edition of their album Humanz. On 11 May 2017, Simz released "Backseat". On 11 October 2017 she released "Good For What", before releasing the deluxe edition to her aforementioned album on 3 November 2017.

2018–2021: ''Grey Area'', ''Drop 6'' and ''Sometimes I Might Be Introvert''

Ajikawo releases her music on her own Age 101 Music record label with an exclusive distribution licensing arrangement with AWAL Recordings. On 6 September 2018, Ajikawo and her label AGE 101 signed a worldwide deal with AWAL Recordings, after AWAL had distributed her debut album "A Curious Tale of Trials + Persons" in 2015. This deal was renewed on 18 June 2020.

On 17 September 2018 Simz released "Offence" as the lead single to her upcoming studio album, Grey Area. The album's second single, "Boss" was released on 23 September 2018. The album's third single, "101 FM" was released on 4 December 2018. The album's final single, assisted by Cleo Sol, was released on 16 January 2019, alongside the album's announcement. Grey Area was released to critical success and was nominated for the Mercury Prize, and IMPALA's European Independent Album of the Year Award (2019). On 6 May 2020, while in quarantine, Simz released her tenth extended play, Drop 6.

Simz announced the title, cover, release date, and pre-order for her fourth full-length studio album, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert on 21 April 2021. The album's lead single, "Introvert" was released alongside the announcement. The album's second single, "Woman", assisted by Cleo Sol, was released on 6 May 2021. The album's third single, "Rollin Stone" was released on 14 June 2021. The album's fourth single, "I Love You, I Hate You" was released on 8 July 2021. The album's fifth and final single, "Point and Kill" was released on 1 September 2021, just two days prior to the release of the album. On 3 September 2021, she released her fourth studio album, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert debuting at number 4 on the UK album charts and winning BBC 6's Album of the Year. The album would also give Simz her first Mercury Prize win in October 2022.

2022–present: ''No Thank You, Drop 7 and Lotus''

On 6 December 2022 Ajikawo announced her fifth studio album, No Thank You. Once again produced by Inflo, the album found her speaking out about the rap industry on songs such as "X" while exploring themes of mental health in Black communities on songs such as "Broken". The album was released on 12 December 2022 and was well received.

Ajikawo performed her song "Heart On Fire" with Joan Armatrading during the 76th British Academy Film Awards ceremony, held on 19 February 2023.

In February 2024, Ajikawo announced Drop 7, her 11th extended play. The project saw a shift to an electronic dance sound and was released on 9 February 2024.

At 2024's Glastonbury, on the night of Saturday 29 June 2024, she performed the penultimate act on the Pyramid Stage. Her performance received rave reviews. On the same day, she was invited by British rock band Coldplay to perform the song "We Pray". The single was released on 12 August 2024, featuring Burna Boy, Elyanna and Tini, and is part of Coldplay's studio album Moon Music.

On 26 February 2025 Ajikawo announced her sixth studio album, Lotus, which was slated for release on 9 May 2025. She delayed the album to 6 June 2025 due to scheduling conflicts with a film.

Personal life

Ajikawo lives in London. She is a childhood friend of actor Fady Elsayed and actress Letitia Wright. Ajikawo and Wright have remained good friends and Ajikawo photographed Wright for the artwork for her single "Selfish" in 2019. Whilst Ajikawo believes in God, she does not currently follow any religion.

Ajikawo is a fan of Arsenal F.C.

In 2018 her friend, model Harry Uzoka, was murdered, inspiring her to write her song "Wounds".

Acting

Ajikawo's acting career began with the role of Vicky in the BBC children's series Spirit Warriors, originally broadcast in 2010, and as Meleka in the E4 television series Youngers. She was narrator for the television series Afrofuturism, and played Shelley in Netflix's revival of Top Boy, which premiered in autumn 2019. She appeared as herself in the Sony's Spider-Man Universe film Venom: Let There Be Carnage, singing her song "Venom" in a nightclub rave, which Venom goes to after his split from Eddie Brock.

Discography

Main article: Little Simz discography

Studio albums

• A Curious Tale of Trials + Persons (2015)
• Stillness in Wonderland (2016)
• Grey Area (2019)
• Sometimes I Might Be Introvert (2021)
• No Thank You (2022)
• Lotus (2025)

Tours

• AGE101 DROP THE WORLD (2015)
• Welcome To Wonderland (2017–2018)
• Grey Area Tour (2019)
• Sometimes I Might Be Introvert (2021)
• NO THANK YOU (2023)
• Lotus (2025)

Filmography

Awards and nominations

References

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