Three years after her last record and ten years after her debut, Little Simz releases her sixth album: Lotus. This is preceded by a feature with Coldplay, a trip to spectacle, a new gig as curator of the renowned eleventh “Meltdown” festival in her hometown London-and the painful end of work relationship with her childhood friend Dean Cover, better known as Inflo, head of Sault and above all Simz ‘tribal producer and companion. Because of debt in the millions, she is now suing him – and processes her disappointment with the broken friendship on her new album. An exclusive interview with the Queen of British HipHop.
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Actually, it was said that she would leave out her camera. But Little Simz aka Simbiatu Ajikoo is in a good mood today – the camera is on, Little Simz sits far from the lens in a glass room, a single office probably on your label. It can only be recognized pixelated, in the background, behind the glass wall where she leans, people keep looking over. In the middle of all the hustle and bustle, however, it looks calm. One says in a resting manner. Fits the title of your sixth album: Lotus.
Lotus, I think of Buddhism and Hinduism, of yoga, of the series “White Lotus” – it is such a symbolic name …
Yes, that’s right. This period of my life somehow stands for renewal, and is a time of growth and change. And the lotus is one of the few flowering plants that survive in swampy, cloudy water. I found myself in it: No matter what I experienced, no matter where I came from, I always knew that I will create something extraordinary. It is such a flawless flower, although it grows in such cloudy conditions.
You come from North London, were that these cloudy waters you are talking about?
Yes definitely. It wasn’t all sweet, but I had a loving family that raised me. Even if it was absolutely crazy outside, there was always this home full of love that I could return to.
All of your albums feel very personally, Gray Area was about the death of a friend, Sometimes I Might Be introvert, the confession is already in the name. But Lotus feels even more personal, even intimate …
It feels like a load from my shoulders has fallen because I no longer wear everything in me. And I’m just used to processing my feelings by writing. This is my healing process and therapeutic for me. I let go of the things and don’t carry them around with me all the time. It is liberating.
That sounds pretty positive at first!
But at the same time I also have to say that this time it is definitely quite scary because I show myself very vulnerable and maybe open a pandora box. I open my private life more than ever, and this also accompanies convictions, questions, opinions, speculations and everything. But I can’t allow these fears to prevent my truth to tell my story. The main thing for me is to be honest with me and to process everything I have experienced. In a way that naturally feels at least for me.
In addition to this very clear examination of personal disappointments, there is also a lot about self -doubt. While you have released a new album almost every year – the magazine “Elle” even called you “pathological productive” – there has been no new album since no thanks you 2022. Were the self -doubt the trigger for this little break?
Yes, I definitely experienced a self -doubt attack that I did not foreseen or know it. That really attacked my self -confidence. I always had great confidence in myself, especially as a child. But I wasn’t loud, it was more of a quiet confidence. I knew. I knew that I was talented, that I can deal with words that I am that person. And when my self -confidence looked like this, I suddenly no longer knew whether I could really go through it. The worst thing was that I didn’t know exactly why I really wanted to record an album now. Not knowing the reason, that completely threw me off the track. Because I don’t do anything that I don’t know exactly why I do it.
What do you mean?
I put art into the world because I want to help others because I want to inspire people and because I just love to create art. This is my “why”. And when I didn’t know exactly why I did it all, I was honestly lost a little. And sad.
What was that?
Changed circumstances – as I make my albums, who I work with. I think if you know my musical biography, you know who is meant. When it was clear that it would not be the same as before, I was no longer sure whether I would make it without these people. That threw me out of the track. I could always make music, even without these people around me. I had it comfortably with work routines that I knew that they would deliver results. And when all of this was gone, I no longer knew how to write this process to write an album. Unpleasant.
How did you freed yourself from this dead end?
I had to find out how to proceed. Alone. And fortunately with the help of the great miles Clinton James, who produced the album, and some other musicians: inside. But in the end it was up to myself. I had to take the time and learn not to let too much pressure and noise from outside. Because people will criticize it, they will say everything about it. But it just doesn’t matter. I have to try to say what I want to say and everything else will arise.
Did it ever be up for debate whether you continue to work as a musician or not?
I seriously weighed whether I would continue to make music or strive for a change of career and concentrate on something else. I could never imagine getting to this point. But I survived it and just continued. I wanted to complete the project. Even if I end it and don’t like it and it is the worst thing I have ever done, I wanted to finish it.
Phew, but it also sounds exhausting.
But you have a better perspective at the end than if you are still in the middle of it and everything is too much. So I knew: I just have to finish it. Regardless of whether I think it’s the best thing I have ever created or not. I just wanted to be ready.
And? Do you love Lotus or do you hate it? Is it the best that you have ever created or not?
I am so proud of this album! I think it’s really good.
You also made it difficult yourself, did you? I read that you have memorized all lyrics before the recording sessions. Why did you make it so extra difficult for yourself?
Because I wanted to perform it! Like a concert. And I can’t perform if I read anything on my cell phone. But if I already learn the texts by heart, I will no longer think about what I actually say, but can concentrate on the delivery, how I perform it and something true, vulnerable. It was Sick as if I was in music. A new feeling for me. I think it was released. In me.
What?
My records can sound like live performances. With all their supposed mistakes such as cracking in the voice or hoarseness. That makes it really. But I also believe that I am more concentrated today. If I now hear older songs from myself, I imagine listening to if I wasn’t really. It probably sounds like any other stanza for the normal audience, but I can hear it when I have tried to get something behind and gave me no effort to emphasize things or let me look more lively.
Somehow it doesn’t surprise me that you are a perfectionist. How did you ultimately work out of your deep? With creative work, it is not so easy to get to the surface again. Especially not if you have such a perfectionist claim.
Totally. But I think I stopped thinking about the result and the goal. Instead, I said to myself: It doesn’t matter what it will be. I just wanted to write my feelings out of myself and later deal with what will become of it and whether it makes sense. It may sound strange now, but when I hear older songs from myself, I am looking for myself.
And do you recognize yourself in them?
The songs sound cool and everything, but I can’t find myself in it. This is because I believe that they have no real substance. So this time I tried to put everything on paper that feels real or honest for me, everything I really felt. That was my compass. Whether it was a difficult time with my sister that I wrote about a song that is something like an ode to this phase. Or a song like “Blood” with Wretch 32 and Cashh, which is based on a conversation with relatives. Everyone can recognize themselves in them: R, who has siblings: “You don’t call me. You are the favorite child. Why didn’t you speak to mom?” Real Life Stuff. I was totally lonely when I worked on the album. It took four attempts. I had lost my trust in myself and could not believe that something like that happened to me. All of this is true, all of this really happened, do you know? So I tried to write it down as I would tell.
The album also sounds like someone is telling me about life in the pub. But in the best sense. And it sounds like a mixtape on which you keep trying yourself in different versions.
I tried a lot. Miles’ studio is like a playground for adults. Adults who love music. There are instruments everywhere, crazy percussion matters, triangles, drums. I lost it in it and that in turn allowed me to create everything and try out what I wanted. It was as fun as a process and as challenging as to write the texts. This is reflected in songs such as “Young” and “Blue” with Sampha, which are totally different, but were created in the same session. We simply went into a wide variety of directions and followed all the ideas we were looking for. And so at some point an album was created. At some point we sworn that we would come to the studio every day. Even if the ideas are shit. Even if we don’t feel like it. But we would appear there every day. Because, if we don’t do that, nothing will happen. That was the hardest thing: come in every day.
And very often you weren’t alone – almost every song on the album has a feature guest or two. On your previous albums, guests were still few and far between. This time it sounds like a joint project.
And I’m really a fan of each of these people! I had the feeling that more voices are necessary on many of the songs to tell the story. And I wanted to open a room and share it with other people. And that was a nice experience, these are all great people and with many friends combine me.
You released your debut album ten years ago, A Curios Tale of Trials + Personal. What would the Simz advise the Simz from ten years ago today?
Stay on it! Be productive and just keep going, continue art because it is one thing that you can control. Even if you sometimes can’t control them. But it is one thing you know what you are doing and in which you are really good. Don’t be afraid to try new things and work with different people. You are the source. And: just be nice to other people. Just be a good person and everything will be okay.