小西姆兹

Simbiatu "Simbi" Abisola Abiola Ajikawo (born 23 February 1994), better known by her stage name Little Simz, is an English rapper and actress. She rose to prominence with the independent release of her first three albums: A Curious Tale of Trials + Persons (2015), Stillness in Wonderland (2016) and Grey Area (2019), the last of which was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize and won the awards for Best Album at both the Ivor Novello Awards and the NME Awards.

Her fourth album, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert (2021), received widespread critical acclaim, with several publications deeming it the best album of 2021. It won the 2022 Mercury Prize, and earned her the 2022 Brit Award for Best New Artist and the Libera Award for Best Hip-Hop/Rap Record. Her fifth album, No Thank You (2022), was released to critical acclaim. In 2024, she was featured on the single "We Pray" by Coldplay, alongside Burna Boy, Elyanna, and Tini. Her sixth studio album, Lotus, was released on 6 June 2025.

Outside of music, Ajikawo has starred in the Netflix revival drama series Top Boy. She also appeared as herself in the film Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021).

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.

Music career

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. In April 2016, Little Simz became the first UK rapper to be named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Europe list. She subsequently participated in the Forbes Under 30 Summit EMEA in Jerusalem and performed at the Israel Museum. 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.