SWAGG NEWS AFRICA: Naija Music Part III : Simply Sweet Simi.

Simi is an artist with a sweet, angelic voice who effortlessly hits each note as she glides up and down the scale...
Her voice isn't just beautiful; it’s close to perfect. As you listen to her singing of love and of God, your body will start dancing of its own accord. Your mind’s eye will be filled with colourful images, created by the uplifting rhythms. You will be filled with joy. That's how good this Naija artist is.

Born Simisola Bolatito Ogunleye in 1988 in Surelere, Lagos, Simi’s music is undoubtedly on a par with the biggest female stars of today. (On a par with some and far superior to others.) She is a truly accomplished musician. An artist rather than just an entertainer. A vocalist rather than just a singer. Her style has changed a lot since her debut 2008 album ‘Ogaju’, which showcased her brilliant voice & vocal range, her songwriting ability, her confidence, her feistiness and her attitude.

It is listed under the Christian/Gospel category on Apple Music but this is a complete misrepresentation. The album contains sassy RnB, sexy & romantic ballads, and dance tracks that blend electronic beats with the African drums. (She just happens to mention God once or twice!) The style and content of the songs are reminiscent of the big female artists of the 90’s - Gabrielle, Shola Ama, Toni Braxton, All Saints, The Spice Girls. And it is filled with the soaring strings and Mariah Carey-like warbling typical of that time. It would definitely fit comfortably into the “Girl Power” category.

'Girl Like Me’ and ‘Beat It’ are the stand out tracks, with lyrics that let the men in her life know she is definitely not to he messed with! On ‘Girl Like Me’ you can hear a trace of an English accent (which hints at some of the artists she may have been listening to at the time) while ‘Crazy About You’ sounds like Fergie/The Black Eyed Peas. The piano ballad ‘Ile Amo’ is a patriotic anthem about a utopia-like “new Nigeria” that pays homage to Simi’s home country.

By 2014 her music taste had changed with the times, as proven by the EP she released. Entitled ‘Restless’, it contained cover versions of 5 songs by the worlds biggest acts. ‘Man Down’ (Rihanna) ‘Set Fire to the Rain’ (Adele), ‘Halo’ (Beyoncé), ‘Apologize’ (One Republic) and ‘Grenade’ (Bruno Mars). She gave the tracks her own, alternate names and adapted the lyrics on some of them. (Perhaps to make them more “Christian friendly”.) Man Down was renamed ‘Range Rover’. Grenade was ‘Misbehaviour’. Halo was ‘Why You Forget’ and Apologize was ‘20Nine’. (In place of the line “and it's too late too apologize, she sings “and a husband is hard to find”.) Man Down/Range Rover’s lyrics aren't about a murder, but about the hurt Simi caused a man by rejecting him. Like Rhianna’s, her voice is also perfect for the reggae style track. In fact, it’s not an exaggeration to say that her versions of all 5 songs are every bit as enjoyable as the originals. Record company X3M Music agreed with this sentiment, signing her after hearing it.

During 2014-16 she brought out 5 singles. Tiff’, ‘Jamb Question’, ‘E No Go Funny’, ‘Love Don't Care’ and ‘Open and Close’. She also featured on Falz’ hugely successful single ‘Soldier’. The title ‘Jamb Question’ is a reference Nigerians will be familiar with. JAMB is an an acronym for the country's Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, an official body which sets exam questions for entry to colleges and universities and processes applications. It's exam questions are notoriously illogical and pointless. So the phrase ‘jamb question’ means “stupid question.”

This type of in-touch colloquial reference is part of the reason why her fellow countrymen and women love Simi so much. She is highly relatable, singing of every day Nigerian life. One of the country's showbiz websites even referred to her recently as the “Madonna of Lagos”. The song itself was very popular and it, along with Tiff and Soldier, brought her a new level of fame. Tiff was nominated in the Best Alternative Song category at the 2015 edition of The Headies and she won the ‘Most Promising Act to Watch’ category at the Nigeria Entertainment Awards that same year.

By 2016 she had become a fully developed Afrobeats artist, and within that genre, she has (by her own admission) finally perfected her style and sound. In February ’16 she released the single ‘Love Don't Care’. It has an important social message, condemning the tribal and social prejudices which forbid love among particular groups. And in October she released an EP called ‘Chemistry’ which is a collaboration with Falz. It is outstanding. Their voices and styles sound like they were made for each other. It's unashamedly African which means it is categorised under the vague umbrella term “world music”. But it's equal parts nu-jazz/neo soul/funk too. The lyrics on some songs are more sexual than previous Simi songs, although the more suggestive lines are delivered by Falz. The title track, ‘Chemistry’ is the stand-out, with the hook delivered by Simi in its brilliantly catchy chorus.

Simi & Falz

In the year of Chemistry’s release, Simi earned 7 awards nominations (including Best Breakthrough Act at the MTV Africa Music Awards) and 4 wins.
With her incredible gift, the next nominations ought to be from The Grammy’s, The Brits, The MOBO’s and every other international awards show in existence. Soon the whole world will know Simi’s name.