Simisola Bolatito Kosoko (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Ogunleye; born April 19, 1988), better known by her stage name Simi, is a

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...

singer, songwriter, and actress. She started her career as a gospel singer, releasing her debut studio album in 2008, titled ''Ogaju''. She also played as one of the top judges in season 7 of the Nigerian idol TV show in 2022. She gained public recognition in 2014 after releasing "

Tiff Tag Image File Format, abbreviated TIFF or TIF, is an image file format for storing raster graphics images, popular among graphic artists, the publishing industry, and photographers. TIFF is widely supported by scanning, faxing, word processin ...

", a song that was nominated for Best Alternative Song at

The Headies 2015 The Headies 2015 was the 10th edition of The Headies. It was held on January 1, 2016, at the Landmark Events Centre in Victoria Island, Lagos. Themed "Flip the Script", the event was hosted by Bovi and Kaffy. It was previously scheduled to hold ...

. Simi signed a record deal with X3M Music in 2014, but left the label in May 2019 following the expiration of her contract. She released her second studio album ''

Simisola ''Simisola'' is a 1994 novel by British crime writer Ruth Rendell. It features her recurring detective Inspector Wexford, and is the 17th in the series. Though a murder mystery, the book also touches on the themes of racism, welfare dependenc ...

'' on September 8, 2017. Her third studio album ''

Omo Charlie Champagne, Vol. 1 ''Omo Charlie Champagne, Vol. 1'' is the third studio album by Nigerian singer Simi. It was released to coincide with her thirty-first birthday on April 19, 2019. The 13-track album features guest artists such as Patoranking, Maleek Berry, Falz ...

'' was released to coincide with her thirty-first birthday on April 19, 2019. She launched her record label Studio Brat in June 2019.

Early life

Simi was born on 19 April 1988 in Ojuelegba, a suburb of

Surulere, Lagos State Surulere is a residential and commercial Local Government Area located on the mainland of Lagos in Lagos State, Nigeria, with an area of . At the last census in the year 2006, there were 503,975 inhabitants, with a population density of 21,864 i ...

, as the last of four children. In an interview with Juliet Ebirim of ''

Vanguard The vanguard (also called the advance guard) is the leading part of an advancing military formation. It has a number of functions, including seeking out the enemy and securing ground in advance of the main force. History The vanguard derives fr ...

'' newspaper, Simi revealed that her parents separated when she was 9 years old. She also revealed that she grew up as a

tomboy A tomboy is a term for a girl or a young woman with masculine qualities. It can include wearing androgynous or unfeminine clothing and actively engage in physical sports or other activities and behaviors usually associated with boys or men. W ...

Education

Simi attended Stars International College, a secondary school in Ikorodu, Lagos State. She is an alumna of

Covenant University Covenant may refer to: Religion * Covenant (religion), a formal alliance or agreement made by God with a religious community or with humanity in general ** Covenant (biblical), in the Hebrew Bible ** Covenant in Mormonism, a sacred agreement b ...

, where she studied

mass communication Mass communication is the process of imparting and exchanging information through mass media to large segments of the population. It is usually understood for relating to various forms of media, as its technologies are used for the dissemination o ...

Career

2006–13: Career beginnings and ''Ogaju''

Simi grew up dancing and singing as a member of her local church's choir. She wrote her first song at age 10. Her professional music career started in 2008 following the release of her debut studio album ''Ogaju'', which consisted of a variety of songs such as "Iya Temi" and "Ara Ile". The album was produced entirely by Samklef.

2014–2018: ''Restless'', ''Chemistry'' and ''Simisola''

In January 2014, Simi released the 5 track EP ''Restless'', which eventually earned her a record deal with X3M Music. The EP is composed mostly of covers recorded by popular acts, including

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to the ...

's " Man Down" and

Adele Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (, ; born 5 May 1988), professionally known by the mononym Adele, is an English singer and songwriter. After graduating in arts from the BRIT School in 2006, Adele signed a reco ...

's "

Set Fire to the Rain "Set Fire to the Rain" is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter Adele for her second studio album, '' 21'' (2011). The song was written by Adele and Fraser T. Smith while the production was handled by the latter. It became Adele's third ...

". On January 9, 2014, Simi released two singles "Tiff" and "E No Go Funny". Both songs received frequent airplay and were met with generally positive reviews from critics. The video for "Tiff" was directed by Josh Clarke and released on August 30, 2015. The song was nominated for Best Alternative Song at the 2015 edition of

The Headies The Headies (originally called the Hip Hop World Awards) is a music awards show established in 2006 by the ''Hip Hop World Magazine'' of Nigeria to recognize outstanding achievements in the Nigerian music industry. The annual ceremony features pe ...

. Later in 2015, Simi won the Most Promising Act to Watch category at the

2015 Nigeria Entertainment Awards The 2015 Nigeria Entertainment Awards was the 10th edition of the Nigeria Entertainment Awards. Wizkid won the most awards while Olamide received the most nominations with three across 39 award categories. Kiss Daniel won the Best New Act to Watc ...

. In an interview with ''

Leadership Leadership, both as a research area and as a practical skill, encompasses the ability of an individual, group or organization to "lead", influence or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organizations. The word "leadership" often gets view ...

'' newspaper, Simi revealed that she started working on her second studio album, which was slated for release in 2016. Upon releasing "Jamb Question", Simi was listed as one of the artistes to watch out for in 2016 by

NotJustOk NotJustOk is a Nigerian music download website created in June 2006 by Ademola Ogundele. With over 1.2 million viewers per month, from 183 countries, it is one of the most visited websites in Nigeria. History Coined from Seth Godin's book '' Pur ...

. The remix of "Jamb Question" features Nigerian rapper

Falz Folarin Falana (born 27 October 1990), better known by his stage name Falz, is a Nigerian rapper, songwriter and actor who began his career while in secondary school after forming a group called The School Boys with his friend before his profe ...

. On February 14, 2016, Simi released the Oscar Heman Ackah-produced love

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

"Love Don't Care". It received frequent radio airplay and was met with positive reviews. "Love Don't Care" effectively addresses tribalism and discrimination in Nigeria. The song's music video was directed by

Clarence Peters Clarence Abiodun Peters (born 27 July 1978) is a Nigerian music video director, filmmaker and cinematographer. He is the founder and CEO of Capital Dream Pictures, a production company that specialises in the realms of the performing arts, fil ...

. In October 2016, Simi was nominated for Best Breakthrough Act at the

MTV Africa Music Awards The MTV Africa Music Awards (also known as the MAMAs) were established in 2008 by MTV Networks Africa (now Viacom International Media Networks Africa) to celebrate the most popular contemporary music in Africa. The 2008 and 2010 events took pla ...

. On October 27, Simi collaborated with Falz to release the extended play ''

Chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

''. Oghene Michael of 360 Nobs described the EP as an "experiment of the word art". In December 2016, Simi was nominated in three categories at

The Headies 2016 The Headies 2016 was the 11th edition of The Headies. It was held on December 22, 2016, at the Eko Convention Centre in Victoria Island, Lagos. Themed "Think, Create, Recreate", the event was hosted by Adesua Etomi and Falz. The nominees were an ...

, winning one. In anticipation of her 12-track second studio album ''

'', Simi released two singles; "Smile for Me" and "Joromi". Both songs were accompanied by music videos directed by

and Aje Films, respectively. Music videos for "O Wa Nbe", "Complete Me", "Gone for Good" and "Aimasiko" were also released to further promote the album. Simi unveiled the album's track listing on September 1, 2017. ''Simisola'' was released seven days later and debuted at number 5 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' World Albums chart.

2019: ''Omo Charlie Champagne, Vol. 1'' and Studio Brat

In March 2019, Simi disclosed that she would be releasing her third studio album ''

'' to coincide with her birthday on April 19, 2019. She disclosed this information in a series of social media messages. The album is a slight departure from the relatively afro-centric feel of ''

'' (2017). It is a mixture of

sentimental ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner.J. M. C ...

Afropop African popular music (also styled Afropop, Afro-pop or Afro pop), like African traditional music, is vast and varied. Most contemporary genres of African popular music build on cross-pollination with western popular music. Many genres of po ...

, Afro-fusion,

Afro-soul Afro-soul is a music genre that has African characteristics of soul music. It has emotional vocals, especially of the lead singer. There is a very strong link between Afro-soul and other genres like Afro-Jazz, Amapiano, and Afrobeats. Notable ...

, R&B,

EDM EDM or E-DM may refer to: Music * Electronic dance music * Early Day Miners, American band Science and technology * Electric dipole moment * Electrical discharge machining * Electronic distance measurement *Entry, Descent, and landing demonstrat ...

and

moombahton Moombahton (, ) is an electronic dance music genre, derived from house music and reggaeton, that was created by American DJ and producer Dave Nada in Washington, D.C., in 2009. Nada coined the name as a portmanteau of "Moombah" (a track by Sur ...

. The 13-track album features

guest vocals In show business, a guest appearance is the participation of an outsider performer (such as a musician or actor) in an event such as a music record or concert, show, etc., when the performer does not belong to the regular band, cast, or other ...

from

Patoranking Patrick Nnaemeka Okorie (born 27 May, 1990), better known by his stage name Patoranking, is a Nigerian reggae-dancehall singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Ijegun-Egba Satellite Town, Patoranking hails from Onicha, Ebonyi State. He starte ...

Maleek Berry Maleek Shoyebi (born 11 August 1987), professionally known as Maleek Berry, is a British-Nigerian record producer and recording artist. After his break into the spotlight in 2012, Maleek Berry was nominated as "Music Producer of the Year" at the ...

, and her husband

Adekunle Gold Adekunle Almoruf Kosoko (born 28 January 1987), known professionally as Adekunle Gold and AG Baby, is a Nigerian Afrobeats singer and songwriter. He gained widespread attention after releasing the 2015 hit single "Sade", a highlife cover of One ...

. Its production was primarily handled by Oscar, with additional production from Vtek,

Legendury Beatz Legendury Beatz (pronounced Legen-dury Beat-z) is a Nigerian record producing and songwriting duo, composed of siblings Uzezi Oniko (born 17 February 1986) and Okiemute Oniko (born 27 May 1989). Their production style is deeply rooted in afrob ...

, and Sess. Simi dedicated the album to her father Charles Oladele Ogunleye, who died in 2014. ''Omo Charlie Champagne, Vol. 1'' was preceded by three singles: "I Dun Care", "Lovin" and "Ayo". In May 2019, X3M Music announced Simi's departure following the expiration of her recording contract. Both parties did not renew the contract and agreed to part ways. In June 2019, Simi announced the launch of her independent record label, Studio Brat. She released a song titled ' Duduke' in the year 2020 making her unborn baby, a symbol of love and hope.

2020: Restless II EP

In 2020, Simi released another EP titled Restless II which is part two of the initial Restless EP released in 2014.

2022: TBH (To Be Honest) Album

The Studio Brat headliner, Simisola Kosoko, highly identified by her stage name Simi has recently unlocked her much anticipated studio project captioned "To Be Honest" album. TBH (To Be Honest) is the fourth studio album by the Nigerian singer, Simi, and a follow-up to her current EP, "Restless II" which was launched in 2020. The body of work TBH (To Be Honest) houses 11 stable tracks and has the likes of Fave, Deja, and naturally her husband, Adekunle Gold. Her achievement on this studio project stretched to her selection as Spotify EQUAL Africa music program ambassador for July. She become the second African artiste after Tiwa Savage, to be named an EQUAL global and EQUAL African artiste. The Spotify EQUAL program aims to foster gender equality and provide a platform to celebrate influential female artists. She joins a list of talented African women who are driving the culture and breaking through barriers in the music industry.

Artistry

Apart from being a singer and songwriter, Simi is also a

sound engineer An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproduction, ...

. She is credited with mixing and mastering

's debut studio album ''

Gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

'', which was released in July 2016. Her music style is basically hinged in the rhythm and blues,

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

and hip hop music genres.

Personal life

Simi married a singer named

in a private wedding ceremony on January 9, 2019. It was later revealed that they had been dating for five years. Simi became a mother for the first time on the 30th of May 2020 when she gave birth to her daughter Adejare.

Filmography

She made her acting debut in Kunle Afolayan's directorial ''

Mokalik ''Mokalik'' ( en, Mechanic) is a 2019 Nigerian bilingual comedy drama film produced and directed by veteran filmmaker Kunle Afolayan. The film stars newcomer Toni Afolayan in the male lead role along with Femi Adebayo. The film had its theatric ...

''.

Films

* ''

'' (2019)

Discography

Studio albums

*''Ogaju'' (2008) *Chemistry (with

) (2016) *''

'' (2017) *''

'' (2019) *To Be Honest (2022)

EPs

*Restless (2014) *Restless II (2020)

Selected singles

Awards and nominations

Academic writings about Simi

*Adebayo, Abidemi Olufemi. "Culture Shift and Simisola Ogunleye's (Simi's) Conception of the Millennial African Woman in Love Don't Care and Joromi." ''Ibadan Journal of English Studies'' 7 (2018): 173–184.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Simi Living people Yoruba-language singers Musicians from Lagos Covenant University alumni 21st-century Nigerian women singers Nigerian women singer-songwriters Yoruba women musicians English-language singers from Nigeria Contemporary R&B singers Nigerian rhythm and blues singers Alternative rock singers Soul musicians 1988 births Yoruba actresses 21st-century Nigerian actresses Actresses from Lagos Nigerian film actresses Nigerian women singers