From belting memorable household hits to touring world stages as a full-time nursing mom, Simi’s discography has bloomed as a fine child of adventure and promise.
“People tend to remember my voice more than my melodies.”
When Simi stole the spotlight with her first viral hit, Tiff, a decade ago, her unique vocals set her apart. Her originality shines through her catalogue, from 2014’s Restless to her just-released album Lost and Found. Her strong aura has helped her shine across the RnB and Pop scenes in Afrobeats. Even when she worked with Falz in their 2017 joint album, Chemistry, her brilliance was evident through her storytelling and sonority.
Everything has been bright-eyed for the Duduke crooner since she caught the public gaze. Until motherhood. “I had to take time to adjust to my new reality,” she tells Guardian Music. If she could teach herself to make beats, record music, and even audio-engineer them, then re-discovering her childlike passion and creative hunger were worthy priorities for the mother-of-one. The result of this creative thirst is Simi’s latest album, Lost and Found.
Across all 14 tracks, the 36-year-old singer blends influences from her slow-burn RnB templates and owambe-leaning pop. She colours the record with timeless duets featuring Lojay, Bella Shmurda, Falz, Asa, Tiwa Savage, and the legendary Chief Ebenezer Obey—whom she tributes in the closing track. The record reverberates with her emotions in full swing, with each track carefully cued for catharsis. The evergreen family-friendly playlist showcases her introspective lyricism and giddy groove at its core.
In this week’s Guardian Music feature, the Studio Brat founder and award-winning maverick ushers us into her world of serendipity that she’s once lost and now found. From navigating life as a perfectionist to touring world stages as a nursing mom, she shares her experiences as a superstar mom and wife, her creative process, working with Ebenezer Obey, recording music as therapy, and why she’s mostly happy with the surge of women in Afrobeats.
How long have you been working on this album?
I’m very excited. I’ve been looking at this album for a long time. I think definitely, maybe two years. The songs have changed over time, but I’ve been working on this for so long that I’ve gone from being jittery about it to just, you know, being ready for it to be out there.
What’s the idea behind the title, Lost and Found?
I had a phase in my life, especially after I gave birth to my daughter, where music became just about work for me. It was trying to get my job done, [but] I was juggling more things. The Afrobeat space and the industry had an explosion at that time as well. I have always been very heavy on being authentic, but at the end of the day, regardless of how authentic you are, you still have to adapt to your environment. So, I was trying to discover how to find my place in that situation. I think I lost some of my childlike passion for music where it was just about me telling stories and finding melodies, and I started to connect to that again while working on this album. So, that’s what that is about; the album is heavy on melody and all the things that I was.
When did you decide to experiment with your approach—to rediscover this self?
I experiment a lot, but the thing about my voice is that it does not really blend into things; it sticks out. When you hear my song, you remember my voice more than you remember the beat you heard it on. Though I experiment a lot in small doses, three years ago, I started to do it more often [and] more heavily in my projects, like Restless.
Tell us about your journey nurturing this voice.
I don’t know if I had any specific steps per se. I remember when I was a teenager and I wanted to learn a certain singing pattern, I would listen to songs by people I loved, [see] the way they did theirs, and I would do it over and over again. Or if I wanted to find my niche in my own sound, I would experiment on the songwriting or how I wanted my songs to sound. So, for me, if I really want to learn how to do something, I just practice. I will learn how to do it and do it [repeatedly] because I feel like the more you do something, the more you know how.
READ ALSO: Simi’s lost and found gets release date
What was it like working with a veteran like Ebenezer Obey?
First of all, I will say that I have more features on this project than on any project I’ve ever made. The legendary Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey is one of my favourite musicians of all time. I love his voice. I love the way he sings. His voice is a big deal to me. I’ve covered one of his songs before, Aimasiko, and I wanted to do another song with him but I didn’t want it to be just a cover. And he’s always been so kind to me; he treats me like his grandchild, and that has been really special for me as well. So, I went over to his house and I was like, “Oh, Grandpa, I want to do a song, and I want you to sing on [it].” He didn’t give me any stress. Being able to get that feature while we’re both still living on this earth—being able to celebrate your idol—is amazing. And that is why that song was made. So that’s a tribute to him, bringing his generation and mine together. With all the other features, it’s either I wanted to do a song with them before, and I made a song for that purpose, or I had a song and I felt that this person would be perfect for the song.
What’s your creative process like?
I’m kind of a perfectionist and a control freak. When I say I’m a control freak, it is not about everybody; it is just about things that have to do with me. I learned how to mix and master because I knew exactly what I wanted to hear, and I’m kind of hoping that I will keep going back. But I don’t want someone to say I’m annoying because I’m coming back repeatedly. I make every song differently. Some songs start as an idea for a melody. I remember when I watched Stranger. I was driving with my daughter [after visiting] a friend, and then I just had this beautiful melody in my head. And the melody came with words, which doesn’t always happen. Sometimes, you just have words. Sometimes, you just have melodies. And then you put them together, but this kind of came together. So, I recorded it as a voice note on my phone. And that same day when I got home—I remember it was at night—I just attempted to play a progression on the piano and I wrote the whole song. There are some other songs where I’m sitting down from morning till night, maybe with a beat, and the idea doesn’t come until a week later. So, every song is different. I don’t like to force creativity, but sometimes it’s required, especially if you have a deadline.
How’s your experience with stagecraft now?
I used to hate performing. I was a typical recording artist. I hated performing, but that was mostly because I had intense stage fright. I would go on stage and be singing off-key or shaking. And I just wanted it to be over so I could get offstage. Over time, because I have such an intense love for music, I refused to give up. I was like, this is important to me. So, I’m going to keep trying until I’m good at it. Now, I love performing, especially with my band. I don’t really like performing [without] my band because I’m not really a DJ artist. I like [performing] almost as much as recording, but it depends on where I’m performing.
How has motherhood and family life shaped your music?
I think the thing that has changed the most is my time management. Before I got married, before I got pregnant, I used to be in the studio for like 16 hours a day. I was a real studio rat, but I don’t have that luxury anymore. So, things that would have taken me a day to do, I do it in two hours now because I don’t have a choice. I guess it has its pros and cons. After I had Deja, I was not releasing music as much because I had to take the time to adjust to my new reality; I’m a very hands-on mom. Music can take you away from being present, especially because it requires travelling. Now, that is not the case. I travel everywhere I have to go with her, and that usually changes whatever my work experience is going to be. But it’s been my life for a while now, and I don’t even remember what it was before that.
How do you feel about the influx of women in Afrobeats right now?
The space has definitely been more friendly towards women recently. And that is so incredible. I think part of that is owed to the fact that Afrobeats has become more global. So, the standards have been adjusted. Right now, one of the biggest artists in Nigeria—if not the biggest—is a woman, and I’d say it anywhere. So, I think there’s always stuff to be done. There’s always room for change or growth. And I like that women are also fighting to be included in these spaces. No one is sitting down. I have spoken to a lot of executives who will say they don’t like working with women because their wahala is too much. I guess the problems that have been there haven’t changed per se, but there’s definitely progress. Shout out to the people who have made that possible.
So what are your favourite pastimes?
I am a major homebody. If you see me outside, it’s probably because I’m working. I don’t go anywhere much. My favourite pastime is reading a novel, or I watch my favourite show, Friends. If I’m not watching something, I’m reading a book, recording, or mixing my stuff. My favourite thing to do is to hang out with my daughter. She’s fun. She’s my bestie.
What’s your vision in the long term?
I want people to experience the things I put out and have no doubt that they are experiencing my core. I don’t want you to listen to me and be confused about what you’re hearing. I want them to know for a fact. You know how you listen to a Michael Jackson song and it’s so immersive because you know exactly what’s going on? Yes! I want people to listen to me and the experience would be immersive; they come to me because they can’t get that anywhere else. I think there’s room for everybody to thrive, and there’s somebody for everybody. I’m not talking about relationships. I mean, as an artist, I want my people to find me, and I want to find my people.
By: Chinonso Ihekire
