Simisola Bolatito Kosoko (

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

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 derived from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jo ...

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 or Tagged Image File Format, commonly known by the abbreviations TIFF or TIF, is an image file format for storing raster graphics images, popular among graphic artists, the publishing industry, and photographers. TIFF is w ...

", 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'' on September 8, 2017. Her third studio album '' Omo Charlie Champagne, Vol. 1'' 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 local government area located on the mainland in Lagos State, Nigeria. It has an area of . At the 2006 census, there were 503,975 inhabitants, with a population density of 21,864 inhabitants per square kilometer. The local governm ...

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

Vanguard The vanguard (sometimes abbreviated to van and 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. ...

'' 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 girl or young woman who generally expresses masculine traits. Such traits may include wearing androgynous or unfeminine clothing and engaging in activities and behaviors traditionally associated with boys or men. Origins The w ...

Education

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

Covenant University Covenant University (CU) is a private Christian university in Ota, Nigeria, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria. It is affiliated with Living Faith Church Worldwide and is a member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities, Association of African Un ...

, where she studied

mass communication Mass communication is the process of imparting and exchanging information through mass media to large population segments. It utilizes various forms of media as technology has made the dissemination of information more efficient. Primary examples 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, businesswoman, and actress. One of the List of music artists by net worth, wealthiest musicians in the world, List of awards and nominations received by Rihanna, her vario ...

's " Man Down" and

Adele Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (; born 5 May 1988) is an English singer-songwriter. Regarded as a British cultural icon, icon, she is known for her mezzo-soprano vocals and sentimental songwriting. List of awards and nominations received by Adele, ...

'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) are honors established in 2006 by ''Hip Hop World Magazine'' to recognize outstanding achievements in the Nigerian music industry. The annual ceremony features performances by established a ...

. 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 Wat ...

. In an interview with ''

Leadership Leadership, is defined as the ability of an individual, group, or organization to "", influence, or guide other individuals, teams, or organizations. "Leadership" is a contested term. Specialist literature debates various viewpoints on the co ...

'' 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 an African media and entertainment company, known for housing an online music and entertainment website ''NotJustOk'', a music streaming service Mino Music (previously known as MyNotjustOk), and a music distribution and publishing se ...

. 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. He began his career in secondary school after forming a group called The School Boys with a friend, before launching his p ...

. 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 were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

"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 20 December 1983) is a Nigerian music video director, filmmaker and cinematographer. He is the founder and CEO of Capital Dream Pictures, a production company that specializes in performing arts, film and video. H ...

. 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 plac ...

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

Chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...

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

'' 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 '' Omo Charlie Champagne, Vol. 1'' 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 '' Simisola'' (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. Balla ...

Afropop African popular music (also styled Afropop, Afro-pop, Afro pop or African pop) can be defined as any African music, regardless of genre, that uses Western pop musical instruments, such as the guitar, piano, trumpet, etc.Olabode, O. (2023, J ...

, 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. Notable musicians * Brymo, Nigerian singer * Miriam Makeba, a Grammy Award-winning South African singer and civil ...

, R&B, EDM 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 from

Patoranking Patrick Nnaemeka Okorie (born 27 May 1990), better known by his stage name Patoranking, is a Nigerian Afrobeats and reggae-dancehall singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Ebute Metta community of Lagos, he grew up sharing one room with his ...

Maleek Berry Okunola Abdul Maleek Anu-Oluwapo 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 Pr ...

, 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 currently signed to Def Jam Recordings. He gained widespread attention after releasing the 2015 hit ...

. 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. This move allowed her greater creative freedom and control over her work. Her subsequent releases, including the hit single " Duduke" in the year 2020 making her unborn baby, a symbol of love and hope, and the ''To Be Honest'' album, reflect a more personal and introspective approach to her music. Independence has significantly shaped her career, enabling her to experiment with new sounds while staying true to her Afro-pop roots. Also in 2019, Simi made her acting debut in '' Mokalik'', a film directed by renowned Nigerian filmmaker

Kunle Afolayan Kunle Afolayan (born 30 September 1975) is a Nigerians, Nigerian actor, producer, and director. He is credited for elevating the quality of Nollywood movies through larger budgets, shooting on 35mm, releasing in Movie theater, cinemas, and impro ...

. In the film, she plays the role of Simi, a young woman working at a mechanic workshop. This marked her official entrance into Nollywood, highlighting her versatility as both a singer and an actress.

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,

. Simi embarked on the ''"To Be Honest"'' (TBH) tour, which took her to various international venues, including stops in the USA and the UK. The tour was in support of her fourth studio album, and marked a significant moment in her career, showcasing her expanding global reach and connecting with her international fanbase. Her achievement on this studio project stretched to her selection as

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...

EQUAL Africa music program ambassador for July. She became the second African artiste after

Tiwa Savage Tiwatope Omolara Savage (born 5 February 1980), known professionally as Tiwa Savage (), is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and actress. Savage sings in English, Nigerian Pidgin and Yoruba; her music is a blend of afrobeats, R&B, afropop, p ...

, to be named an EQUAL global and EQUAL African artiste. The

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.

2024: Fifth studio album

In an interview with ''African Folder'', Simi revealed she is working on her fifth studio album. According to Simi, her favourite thing about the album is that she had the freedom to make music the way she enjoyed it. July 5th. 2024, Simi released her highly anticipated album, ''

Lost and Found A lost and found (American English) or lost property (British English), or lost articles (also Canadian English) is an office in a public building or area where people can go to retrieve Lost, mislaid, and abandoned property, lost articles th ...

''. The album features hit singles such as "Men Are Crazy" and "All I Want," receiving praise for its rich fusion of Afro-pop and contemporary R&B. ''

'' is a reflective body of work, exploring themes of self-discovery, love, and societal issues, further showcasing Simi's evolution as an artist and songwriter. The project continues to cement her reputation as one of Nigeria's leading voices in the Afro-pop genre.

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 sound recording, recording or a Concert, live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization (audio), equalization, Dynamic range ...

. She is credited with mixing and mastering

's debut studio album ''

Gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

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

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

and

hip hop music Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music Music genre, genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African Americans, African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide r ...

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

's directorial '' Mokalik''.

Films

* '' Mokalik'' (2019)

Discography

Studio albums

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

) (2016) *'' Simisola'' (2017) *'' Omo Charlie Champagne, Vol. 1'' (2019) *''To Be Honest'' (2022) * ''Lost and Found'' (2024)

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 of Nigeria Singers from Lagos Covenant University alumni 21st-century Nigerian women singers Nigerian women singer-songwriters 21st-century Nigerian singer-songwriters Yoruba women musicians English-language singers from Nigeria Nigerian contemporary R&B singers Alternative rock singers Soul musicians 1988 births Yoruba actresses 21st-century Nigerian actresses Actresses from Lagos Nigerian film actresses Nigerian women singers