Little Simz split with her longtime producer. Now, she's unstoppable
The award-winning British rapper talks to Q’s Tom Power about her new album, Lotus
Three years ago, Little Simz won the prestigious Mercury Prize for her fourth album, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert. Just a few months before releasing the record, she confidently tweeted: "No more slept on talk, no more underrated talk, pls & thank you."
Today, the British rapper from North London is one of the U.K.'s most critically acclaimed musical exports, and she's just released a new album, Lotus. But while working on the record, she almost quit music for good.
In late 2024, Little Simz fell out with her longtime producer (and childhood friend), Inflo. At the beginning of this year, she sued him for allegedly failing to repay a 1.7 million pound (roughly $3.1 million Cdn) loan. The highly publicized split left her burnt out and struggling with self-doubt.
Questioning whether music was still her calling, Little Simz had to find a new collaborator to work with her on Lotus. On the album's opening track, Thief, she pointedly confronts an unnamed person who's betrayed, manipulated and exploited her.
"It's honest and it's my truth," she says about the song in an interview with Q's Tom Power. "It comes from a place of anger [and] frustration…. There's just a lot of real and raw emotion. And instead of shying away from it, I'm actually going to lean into it."
Now, at the height of her career, Little Simz is ready to move forward.
"[I was] processing a lot, coming to terms with a lot, grieving … at a time where, actually, my career was thriving," she says. "I'll always love everything we've done. Do you know what I mean? I think our legacy is you cannot take that away from us. And we made, I think, some of the most amazing music of that time. I'm really, really proud of what we've done, but just going forward now, it's no longer."
With the release of Lotus, the rapper says she feels "unstoppable" and like she's a brand new artist.
"I definitely feel like I've regained a lot of my confidence," she says. "I've got my smile back. I just feel like a bit lighter in having known that I've gone through that and I've put it out and it's OK…. I'm very, very proud of myself for being able to turn that pain into light."
The full interview with Little Simz is available on our podcast, Q with Tom Power. Listen and follow wherever you get your podcasts.
Interview with Little Simz produced by Mitch Pollock.