A Glimpse at Little Simz’s Football History, and What We Can Expect From ‘Lotus’ | OneFootball

As we prepare for Little Simz’s new album, Lotus, we take a look at the artist’s football fandom and the run up to the highly anticipated project.

One of the most inspiring and thought-provoking artists today is Little Simz. The British MC has built a name for herself through her sharp lyricism, relatable vulnerability, genre-bending beats, and an effortlessly cool sense of style.

Like many other British musicians, she’s also a major footy fan as well. Born and raised in Islington, North London — just south of Emirates Stadium — Little Simz frequently shows her fandom for Arsenal.

Whether posts on her social media or showing up to matches in person, Simz isn’t shy about her love for the beautiful game. She’s also rocked Arsenal kits and gear during live shows, including at her performance for Future Sounds of Hip Hop during the Red Bull Music Academy Tour performance way back in 2015.

She carries the same passion that the Gooners have on gameday into her art.

Her highly-anticipated sixth album, Lotus, is due out June 6. The two singles she’s released already are incredible and show her range. The first one, “Flood,” features Nigerian singer Obongjayar, who also assisted her with the critically-acclaimed “Point and Kill” from 2021. It is looming and continues Simz’ conversation about standing firm in purpose against the haters. Then, “Free” is a reflection of love versus fear and the soothing strings truly hit the soul.

There is rich symbolism in the title of the project and, from the black and white cover art and visuals, it seems that there is a clear concept. The lotus flower represents purity, especially since it is known to bloom in muddy conditions, but stands out in the landscape because of its untainted beauty.

“The last 12 months has been my year of the Lotus,” Little Simz posted on Instagram announcing the album. “Learned how to thrive in muddy waters. The time of bloom is now.”

Simz is a fairly private person and we aren’t sure exactly what mud she’s had to bloom through, but she’s alluded to the mental health battles, the weight of family burdens, systemic racism, and sexism in past work. She’s also an independent artist and gives fans a glimpse into those difficulties, including having to cancel her initial United States tour in 2022.

Lotus is the follow-up to 2022’s No Thank You, which she capped off by finally being able to tour the U.S. as her star power continued to grow. She’s since been in a fashion campaign for Miu Miu, appeared on Coldplay’s “We Pray” with Burna Boy, and announced her first arena shows.

Lotus was originally scheduled for a May 9 release date, but Little Simz told fans she had to push it back because of a role she has in an upcoming film. She offered a heartfelt apology to her faithful following, but they expressed excitement that she is continuing to tap into all aspects of her artistry.

It’s not her first dive into the acting pond, as many discovered her in her role of Shelley in the Netflix series Top Boy. Her character, the caretaker for Dushane’s mother, starts out innocently enough, but grows more dynamic as the storyline moves on. She eventually becomes a love interest for Dushane, one of the series’ leads, and her character serves as a contrast to his dark past and worldly ambition. It seems she influences him to desire a better life than the streets, but she understands his world better than he could have expected.

This duality is evident in Little Simz’ music, too. She doesn’t rap about selling drugs (or “food” in UK slang) or call for gang violence, but Simbi exemplifies the balance of light and dark that we all battle with. One of her most famous songs, “Venom,” is anchored by a chilling violin while she spits about dissing the haters and silencing the negative voices in her own head.

She’s had rock influences and clear braggadocio throughout her career, including the drum-heavy “Offence,” which served as the intro for her GREY Area album where she declared “I’m Jay-Z on a bad day, Shakespeare on my worst days.” Her last project, Drop 7, was literally seven experimental electronic-infused songs. One of the tracks, “Mood Swings,” was featured in a Bose ad with tennis star Coco Gauff.

Little Simz has also woven sounds from around the world into her music, from the East Asian-tinged “101 FM” to the African drum-infused “X” off No Thank You. The Lotus single “Flood” also has a strong tribal sound. Another key element to her music is heavy Gospel influences. “X” has a choir balancing out the heavy thumps of the drums. She frequently refers to a higher power in her music, saying things will happen according to God’s plan.

What Lotus probably won’t have is a feature from Cleo Sol. The singer, who hails from Ladbroke Grove, the same West London neighborhood as rapper AJ Tracey, has captured audiences with her ethereal sound and mysterious persona.

Little Simz has had Cleo Sol on her last three albums — “Selfish” on GREY Area,  “Woman” on Sometimes I Might Be Introvert, and “Angel,” the moving opening track on No Thank You. “Woman” turned out to be an anthem that celebrated everything it means to be a woman, a modern day “U.N.I.T.Y.” if you will.

Little Simz directed the video that featured women from various industries, including media personality Zeze Millz and singer Joy Crookes. It was one of the elements that helped Sometimes I Might Be Introvert win the 2022 Mercury Prize for Album of the Year.

In March, the news broke that Little Simz was suing Cleo Sol’s husband, who is also one of her main producers, Inflo. She said that Inflo, aka Dean Cover, has not repaid her $2.2 million (£1.7 million) that she loaned him and that, as a result, she was unable to pay her taxes in 2024. Fans hurt for Simz’ financial situation and for the fact that this dreamy partnership with Cleo Sol is likely no more.

But we are hopeful there will be plenty of other exciting features on Lotus. She already has Obongjayar and South African artist Moonchild Sanelly on the single “Flood.” She hinted that the album is the result of a lot of teamwork and the sky’s the limit.

“Thank you to all the collaborators who added their magic to this project,” she said in her Instagram announcement. “Truly in awe by you all and grateful for your light.”

Even if there’s not an extensive list of features, we are confident Simz’ pen will be sharp and her ear will be immaculate. No Thank You didn’t have any listed guest appearances. It maybe wasn’t as mega as J. Cole going platinum with no features, but the project continued Little Simz’ reign as one of the leading artists in the British music scene — rap or otherwise.