Little Simz

Simbiatu "Simbi" Abisola Abiola Ajikawo (born 23 February 1994), better known by her stage name Little Simz, is a British rapper and actress. She rose to prominence with the independent release of her first three albums: A Curious Tale of Trials + Persons (2015), Stillness in Wonderland (2016) and Grey Area (2019), the last of which was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize and won the awards for Best Album at both the Ivor Novello Awards and the NME Awards.

Her fourth album, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert (2021), received widespread critical acclaim, with several publications deeming it the best album of 2021. It won the 2022 Mercury Prize, and earned her the 2022 Brit Award for Best New Artist and the Libera Award for Best Hip-Hop/Rap Record. Her fifth album, No Thank You (2022), was released to critical acclaim. In 2024, she was featured on the single "We Pray" by Coldplay, alongside Burna Boy, Elyanna, and Tini. Her sixth studio album, Lotus, was released on 6 June 2025.

Outside of music, Ajikawo has starred in the Netflix revival drama series Top Boy. She also appeared as herself in the film Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021).

Ajikawo was born in Islington, London, to Nigerian parents. She was raised on a council estate with two older sisters. Her mother was also a foster carer during her childhood. She is ethnically Yoruba.

She studied at Highbury Fields School in London and also attended St Mary's Youth Club in Upper Street, Islington, with pop stars Leona Lewis and Alexandra Burke. Ajikawo has credited Mary's Youth Club for its influence on her career, describing it as "the place where it all began for me … a second home".

Ajikawo later studied at Westminster Kingsway College and The University of West London where she pursued her music career.

She describes her music as rap and experimental. Whilst she is closely affiliated with the grime genre, she has also pulled inspiration from other genres including reggae, blues, synth-rock and jazzy R&B.

Ajikawo grew up listening to rap artists Busta Rhymes, Nas and Biggie Smalls, which influenced her to pursue a rap career. Lauryn Hill has often been cited as one of her biggest influences. Ajikawo stated "I think The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was really my education. Lauryn Hill was one of the first artists that really made me feel the power of music." She also drew inspiration from jazz musicians Nina Simone, John Coltrane and Billie Holiday for her album Sometimes I Might Be Introvert. Other inspirations include her idol Kendrick Lamar, who called her "the illest doing it right now" in 2015.