Born Simbiatu Ajikawo in Islington, England, Little Simz had her first taste of fame in 2010 as an actor in the BBC children’s series “Spirit Warriors.” She then went on to star in shows such as E4’s “Youngers,” and joined the cast of Netflix’s “Top Boy” for the third series of the show’s revival. But despite her success on the screen, Simz always saw music as her true calling. Described as a “tough-rhyming rapper,” she released her first mixtape in 2010, and in 2014 her continuously impressive output was noticed by peers and DJs alike. In 2015, she was crowned Breakthrough Artist of the Year at DJ Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide Awards, and has since released a series of singles and studio albums to critical acclaim.
Little Simz's 2021 album “Sometimes I Might Be Introvert” included the more personal track “I Love You, I Hate You,” and we collaborated with the artist to produce a short film to symbiotically accompany the song. Directed by Sam Pilling, and with a script written by poet Caroline Adeyemi, the film sees Simz play a writer named Sage who is navigating a mental block while staying at her grandmother’s old home with her boyfriend Omar, played by actor C.J. Beckford. As well as releasing the film on WePresent, we spoke to the extraordinary artist about her filmmaking debut.
