Simisola Bolatito Ogunleye (born April 19, 1988), professionally known and referred to as Simi, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. Simi started her career as a gospel singer, releasing her debut studio album in 2006 titled Ogaju. Her career came into spotlight in 2014 after she released "Tiff", a song which was nominated in two categories at The Headies 2015. Simi is currently signed to X3M Music.
Growing up and education
Simi was born in Ojuelegba, a suburb of Surulere, as the last of 4 children. In an interview she granted to Juliet Ebirim of Vanguard Newspaper, Simi revealed that she grew up as a tomboy before the separation of her parents when she was 9.She is an alumnus of Covenant University where she studied Mass Communication.Career
2006–13: Early beginnings and Ogaju
Simi grew up dancing and singing as a member of her local church's choir until she wrote her first song at the age of 10.[8] Her professional musical career started in 2006 following the release of her debut album titled Ogaju which contained songs like "Iya Temi" and "Ara Ile" with the entire musical production from Samklef.2014–present: Restless EP
In January 2014, Simi released an EP titled Restless which gained her new grounds and further earned her a record deal with X3M Music.The EP contains a 5-track cover of popular songs by international acts like Rihanna's "Man Down" and Adele's "Set Fire to the Rain".On January 9, 2014, Simi released two singles titled "Tiff" and "E No Go Funny", with the former receiving massive airplay and accepted generally among music critics. The video for "Tiff" was released on August 30, 2015 and directed by Josh Clarke. The song went on to be nominated in the "Best Alternative Song" category at the 2015 edition of The Headies.
In 2015, Simi won the "Most Promising Act to Watch" category at the 2015 Nigeria Entertainment Awards. In an interview with Leadership Newspaper, Simi said she is working on her sophomore album scheduled to be released in 2016.Upon the release of a single titled "Jamb Question" which later featured Falz in the remix, Simi was listed as one of the artistes to watch out for in 2016 by NotJustOk.
Discography
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NGA | GHA | RSA | US | US R&B | AUS | UK | |||||||
| "Ara Ile" | 2008 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Ogaju | ||||
| "Emi L'Onijo" | 2012 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | ||||
| "Take a Chance" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| "Chocolate Brown" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| "Don't Judge Me (cover)" | 2013 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| "Bibanke (cover)" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| "Marvin's Room" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| "Tiff" | 2014 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| "E No Go Funny" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| "Jamb Question" | 2015 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| "Jamb Question (Remix)" (featuring Falz) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| "Open and Close" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| "Love Don't Care" | 2016 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||
Artistry
Apart from singing and songwriting, Simi is also a sound engineer. She was credited to have mixed and mastered Adekunle Gold's Gold album which was released in July 2016. Her music style is basically hinged in the rhythm and blues, soul and hip-hop genre of music.Awards and nominations
This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
| |||||
| Totals | |||||
| Awards won | 3 | ||||
| Nominations | 8 | ||||
| Year | Award ceremony | Prize | Recipient/Nominated Work | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 2015 Nigeria Entertainment Awards | Most Promising Act to Watch | Herself | Won | |
| 2015 City People Entertainment Awards | Most Promising Act of The Year | Won | |||
| 2015 Nigerian Music Video Awards | Best RnB Video | "Tiff" | Nominated | ||
| Music Video of The Year | Nominated | ||||
| Best Soft Rock/Alternative Video | "Jamb Question" | Nominated | |||
| 2016 | The Headies 2015 | Best Alternative Song | "Tiff" | Nominated | |
| Best Vocal Performance (Female) | Herself | Nominated | |||
| 2016 City People Entertainment Awards | Female Artiste of the Year | Won |
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