Why Little Simz Doesn't Wanna Be Boxed In As A Grime MC

Little Simz (aka Simbi Ajikawo) is lauded as grime's most riveting star, but she's forging an identity outside the scene. In mid-December, the Islington, London MC/musician stealth-released Stillness In Wonderland — a psychedelic "sequel" to 2015's A Curious Tale Of Trials + Persons. It was accompanied by a short film and even a comic book. Now, following last summer's hit inaugural tour, she's returning to Australia. Aptly, Ajikawo is one of the headliners at Melbourne's curated Sugar Mountain. Will she perform new songs? "You'll have to catch me at a show," Ajikawo laughs. "I don't like to hype it up." But, yes, this unassuming "doer" relents: audiences will hear fresh and fabled material. Expect "an all-'round Little Simz experience".

Ajikawo, 22, has long been prolific. She dropped multiple mixtapes and EPs prior to her debut. Nonetheless, Ajikawo's second album proved "a challenge". "But I think I'm a person that thrives under pressure," she says. "Pressure makes diamonds, doesn't it?"

"I'm a person that thrives under pressure. Pressure makes diamonds, doesn't it?"

Ajikawo was MCing as a pre-teen. In fact, she was a performing arts prodigy. Ajikawo scored an acting role in Spirit Warriors — a BBC kid's fantasy series. Yet, in uni, she focused on music. After 2013's Blank Canvas mixtape was championed by Jay Z's Life + Times blog, major labels came calling. However, with her unique vision (and her own imprint, AGE 101 Music), Ajikawo was determined to stay independent. She presented the gothic A Curious Tale Of Trials + Persons as "a concept album", exploring modern celebrity over experimental beats. Ajikawo narrated the viral Dead Body as a homeless man. In the intro, Persons, she made a declaration that was political, personal and pharaonic, rapping, "Women can be kings". All hail, King Simz.

Like her fan Kendrick Lamar, Ajikawo's work has a literary dimension (English was her "favourite subject" in school). Stillness In Wonderland figuratively references Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures In Wonderland (via classic Disney!) as Ajikawo reflects on being a young, female and Black British game-changer — and about keeping it 'real' versus 'surreal'. Poison Ivy, the guitar-laden first single, is about a corrupt relationship. But Ajikawo's lyricism remains instinctive. "It all depends on my mood," she says of her lyric writing. "I like to write when I'm feeling a certain way just because it's pure — it's not premeditated." Still, touring A Curious Tale..., Ajikawo realised how "moody" and "intense" her songs were. "For this album,SPA I definitely wanted to go with my feelings, but also just [wanted to] open it up a little and make it a little easier to digest."

Ajikawo has opened up in other ways. Stillness In Wonderland has 'features' — among them Ajikawo's friend, the Jamaican reggae artist Chronixx, The Internet's Syd, and grime MCs Chip and Ghetts.

Heritage artists such as David Bowie and Prince were praised for their fluidity. And Ajikawo questions those who'd "box" her in as a grime MC. "It's not to say that I'm not into grime or anything like that," she clarifies. "I just wanna be able to break the mould a bit and show people that there's many different sides to me."