Little Simz Drops 'Lotus' – A Fierce, Genre-Blurring Statement of Freedom
Lotus is rooted in redemption, offering healing to anyone who’s lived through similar experiences.
Little Simzreturns with her sixth studio album, Lotus, a stark, introspective body of work that captures a turbulent chapter in her life with unflinching precision.
The British-Nigerian artist, known for her poise and lyrical clarity, dives deep into the emotional wreckage left behind by betrayal, professional fallout, and personal rediscovery.
Following the cancelled U.S. tour in 2022 due to financial constraints, a split with her longtime manager, and the Mercury Prize win for Sometimes I Might Be Introvert, Simz seemed to be at a creative crossroads. Then came No Thank You, an album steeped in reflection and industry critique.
Now, Lotus steps further into the fire. The absence of her longtime producer Inflo, currently embroiled in a legal battle with Simz over an unpaid loan, is felt not just sonically, but spiritually. This is the first time she’s done it alone – and it shows in the rawness of the material.
Tracks like Thief are unforgiving. Twangy basslines frame some of Simz’s most aggressive lyricism yet: “That’s what abusers do / Make you think you’re crazy and second-guess your every move.”
The venom in her delivery signals a departure from restraint, as if she’s finally pulled off the mask. That raw defiance drips into Flood before giving way to the slightly more measured moods of Young and Free, where levity offers a brief reprieve.
Although the album stems from an urge for redemption and carries an aggressive undertone in her vocals, overall, it feels like gusts of fresh air are penetrating a cold, dusty room, and the first beams of sunshine are finally hitting the window.
This is by far her most mature and independent body of work, built on complex instrumentation and a poetic approach. It’s also hard to define the genre of this album—it’s hip-hop laced with layers of jazz, punk, and funk.
Lotus isn’t polished for mainstream appeal, nor does it chase grandeur. It’s tough, bruised, and brutally honest – a document of an artist working through her pain in real time.
If the last few years have been about accolades and acclaim, Lotus is about getting back to the core. This isn’t a reinvention. It’s a reckoning.
And in that reckoning, Little Simz reminds us that sometimes growth doesn’t look like blooming – it looks like surviving. And survival, in her hands, sounds extraordinary.