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Little Simz says recording new album was a journey of healing

Riyah Collins
BBC Newsbeat
BBC Little Simz stands, arms folded, against a dark blue curtain. She wears a white baseball cap, red checked scarf and dark brown overcoat over a white t-shirt.BBC
Little Simz, real name Simbiatu Ajikawo, has been making music since she was a kid but considered dropping out of the industry

Award winning rapper Little Simz says she considered quitting music while working on her latest album following a split from her long-term producer.

"When self-doubt seeps in, when you really lose confidence in yourself, it's not a joke," she told 1Xtra's DJ Target.

"It'll have you questioning everything."

Lotus, which dropped earlier, is the rapper's first release since she stopped working with her former producer Dean Cover, better known as Inflo, who she first met at a youth club in London.

Earlier this year, she reportedly sued him for allegedly failing to pay her back after she lent him £1.7m. Inflo hasn't commented on the case.

Simz told the BBC her new album explores the isolation she felt but is, at its core, about growth and moving on.

"I've always been someone who wants to win with who I've come up with," the 31-year-old said.

"I love the idea of doing things as a team, you come with your people.

"Sometimes along the way, there's a parting, there's people going in different directions, and as I'm getting older I'm learning to be at peace with that and letting go and moving on.

"My music's always been a space for me to speak about those things in a way that feels authentic and that's honest.

"I think that's part of my healing."

Little Simz performing at the BBC's Maida Vale studios. She wears an oversized leather top hat, blue leather waist coat, green furry coat and dark sunglasses. She raps into a microphone while looking over her right shoulder against a white backdrop.
Simz says her new album helped her to find purpose again

Lotus is the Londoner's sixth studio album and while she doesn't mention Inflo by name, tracks like Thief and Lonely seem heavily influenced by the breakdown of their relationship.

In an interview with Billboard in April, Simz revealed she'd started four albums with the producer, all of which had to be scrapped.

And on Lonely, which she performed live in a special show at the BBC's Maida Vale studios on Wednesday, she opens up about how shelving them made her lose her confidence.

She raps about "sitting in the studio with my head in my hands thinking, 'what am I to do with this music I can't write":[]}