
Little Simz, Lotus: an existential crisis never sounded so gripping
There is nothing fragrant nor floral about Lotus, the sixth album from Britain's most gifted rapper, Little Simz. Veering wildly between defiance and introspection, the overriding mood is dark, and the tone is tough, with something bruised and battered at its core.
It opens with the hypnotically fierce blast of Thief, a propulsive post-punk take on a jazzy sixties spy theme, with Simz delivering a vicious character assassination in a machine-gun blast of snarling rhymes. It's a sensational, shiver-inducing intro, but its anger is fuelled by a sense of personal hurt that lingers throughout the album, and even Lotus's most joyously upbeat tracks (Flood, Young, Free and Lion) can't quite shake it.
A profound sense of existential crisis underpins Lotus, expressed most unequivocally amidst the jazzy piano spaces of Lonely, in which Simz confesses 'I don't even know who I'm meant to be anymore.' Distinctive British soul singer Sampha serenades her despondency in sweet, sad tones. His voice is also prominent on sombre end track, Blue, which finds Simz questioning how people cope with life's sense of perennial injustice, noting 'the truth is God still loves your enemies' amidst a cascade of rhymes including cemetery, identity and 'white supremacy.' It is simultaneously impressive and depressing.
At 31, Simbiatu Ajikawo should be on top of the world, yet we find her making the time-worn confession 'it's lonely at the top.' Lauded by critics and peers, she has imperious lyrical skills and an adventurous musical imagination. She has won Mercury and Brit Awards and shown herself to be a fine actor in Netflix UK crime drama Top Boy. This month, Simz will be the 30th curator of the Southbank Centre's prestigious Meltdown Festival.
It is odd then to note that she has never actually had a hit single, and only one of her albums has been top 5 in the UK (2021's masterful Sometimes I Might Be Introvert). She cancelled a US tour in 2022, sacked her long-serving manager (inspiring that year's darkly intense album No Thank You) and is currently suing her former producer, Dean 'Inflo' Cover, seeking £1.7 million in damages for unpaid loans (Cover's legal team have acknowledged the debt). It is honestly not hard to work out who is the intended subject of the most vitriolic put downs on Lotus, or why Simz might be experiencing a sense of crisis.
Jazz producer Miles Clinton James has taken over the role of chief collaborator, dialling up a jazziness that has long underpinned Simz' oeuvre, a development unlikely to correct her status as a no-hit wonder. Still, it sounds fantastic and an array of super talented voices (including Obongjayar, Michael Kiwanuka, Lydia Kitto, Miraa May and Moonchild Sanelly) all add distinctive flavours. Simz herself brings a greater range of tonal and emotional depths to her formerly sometimes robotic flow, which is a welcome development.
Lotus is an absorbing and powerfully honest album. But whilst the title flower symbolises rebirth and enlightenment in many cultures, here it seems more suggestive of something beautiful blooming in a very dark place indeed.
Best New Songs
By Poppie Platt
Addison Rae, New York
The TikTok influencer-turned-pop's hottest and most hyped new star finally releases her self-titled debut album today. Joining the deliciously addictive, Noughties-influenced likes of singles Diet Pepsi and Fame is a Gun comes this hazy club banger about the Louisiana girl's new life in the Big Apple.
ADMT, Come Along
Having got his start on YouTube, the Yorkshire singer sets himself firmly on the path to being Gen Z's answer to Ed Sheeran – think personal lyrics, spat out delivery and catchy acoustic hooks – on this track about loved ones who drifted away.
Madonna, Skin (The Collaboration Remix Edit)
The superstar's long-rumoured, equally long-awaited Ray of Light remix album Veronica Electronica is officially on its way (set your Spotify reminders for July 25 now). Get in the mood with this stomping electro remix of her 1998 classic.
Sabrina Carpenter, Manchild
Ahead of her headline slot at Primavera Sound in Barcelona tonight, the reigning queen of bubblegum pop returns with an infectious new single taking down a 'Manchild' ex who won't leave her alone or get a grip ('I like my men all incompetent'). Thinly veiled dig at ex Barry Keoghan, surely?
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Addison Rae reveals shock name change after six years of fame
Addison Rae was a guest on Quen Blackwell's YouTube series Feeding Starving Celebrities on Sunday. While on the show, the 24-year-old burgeoning pop star — who catapulted to fame in 2019 as Addison Rae — discussed her unexpected name change. Six years into the spotlight, the TikTok sensation, born Addison Rae Easterling, is dropping the second half of her famous moniker. It comes days after she dropped her mononymous debut album, Addison, on June 6. She explained to Blackwell that she mulled over the LP title 'for a really long time,' explaining, 'When you do hear all of the music straight-through, there's not really a title that encompasses all of it.' Addison continued, 'Everybody that I played it to as well, they were just like, "Oh, it just sounds just like you. It just sounds like music you would make." 'I [didn't] really know what else to call it and so I was like, "Maybe, then, the album is just my name."' Quen offered: 'I like the fact that you are changing your stage name and taking off the Rae. Is that something you've talked about?' The Louisiana-bred music artist noted she hasn't spoken at length about her name switch, adding, 'But I said it in an interview, I was just like, "Oh, I think I've grown past just being called Addison Rae." And then the album being named Addison kind of was a tie-in for that.' She elaborated, 'Whoever knows me as Addison Rae and knew me as Addison Rae will always know me as that anyways.' And she admitted, 'I just am tired of also signing Addison Rae. It's really long.' 'I just would rather sign Addison,' she confessed with a laugh. 'And then I was like, "Yeah, it just makes more sense because it's going back to the roots, really."' The songstress then pointed out, 'But I know you're going to put Addison Rae on the title [of the YouTube video],' prompting Blackwell to mischievously side-eye the camera. @zanelowe The reason behind the name change @Addison #addison #addisonrae #identity #namechange #popmusic #zaneloweshow #applemusic ♬ original sound - Zane Lowe The star also chatted about dropping the latter half of her stage name during an interview with Zane Lowe. 'If you got introduced to me as Addison Rae, as most people did, I think you will always know me as that. 'But I think for me and what making music is doing, for just my own soul and heart, is bringing me back to the core of everything. 'Addison Rae, yes, is a part of me and that will always be a part of who I am. There are element of me that are obviously Addison Rae and encapsulate what people have created as who Addison Rae is,' the blonde beauty stated. She reiterated, 'But I think for me it was all about coming back to the center of it all, which is just Addison.'


Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
PROF ROBERT TOMBS: British tolerance is being stretched to its limits. Mass immigration is destabilising our country
Last weekend, my cousin's lovely daughter, not long out of medical school, married her sweetheart – a handsome young doctor from an Indian family. The Hindu wedding ceremony was spectacular, colourful and huge fun for everyone. Watching as young English and Indian people danced together, I reflected that the day was a perfect example of multicultural integration as we all wish it to be.


The Sun
3 hours ago
- The Sun
Streaming fans can pick up 4 months of Disney+ for £1.99p/m
Disney+ has just unveiled a shock deal for new subscribers to its streaming platform. For a limited time this June, you can get four months of Disney+ for just £1.99 per month, down from £4.99. 1 This fantastic offer began today (11th June) and will run until 30th June, giving you just a few weeks to take advantage of the deal. At its usual price of £4.99 per month, this promotion saves you a total of £12 over the four months. That's a massive 60% discount – a price drop you don't often see from the House of Mouse's streaming platform. Deals like this are rare for Disney+. The last time it ran a similar deal was back in September, and that was only for 3 months of streaming. However, this promotion comes directly from Disney itself, making it a brilliant chance to save money on one of the most popular streaming services around. It's worth noting that this deal applies to the Disney+ Standard with Ads subscription, which is the service's entry-level plan. With this plan, you can stream in Full HD on two devices at the same time, and content is broken up by adverts. Yep, it's the no-frills version of Disney+ - but it's still an absolute bargain at that reduced monthly cost. For just £1.99 a month, you'll get access to the entire Disney+ catalogue. Parents, I imagine, will particularly appreciate this deal, with the school summer holidays fast approaching. Naturally, the entire catalogue of Disney's classic animated films is available to stream. The latest addition to the platform is the live-action remake of Snow White – perfect if you missed it in cinemas (and are ready to face those CGI dwarves). For Star Wars fans, the critically acclaimed Andor Series 2 is now available to stream in full. Marvel lovers also have plenty to get excited about, with the latest series, Ironheart, set to premiere on 25th June. But for my money, the biggest show on the horizon is Series 4 of The Bear. This intense, heart-stirring and ever-so-slightly-stressful cooking drama is one of the best shows on TV, and the new season drops on 26th June. I've been working up an appetite for this since that Season 3 finale last year. Honestly, it's worth the £1.99-per-month sign-up all by itself, in my opinion. Kitchen dramas, superheroes, guilty-pleasure Mormon wife reality TV - it's all there on Disney+. Curious? The Sun's Tech Editor has found other ways to get free Disney+ membership, one way saving you £60.