Lotus (Little Simz album)

2025 studio album by Little Simz

Lotus

Studio album by

Little Simz

Released| 6 June 2025 (2025-06-06)
Genre|

* Hip-hop

Length| 49:55
Label|

* AWAL

Producer| Miles Clinton James
Little Simz chronology
| Drop 7
(2024)  | Lotus
(2025)  |

|
|

Singles from  Lotus

1. "Flood"
Released: 26 February 2025
2. "Free"
Released: 27 March 2025
3. "Young"
Released: 14 May 2025

Lotus is the sixth studio album by English rapper Little Simz. It was released on 6 June 2025 through AWAL and features guest appearances from Obongjayar, Moonchild Sanelly, Lydia Kitto, Moses Sumney, Miraa May, Yukimi Nagano, Wretch 32, Cashh, Michael Kiwanuka, Yussef Dayes, and Sampha. Lotus is a hip-hop album containing elements of jazz, punk and funk.

## Background

[edit]

Following the release of her fifth studio album No Thank You in late 2022, the rapper remained prolific by releasing her first EP Drop 7 (2024), the stand-alone single "Hello, Hi" in December 2024 and collaborating with several artists, including Coldplay, Sampha and Wretch 32.[1] On 26 February 2025, she announced her upcoming sixth studio album.[2]

Lotus marks the rapper’s departure from longtime collaborator Inflo who produced and co-wrote her last three albums, as well as his wife, singer Cleo Sol who did vocals on these albums. While Little Simz and Inflo had already started the process of recording a new album, they got into a financial conflict, in which she sued him for a total of £1.7 million of loans he allegedly owed her.[3] She scrapped the new albums she had been working on with Inflo and started collaborating with Miles Clinton James (known for producing Kokoroko) on Lotus.[4] Although Inflo is never explicitly mentioned on the album, his conflict with the rapper appears to have had a great influence on the album’s lyrics and atmosphere. As Guardian journalist Lanre Bakare puts it: “Lotus feels like a breakup record of a sort, not romantic but still deeply personal, as the Simz/Inflo partnership is pulled apart and dissected.”[5]

The album is set to reflect the rapper’s "evolving artistry" and showcase "life's intricate phases".[6] The lotus as a metaphor symbolises "transformation" which serves as a recurring theme throughout the album as well as its "overarching narrative".[7] In an interview with Jack Saunders of BBC Radio 1, the rapper explained her fascination with lotuses as they are one of the only plants to bloom in muddy waters. She realised that this could be a metaphor for "anything" to become something "extraordinary" no matter the conditions. Talking about the music specifically, she once again wrote from an "introspective place" and experimented with "new sounds, pushing [her] pen, nice collaborations".[8]

On 1 April 2025, she announced the album's release, originally scheduled to for 9 May 2025, would be postponed. She explained she had to delay it due to a conflict with a film shooting.[9]

## Singles

[edit]

The lead single "Flood" with long-time collaborators Obongjayar and Moonchild Sanelly was released 26 February 2025.[10] "Flood" arrived alongside a black-and-white music video directed by Salomon Lighhelm.[11]

The second single, "Free", was released on 27 March 2025.[12] The third single, "Young", was released on 14 May.[13]

## Critical reception

[edit]

Professional ratingsAggregate scores

Source| Rating
AnyDecentMusic?| 8.6/10[14]
Metacritic| 87/100[15]
Review scores
Source| Rating
AllMusic| [16]
Clash| 9/10[17]
DIY| [18]
The Independent| [19]
The Line of Best Fit| 9/10[20]
MusicOMH| [21]
NME| [22]
Pitchfork| 7.4/10[23]
Rolling Stone| [24]
The Skinny| [25]

Lotus received widespread acclaim from music critics upon release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 87, based on 14 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[15] The review aggregator site AnyDecentMusic? compiled 15 reviews and gave the album an average of 8.6 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[14]

Kyann-Sian Williams of NME wrote, "Lotus isn't always an easy listen, and sometimes the truths in its bars feel more like diary entries than rap lyrics, but maybe that's its purpose. Across 13 tracks, Simz sifts through grief, pressure, burnout and spiritual reckoning with a vulnerability that is admirable, making it among her most important works emotionally rather than sonically. Here, Simz is stripped to the root, healing in real time. Raw, flawed and deeply human – this is what blooming really sounds like."[22] The Telegraph's Neil McCormick gave the album four stars rating out of five and wrote, "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."[26]

## Track listing

[edit]

Lotus track listingNo.| Title| Writer(s)| Length

|
|
|

1.| "Thief"|

* Simbiatu Ajikawo
* Alexander Bonfanti
* Miles Clinton James

| 4:00
2.| "Flood" (featuring Obongjayar and Moonchild Sanelly)|

* Ajikawo
* James
* Dacoury Natche
* Sanelisiwe Sanelly
* Jonah Stevens
* Steven Umoh

| 2:47
3.| "Young"|

* Ajikawo
* James

| 2:50
4.| "Only" (featuring Lydia Kitto)|

* Ajikawo
* James
* Lydia Kitto
* Jermaine Scott

| 3:35
5.| "Free"|

* Ajikawo
* Josh Arce
* Bonfanti
* James

| 3:35
6.| "Peace" (featuring Moses Sumney and Miraa May)|

* Ajikawo
* James
* Miraa May
* Natche
* Moses Sumney
* Stevens

| 4:27
7.| "Hollow"|

* Ajikawo
* James

| 2:54
8.| "Lion" (featuring Obongjayar)|

* Ajikawo
* James
* Umoh
* Malik Venner

| 2:57
9.| "Enough" (featuring Yukimi Nagano)|

* Ajikawo
* James
* Yukimi Nagano

| 3:02
10.| "Blood" (featuring Wretch 32 and Cashh)|

* Ajikawo
* James
* Natche
* Cashief Nichols
* Scott
* Stevens

| 4:28
11.| "Lotus" (featuring Michael Kiwanuka and Yussef Dayes)|

* Ajikawo
* Yussef Dayes
* James
* Hannah Khemoh
* Michael Kiwanuka

| 6:35
12.| "Lonely"|

* Ajikawo
* James

| 4:25
13.| "Blue" (featuring Sampha)|

* Ajikawo
* James
* Sampha Sisay

| 4:13
Total length:| 49:55

## Personnel

[edit]

Credits adapted from Tidal.[27]

### Musicians

[edit]

* Little Simz – lead vocals (all tracks), piano (track 12)
* Miles Clinton James – guitar (tracks 1, 6, 12, 13), drums (3–5, 8, 10, 13), background vocals (3, 5, 7, 8, 11), synthesizer (7), bass guitar (9, 11)
* Rosie Danvers – music arrangement (tracks 1, 4, 5, 7, 11, 12)
* Wired Strings – strings (tracks 1, 4, 5, 7, 11, 12)
* Nathan Allen – drums (tracks 1, 12)
* Alex Nunez – drums (track 3)
* Lydia Kitto – lead vocals (track 4)
* Alexander Bonfanti – bass guitar (tracks 5, 12), background vocals (5)
* Miraa May – lead vocals (track 6)
* Moses Sumney – lead vocals (track 6)
* Alfa Sackey – background vocals, percussion (track 8)
* Venna – background vocals, saxophone (track 8)
* Steven Umoh – lead vocals (track 8)
* Yukimi Nagano – lead vocals, synthesizer (track 9)
* Morgan Simpson – drums (track 9)
* Cashh – lead vocals (track 10)
* Wretch 32 – lead vocals (track 10)
* Michael Kiwanuka – lead vocals, guitar (track 11)
* Yussef Dayes – drums (track 11)
* Sampha Sisay – background vocals (track 12), lead vocals (13)
* Kadeem Clarke – piano (tracks 12, 13)

### Technical

[edit]

* Miles Clinton James – production, engineering
* Dahi – additional production (tracks 2, 6, 10)
* Jonah Stevens – additional production (tracks 2, 6, 10)
* Mike Bozzi – mastering
* Ben Baptie – mixing (all tracks), vocal engineering (tracks 1, 2, 4–13)
* Hans Christoph Skirl – engineering (tracks 1, 2, 11)
* Matthew Jagger – engineering (track 9)
* Erik Hanson – co-mixing
* George Chung – vocal engineering (tracks 2, 12, 13), engineering assistance (1, 3–9)
* Josh Arce – engineering assistance (tracks 6, 11)

## Charts

[edit]

Chart performance for Lotus Chart (2025)  | Peak
position

|

Australian Albums (ARIA)[28] | 52
Australian Hip Hop/R&B Albums (ARIA)[29] | 8
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[30] | 14
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[31] | 12
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[32] | 39
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[33] | 19
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[34] | 8
Irish Albums (IRMA)[35] | 85
Japanese Dance & Soul Albums (Oricon)[36] | 2
Japanese International Albums (Oricon)[37] | 16
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[38] | 26
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[39] | 103
Scottish Albums (OCC)[40] | 7
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[41] | 13
UK Albums (OCC)[42] | 3
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[43] | 2
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[44] | 1
US Top Current Album Sales (Billboard)[45] | 38

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Williams, Sophie (27 February 2025). "Little Simz Announces New Album Lotus & Drops Intense Lead Single: Listen to 'Flood'". Billboard. Archived from the original on 27 February 2025. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
2. ^ Hussain, Shahzaib (26 February 2025). "Little Simz Announces New Album Lotus". Clash. Archived from the original on 26 February 2025. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
3. ^ Snapes, Laura (17 March 2025). "Little Simz sues former producer Inflo over unpaid debts". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 17 March 2025. Retrieved 7 June 2025.
4. ^ Denis, Kyle (18 April 2025). "How Little Simz Is Reclaiming Her Story On New Album: 'I'm Not Trying To Force My Truth On Anyone'". Billboard. Archived from the original on 18 April 2025. Retrieved 7 June 2025.
5. ^ Bakare, Lanre (7 June 2025). "Little Simz on breakthroughs, betrayal and becoming one of the UK's best-ever rappers: 'I don't want to shy away from how I feel'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 7 June 2025. Retrieved 7 June 2025.
6. ^ Duran, Anagricel (26 February 2025). "Little Simz announces new album Lotus and shares menacing new song 'Flood'". NME. Archived from the original on 26 February 2025. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
7. ^ Ki, Adelle (27 February 2025). "Little Simz Sets the Stage for Lotus With New Track "Flood"". Hypebeast. Archived from the original on 1 March 2025. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
8. ^ Paul, Larisha (27 February 2025). "Little Simz previews upcoming album Lotus with cinematic 'Flood' video". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 26 February 2025. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
9. ^ Ahmed, Aneesa (1 April 2025). "Little Simz delays new album release "due to scheduling of shooting a movie"". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 1 April 2025. Retrieved 9 April 2025.
10. ^ Eede, Christian (27 February 2025). "Little Simz announces new album, Lotus, shares 'Flood': Listen". DJ Mag. Archived from the original on 27 February 2025. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
11. ^ Bloom, Madison (26 February 2025). "Little Simz Announces New Album Lotus, Shares Video for New Song "Flood": Watch". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 26 February 2025. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
12. ^ Chelosky, Danielle (27 March 2025). "Little Simz – "Free"". Stereogum. Archived from the original on 1 April 2025. Retrieved 14 May 2025.
13. ^ Murray, Robin (14 May 2025). "Little Simz Embraces the Light on New Single "Young"". Clash. Archived from the original on 14 May 2025. Retrieved 14 May 2025.
14. ^ a b "Lotus by Little Simz reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Archived from the original on 6 June 2025. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
15. ^ a b "Lotus by Little Simz Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 6 June 2025. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
16. ^ Lotus - Little Simz | Album | AllMusic, retrieved 6 June 2025
17. ^ Interviews, Clash Magazine Music News, Reviews &; ClashMusic (6 June 2025). "Little Simz - Lotus | Reviews". Clash. Archived from the original on 6 June 2025. Retrieved 6 June 2025.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
18. ^ "Little Simz - Lotus". DIY. 5 June 2025. Archived from the original on 6 June 2025. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
19. ^ "On Lotus, Little Simz turns betrayal and self-doubt into one of her best albums". The Independent. 5 June 2025. Archived from the original on 5 June 2025. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
20. ^ "Little Simz: Lotus review - conscious prime". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on 6 June 2025. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
21. ^ Livesey, Donovan (6 June 2025). "Little Simz - Lotus | Album Reviews". MusicOMH. Archived from the original on 6 June 2025. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
22. ^ a b Williams, Kyann-Sian (4 June 2025). "Little Simz – 'Lotus' review: a raw reckoning from rap's quiet warrior". NME. Archived from the original on 4 June 2025. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
23. ^ Ritchie, Matthew. "Little Simz: Lotus". Pitchfork. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
24. ^ Conteh, Mankaprr (6 June 2025). "Friendship Breakups Suck. Little Simz Turned Hers Into Gold on 'Lotus'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 6 June 2025. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
25. ^ "Little Simz - Lotus album review: The Skinny". The Skinny. Archived from the original on 6 June 2025. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
26. ^ McCormick, Neil; Platt, Poppie (6 June 2025). "Little Simz, Lotus: an existential crisis never sounded so gripping". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
27. ^ "Lotus / Little Simz / Credits". Tidal. 6 June 2025. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
28. ^ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 16 June 2025". The ARIA Report. No. 1841\. Australian Recording Industry Association. 16 June 2025. p. 6.
29. ^ "ARIA Top 40 Hip Hop/R&B Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. 16 June 2025. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
30. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Little Simz – Lotus" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
31. ^ "Ultratop.be – Little Simz – Lotus" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
32. ^ "Ultratop.be – Little Simz – Lotus" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
33. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Little Simz – Lotus" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
34. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Little Simz – Lotus" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
35. ^ "IRMA – Irish Charts (Week 24, 2025)". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
36. ^ "Oricon Top 20 Dance & Soul Albums: 2025-06-16" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on 11 June 2025. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
37. ^ "Oricon Top 30 International Albums: 2025-06-16" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on 11 June 2025. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
38. ^ "Official Top 40 Albums". Recorded Music NZ. 13 June 2025. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
39. ^ "Top 200 Álbuns Semana 24 de 2025" (PDF) (in European Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. p. 2. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
40. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
41. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Little Simz – Lotus". Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
42. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
43. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
44. ^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
45. ^ "Little Simz Chart History (Top Current Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 17 June 2025.

* v
* t
* e

Little Simz

Discography

Studio albums|

* A Curious Tale of Trials + Persons
* Stillness in Wonderland
* Grey Area
* Sometimes I Might Be Introvert
* No Thank You
* Lotus

Extended plays|

* Drop 6

Singles|

* "Pink Youth"
* "Woman"
* "We Pray"
* "Satellite Business 2.0"

*[No.]: Number
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*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template