Nigerian-British rapper, Simbiatu Abisola Ajikawo widely known as Little Simz won on Tuesday the prestigious United Kingdom’s Mercury Prize for 2022 with her fourth album ‘Sometimes I Might Be Introvert’.
According to UK Guardian, the 28-year-old was the only second-time nominee in the music and entertainment beating Harry Styles’ One Direction to claim the award.
While accepting the award at London’s Eventim Apollo, Simz first stood speechless for seconds in amazement.
And when she eventually spoke, she said, “Wow. I’m very very overwhelmed, I’m very grateful. Glory to God – God thank you so much; to my family over here, my loved ones right here.
“I wanna say a huge thank you to the Mercury for this incredible, incredible prize. I wanna say a thank you to my brother and close collaborator [producer] Inflo.
“Flo [has] known me since I was so young, he’s stuck by me, we created this album together. There was times in the studio I didn’t know if I was gonna finish this record, I was going through all the emotions … he stuck by me.”
The award, given to the best British or Irish album of the year, comes with a cash prize of £25,000. This year’s ceremony was rescheduled from 8 September after it coincided with the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Simz performed her song How Did I Get Here on the night.
Presenting the award to her, DJ Jamz Supernova said Simz’s album’s themes appeal to personal and political feelings.
“The album that we have chosen deals with themes both personal and political; the music is as sophisticated as it is varied. This is a truly exceptional album,” said DJ Jamz Supernova.
Source: vanguardngr