Lotus (Little Simz album)

Last updated

Lotus
Little Simz - Lotus.png
Studio album by
Released6 June 2025 (2025-06-06)
Genre
Length49:55
Label
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.

Contents

Background

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

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

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.6/10 [14]
Metacritic 87/100 [15]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [16]
Clash 9/10 [17]
DIY Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [18]
The Independent Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [19]
The Line of Best Fit 9/10 [20]
MusicOMH Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [21]
NME Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [22]
Pitchfork 7.4/10 [23]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [24]
The Skinny Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [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

Lotus track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Thief"
4:00
2."Flood" (featuring Obongjayar and Moonchild Sanelly)
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)
4:13
Total length:49:55

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal. [27]

Musicians

Technical

Charts

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

See also

References

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  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.
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  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.
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  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.
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