There’s something about Simi that you can’t put a handle on.
Singer won her concert by a mellow calm, romantic grooves, and plenty of laughter
Simi took a risk with this concert. It’s her first ever headline show, and she won it, with her most lovable elements.
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Is it her child-like simplicity? That juvenile innocence that defines her existence as a human being and seeps into her art. Is it her brilliance at all things music? That mobile mind which generates poetic words, finds the right melody to accompany it, and pushes it into the world as her contribution to our lives?
Or is it because she’s Simi. The musician. The carefree muse. The relatable epitome of creativity. The Simi.
I just watched Simi perform at her debut headline concert, “See Me Live,” which held at the Hardrock Café, Lagos. I watched her dance on stage. Heard her make light banter. Felt her thank the fans who coughed out cash to purchase her tickets. She enjoyed herself. She made us all in the audience enjoy ourselves. She killed it.
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“First of all, I will like to say that I love you,” she said. Spotting a sequined jacket over a ripped dungaree, she acknowledged everyone. “I’m really close to tears because you guys came out for me…”
In reality, she was far from tears. This was a woman who began this pop journey in 2015 after she got signed by X3M Music. Her label boss, Steve Babaeko had heard her cover of a song on a music website and put money on her talent. She has since grown to become one of Nigeria’s most loved musicians, combining soulful lyrics and melodies to win hearts and advance. Her debut album, “ was released this year, and this concert was a celebration of her growth and artistry.
Backed by a ten-piece band, Simi opened the night with ‘Soldier’, a record by Falz, which was instrumental in her penetration. Falz would later show up in person to perform with her.
During ‘Original baby’, a song that captures her battle with pop culture trolls, and her insistence to stick to the original script of her career, style of music and fashion choices – she hit a mellow hyper-groove that played out like a Fela Kuti utopian groove. This the truest song on her album. Simi has dealt equal adulation and criticism from the public due to her insistence to hold on to her brand of ‘every-day-woman-turned-star’ celebrity.
“Well naso the thing be, me I no go force you to love what you see,” she sings out loud, dancing with abandon. It’s these moments when she catches a wave and rides it out into a forceful and elongated jam, that she is at her most beautiful and alluring.
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She calls out Falz and Adekunle Gold, with their ability to excite the crowd, create hypnotic disarray and filter it through a microphone to the fans. At some point, she offered a remix of ‘Despacito’, replacing the Latino lyrics with: “Despacito, Me I no really know wetin they sing o, but e no matter me I still dey sing o, Everybody na so the ting go...”
There is a poetic element that comes from her delivery, especially through the set, as she moves from moments that sound like a calmOmawumi, backed by the clatter of thunder, to a Fuji-gospel Owambe party. Tonight’s performance was unrelentingly potent and fun, and the singer is clearly using sound to lift her fans, who came out to see her in a Lagos filled with distractions. As a result, Simi’s vocals are often characterised by insistent intensity, but on ‘Complete me’, and ‘One kain’, the slowed down syrupy groove allows for a mellow, soulful voice, too.
The final song before she waved goodbye was ‘ the album’s lead track and as glorious a piece of pop music as you’re likely to hear all year. Its unshakable hook is demonstrative of her ability to make soothing romantic cuts sound as seamless as does everything else, providing the brilliant climax for an evening of heartfelt anthems for today’s excited music listeners.
Simi took a risk with this concert. It’s her first ever headline show, and she won it, with her most lovable elements. Music led the way, drama followed in tow, but laughter powered her through.
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