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Music

Meet 19-Year-Old Little Simz: Tipped by Jay Z and Ready to Blow

This North London rapper started spitting at 10 and now juggles college and music making, while somehow finding the time to chill with Dizzee Rascal and Kelela. Casual.

“I’ve been grinding for 10 years and you could say it’s about time but still it’s a bit overwhelming and hard to take in,” Little Simz says over the phone. Her speaking voice is the same as her rap voice: rushed and skippy. Each word fiercely and confidently tumbles onto the next. If you didn’t know, you would never guess that Little Simz is just 19 years old. The North London native has been rapping since she was nine-—that was in 2003—and is just starting to gain traction. Her recently-released mixtape, Blank Canvas, premiered on Jay Z’s Life + Times blog (download it for free below) and over the past couple of weeks she’s hung in the studio with her childhood icon Dizzee Rascal, as well as with R&B singer and Solange Knowles protégé Kelela and Joey Bada$$’ beatmaker Chuck Strangers.

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Simz belongs a creative collective dubbed Space Age, which she describes as “firstly a group of friends. It consists of rappers, singers, photographers, we have a personal trainer. We’re all around the same age, grew up in the same area, and just gel really well.” But Simz isn’t a stereotypical rapper. For one, she still lives at home. She recorded her two mixtapes, X.Y.Zed and Blank Canvas, at her mom’s house, sourcing beats from the Internet in between taking classes at the University of West London. She’s also a former child actor with credits in the British TV shows Spirit Warriors and Youngers. As she was gearing up to headline Roundhouse Rising Festival, Simz spoke to us about performing alongside a live band, her early impressions of the music industry, and wanting to be a “mega icon.”

What’s your live set like?
It’s pretty hectic. I’m doing a lot music-wise. I’m doing stuff now with a live band and that’s new to me: learning to work with other people on stage that you have to rely on and they have to rely on you. If you’re a solo artist, you just have a backing track and that’s it. But now I’m taking on new responsibilities. Things are starting to take off but at the same time I’m just at a good place in my life. I’m still a uni as well.

Has it been difficult balancing music and school?
It’s definitely a challenge. It’s hard to prioritize both and be a teenager and have a social life and whatnot. I want to complete uni if I can but I know, with the direction that my life is going, it might not be possible. I guess I’m going to ride it out til’ however long.

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You have a pretty impressive sense of who you are for being 19. Are your friends generally supportive of your music? Or has it come between any of your friendships?
All my friends are either musicians or in the creative industry so it’s good to be amongst people that can appreciate what I’m doing and be around people who encourage me, as well as being my friend. It’s vice-versa. I always make sure that I’m supportive of what my friends are doing. It hasn’t come between any of my friendships. More than anything, people from my past life are trying to get in touch. That’s a weird one, if I’m honest.

You started music at a young age. What kind of music were you making when you were nine? Were you rapping at that point?
I was. My sisters were a big part of my creative process in that sense. They gave me song concepts and ideas. When I expressed my passion they were always so enthusiastic to help me create and used to take me to my shows and do a bunch of stuff for me—which I’m forever grateful for—and they made my passion for music even stronger. When you’re a kid, people just think you live in a bubble and it’s easy to get disheartened but they kept me chasing what I want to do.

At a young age, I don’t think there’s much you can talk about but it was more of being creative and finding my feet. A lot of what I was writing was stuff like, “I’m still in school. Believe in yourself and believe in your dreams”—stuff like that. As I got older, my writing process changed and evolved. Now it’s pretty much the same thing: I’m forever encouraging people to live their dreams and go for what they desire but at the same time talking about real life events that I’ve experienced, mistakes I’ve made, etc.

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Growing up, which artists did you admire?
Lauryn Hill. She’s probably one of my biggest influences. In my household it was a lot of Afrobeat, reggae, soul. My brothers and sisters were into the garage seen and that’s where I caught a lot of my flows.

Was it surreal when you were in the studio with Dizzee Rascal?
Definitely. It’s surreal when I meet any artist that’s well known and makes great music. I’m trying not to turn into fangirl mode because I know that freaks them out so I’m just hold it down. But at the same time you see how down to earth and nice they are. They’re just people who make great music and they’re just like you. So it’s humbling as well.

What was your mindset when you were writing “Shadows?” It’s one of the darker songs on Blank Canvas.

I was at a weird point. Musically, I was finding what songs I’d like to make and what I don’t like to make. “Shadows” is saying, although I’m in this industry and things are nice and glamorous, at the same time, not everybody is happy for you. From what I’ve seen, there’s a lot of fake love, like people smile at your face but talk behind your back. [On “Shadows”] I’m using very vile language and swearing. I’m speaking from a point of frustration.

How close is the way you speak in your day-to-day life to how you sound on record?
Sometimes I have outbursts on songs and that’s very rare in real life. In real life, I’m really chilled and easy going but, on the mic, it’s nice to see very different sides. In some songs I’m very vulnerable but in real life I sort of shy away and hide my feelings. In “Love in the Key of ET” I’m talking about a love relationship and that’s not something I’m vocal about in my everyday life. I kind of keep that stuff to myself. To open up about that on a song is new to me. That’s what I want people to see and hear. It’s about growth.

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Do people let you know they relate to your music?
It happens often at shows after I finish performing and go out into the crowd and greet people. That’s a beautiful thing. People often come up and say, “I’ve known about you for years. It’s crazy to see how much you’ve grown. You’ve turned into a young woman now.” It’s a nice feeling that someone’s watched me grow into what I am now and can still appreciate the music I’m creating. Older people do too because I’ve realized my music doesn’t just appeal to my age group.

It’s wild that your fans have been following your career for so long. In a way, you’re just starting out.
I started performing when I was nine. My first proper show was at my academy. I can still remember it well. I performed a song called “Achieve Achieve Achieve.” I was wearing a red Ecko tracksuit, white Air Force Ones, and had my hair in two buns.

Were your parents supportive of your music from the start?
Always. My mom has always been very supportive of my career but she’s also very supportive of my education—she wants me to pursue that as well. Sometimes she thinks I’m living in a bubble but she’s still supportive. Now she’s seeing the rewards of what I’ve been doing and it’s opened her eyes to see this could actually happen.

What are your aspirations? Where do you hope to be in a few years?
Hopefully being a mega icon. I’m trying to take it to heights that people would probably say is impossible to reach at my age. But I know that anything is possible and I know that the path I’m on right now is going to lead me there. I’ve got the support of the universe, my family, and friends and that’s all I really need to keep making great music.

I think you’re one of the only rappers still taking classes while pursuing your career. Do you think you stand out in the rap world for that reason?
I would like to think so. I’m just trying to be a living example to young kids and show that things are possible: you don’t have to drop out of school to pursue a dream, you can still follow it. I’m not saying that in time I might not go to uni but the point is I’m going to try -- and just to have bigger aspirations. That’s not told enough to kids and that’s why they just fall into the trap of going to work in retail -- which is not a bad thing but I’m saying, think outside the box. Everyone has got a talent. It’s just about discovering it and trying to pursue it.

Download Blank Canvas below.

You should follow Marissa on Twitter - @Marissagmuller.