S5 EP5: Little Simz discusses her new album, growing up with adopted siblings, and working with Drake

The Louis Theroux Podcast

Spotify Studios

Comedy, Arts, Society & Culture

4.1 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 2 June 2025

⏱️ 64 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Louis is joined in the studio by Mercury Prize-winning rapper and actress, Little Simz. The pair discuss the inspiration behind her new album Lotus, growing up with adopted siblings and working with Drake on Top Boy. Prepare for awkward pauses and an unlikely rap collaboration. Warnings: Strong language, as well as some adult themes. Links/Attachments: Album: 'Sometimes I Might Be Introvert’, Little Simz (2021) https://open.spotify.com/album/0DBoWQ52XUHtrZQdfAqOVj Song: ‘Venom’, Little Simz (2019) https://open.spotify.com/album/3h7qY0r0PNgNUS838NqgGv Song: ‘WE PRAY', Coldplay, Little Simz, Burna Boy, Elyanna & TINI (2024) https://open.spotify.com/track/7xrEnNo99wrmIs8ZK3RZMK TV Show: ‘Top Boy’ (2011- 2023) - Channel 4 / Netflix https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/80217669 Album: ‘Lotus’, Little Simz (2025) https://open.spotify.com/prerelease/4HGLG9dQard8ZMoxNlwBhl Album: ‘NO THANK YOU’, Little Simz (2022) https://open.spotify.com/album/57263zG8Md6XZ9lBUPPYCm EP: ‘Drop 7’, Little Simz (2024) https://open.spotify.com/album/2jK2rbbnrzsId5WWSc67HP ‘Little Simz dropping bars at 11 years old on 1Xtra’ - BBC Radio 1 Xtra https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fr_9p2yNfBQ Song: ‘Gorilla’, Little Simz (2022) https://open.spotify.com/track/0pJO1tc1GpnxFyQp6Zp82r Song: ‘The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)’, Missy Elliott (1997) https://open.spotify.com/track/2WRzpLD8qDRrxMXc63E5WJ Music Video: ‘The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)’, Missy Elliott (2009) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHcyJPTTn9w Song: 'Work It’, Missy Elliott (2002) https://open.spotify.com/track/3jagJCUbdqhDSPuxP8cAqF Song: ‘Thief’, Little Simz (2025) https://open.spotify.com/prerelease/4HGLG9dQard8ZMoxNlwBhl Song: ‘Hollow’, Little Simz (2025) https://open.spotify.com/prerelease/4HGLG9dQard8ZMoxNlwBhl Song: ‘Not Like Us’, Kendrick Lamar (2024) https://open.spotify.com/track/6AI3ezQ4o3HUoP6Dhudph3 Song: 'I Love You, I Hate You’, Little Simz (2021) https://open.spotify.com/track/6XQPPbvRXZvWSUDag8jyEj Credits: Producer: Millie Chu  Assistant Producer: Emilia Gill Production Manager: Francesca Bassett  Music: Miguel D’Oliveira  Audio Mixer: Tom Guest Video Mixer: Scott Edwards Shownotes compiled by Immie Webb Executive Producer: Arron Fellows     A Mindhouse Production for Spotify  www.mindhouse.co.uk  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, it's me, Louis Theroux, and welcome to my podcast.
0:08.9	It's called the Louis Theru podcast because it's my podcast, and I'm Louis Theru.
0:20.1	Today I'm speaking to Mercury Prize-winning rapper and artist Simbiatu Agikawu, better known as Little Sims.
0:27.4	After the release of her highly acclaimed first three albums, Sims rose to prominence with the release of her 2021 album,
0:34.2	Sometimes I Might Be introvert for which she won the 2022 Mercury Prize and a Mobo and Brit
0:40.2	award. Across her catalogue of music, Little Sims stream stand at over one billion. You might be familiar
0:46.7	with her viral hit Venom, it was big on TikTok, or her feature on Coldplay's We Pray, which she performed
0:53.7	with them at Glastonbury last year.
0:56.7	Outside of music, Sims has started the Netflix revival of Top Boy.
1:00.8	You surely have seen that.
1:02.4	Based on a Hackney housing estate follows the lives of young people struggling,
1:06.0	and two men in particular who are trying to get ahead in the drugs and gang world.
1:11.8	Sims plays the girlfriend of one of the main drug lords.
1:16.0	We recorded this chat in February earlier this year,
1:19.2	ahead of the release of her latest album Lotus,
1:21.7	which is excellent, by the way, do check it out.
1:24.6	I met her once before at Skeptor's Fashion Show. That was also where I met
1:29.4	Mia Khalifa. It was like a Louis Theroux podcast Turkey shoot. I was just picking up guests
1:37.4	willy-nilly. That's an odd phrase, isn't it? A warning, there's a bit of strong language in the
1:44.1	episode. Sorry about that. That's all coming up.
1:48.3	Stay tuned. This episode is brought to you by Monzo. When you're traveling with friends, you may well want to go Dutch.
2:03.3	That means splitting the bill. Thankfully, Monzo lets you take a break from awkward money talk by making it easy to track, pay, split and chase payments all in the Monzo app.
	...

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