(Forever Living Originals)
The Mercury winner’s surprise-release album finds her going in on mental health and the music industry, in a deep collaboration with Sault’s Inflo
There are umpteen reasons why an artist might choose to suddenly release a new album with little in the way of advance promotion or even warning. In the case of Little Simz, the sudden arrival of No Thank You, less than eight weeks after she won the Mercury prize for its predecessor, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert, seems to mostly involve getting things off her chest. “I figured this is the moment,” she offers on opener Angel, “I got to speak now.”
What she has to speak about largely revolves around the twin topics of the music business and mental health, two subjects that tie in with recent news stories about the 28-year-old rapper. Earlier this year, she parted company with her manager of seven years. It isn’t entirely clear if a lot of the more pointed lyrics on No Thank You are aimed at him, but it certainly sounds like they might be: “Why did I give you the keys to authorise shit on my behalf? What did I expect from those living the corporate life?” she asks at one point. Meanwhile, in April, she cancelled a prospective US tour. She cited financial reasons, but added: “I’m just not able to put myself through this mental stress.”
