Simi (born April 19, 1988) is the alias of Simisola Bolatito Ogunleye, a Nigerian singer-songwriter, actress, and sound engineer. Ogunleye was born in Lagos and showed great aptitude for music from an early age, participating in her local church’s choir. She started her music career with her first album Ogaju (2008), which spawned the hit singles “Ara Ile” and “Iya Temi.” Restless (2014), which featured covers of Rihanna, Bruno Mars, and Beyoncé, earned Simi a record deal with X3M Music. That same year, the singles “Tiff” and “E No Go Funny” helped Ogunleye break into the mainstream and established her as one of Nigeria’s most promising musical talents. Shortly after the release of “Love Don’t Care,” Simi won the award for Best Vocal Performance at The Headies 2016. Simisola (2017), the follow-up to her studio debut, masterfully blended R&B with highlife and juju music, and debuted at Number 5 on the Billboard World Album charts. The LP won the Album of the Year award at the Headies in 2018. In March 2019, she released Omo Charlie Champagne, an album dedicated to Ogunleye’s late father that featured guest appearances by Nigerian artists Patoranking, Falz, and Adekunle Gold.
