Little Simz’s “Woman” Holds A Very Special Place In Her Heart

With a Best New Artist BRIT award already under her belt, Little Simz has now been awarded the Mercury Prize for her album, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert. Hailing from North London, and of Nigerian heritage, the singer thanked God and her loved ones during her acceptance speech. “Woman” is the second track on Little Simz’s critically-acclaimed album, and it’s particularly special to her. Featuring vocals from neo-soul singer Cleo Sol, Little Simz believes it’s “one of the best songs” she’s ever written.

The 28-year-old made her directorial debut on the shoot for the music video, after plans to get the director she wanted fell through. “I thought, alright cool, if anyone else can’t get this to where I want to be, I'm just going to gamble on myself,” she said on BBC One’s Tonight with Target.

Speaking further on her decision to write the song, Little Simz shared in an interview with gal-dem: “I love being a woman, and so I just wanted to talk about that from a personal standpoint, but also recognise other women and just be like, ‘Yo, I see you, and I’m here if ever you need me.’ Especially within music and within the industry, there’s always this thing of ‘Ah, there can only be one at a time’, but there’s space for all of us to exist.”

“Woman” is an ode to womanhood and celebrates different cultural backgrounds, including Nigeria, India, Jamaica, and more. And there’s a heartfelt voice note included at the end of the song from a cousin who expresses her adoration for Simz, as well as her frustration at never being able to get in contact with her. “It just reminds me to call you, but you never pick up the phone,” the voice says, adding a very personal touch to the already heartfelt song.

Read the lyrics for “Woman,” below:

[Verse 1: Little Simz]

Naija women, got the melanin drippin'

L-O-N-D-O-N, city girl livin'

In the back, lookin' like fire, chili pepper

Yoruba girl tougher than imperial leather

He was gettin' bitter while she was gettin' better

Diamonds are forever

Miss Sierra Leone, lookin' like a gem

Works hard in the week, party on the weekend

Know you wanna live with no one watchin' how you spend

Got a thing for the finer things and the finer men, hm

Miss Tanzania, she a do or die

Say she want to know more 'bout the Sukuma tribe

We hit the zoot, once wasn't enough

Got an ocean full of knowledge, you could scuba dive

Miss Ethiopia can play so jazzy

Then sit you down and school you on Selassie

[Pre-Chorus: Little Simz]

Tell 'em you're nothin' without a woman, no

Woman to woman, I just wanna see you glow

Tell 'em what's up

[Chorus: Cleo Sol]

I love how you go from zero to one hundred

And leave the dust behind, you've got this

All action, no talk

[Verse 2: Little Simz]

Bajan honeys, know you reppin' for your country

Sun kissin' your brown skin, lookin' like money

Say she focusin' on bein' an accountant

When you have beauty and brains, they find it astoundin'

Why? She been gettin' it on her own, n**ga

Self made, ain't nobody doin' gold digger

Now, Miss India always speaks with her chest

Got respect from her people 'cause she leads them the best

Hm, real life queen in the flesh

Know the crown get heavy, still it be's on your head

Brooklyn ladies, know you hustle on the daily

Innovative just like Donna Summer in the eighties

Your time, they seein' you glow now

Intelligence and elegance, show 'em how

Miss Jamaica understand food for the soul

She get up in the kitchen know she throw down

[Pre-Chorus: Little Simz]

Ain't nothin' without a woman, no

Woman to woman, I just wanna see you glow

Tell 'em what's up

[Chorus: Cleo Sol]

I love how you go from zero to one hundred

And leave the dust behind, you've got this

All action, no talk

[Bridge: Cleo Sol & Little Simz]

I see you glow, you're the finest gold

When you walk in the room, they feel your soul

Our style, it shines, so ahead of time

And you know that you're fire, you're so damn fine, girl

Girl, girl, girl, girl

Girl, girl, girl, girl

[Verse 3: Little Simz]

She a Ghana girl

Calm with it, never let the marijuana fail

Though a sucker for the romance, take you to the homeland

One way, she ain't comin' back, nah

All I see is Black stars and I friggin' love it, yeah, yeah

Time's up, tell the people that we comin', yeah, yeah

Done bein' in the shadow, goin' public, yeah, yeah

Don't know how to bear it, how to stomach, yeah, yeah

Hand over the sh*t and let us run it, yeah, yeah

All we know is lookin' flawless, all they know is stare, stare

[Pre-Chorus: Little Simz]

Ain't nothin' without a woman, though

Woman to woman, I just wanna see you glow (Glow, glow)

[Chorus: Cleo Sol & Little Simz]

I love how you go from zero to one hundred

And leave the dust behind, you've got this

And lead them with your light

You've got this (Woman to woman, I just wanna see you glow)

All action, no talk (Tell 'em what's up)

[Outro]

You know, Simbi

Sometimes, you know, I just look around

And I just think of all the things we've gone through

All the great things in life and all the horrible things that are just the other half of the great things in life

And how you don't really get greatness without sacrifice

And you don't get good things without a little bit of pain

And how happiness is the substitute for the emptiness that you can sometimes feel on the other side

I dunno, it just reminds me to call you

But then you never pick up the phone!