Little Simz Is Wearing Vans—But What’s She Listening To?
If Little Simz has proven one thing to us over the past few years, it’s that she’s more than a rapper. Beyond that, she’s an all-round musician: a disruptor, a storyteller, and a genre-defying force in today’s sonic landscape. Seamlessly melding rap, grime and soul with moments of orchestral brilliance, Simz is a champion of unashamed self-expression, and a totally unique voice in her own right.
We needn’t go deep into Simz lore—you already know it—so we’ll focus on the now.
Rocking a pair of Vans Premium Old Skools, a vibe she says she’s currently loving, she’s here to give us her current takes on what’s hot in music right now. Once the up-and-coming figure that everyone was tipping, it’s time for Simz to give us her tips. So, who’s in? Let’s find out.
Hey Simz! First, I’d love to ask you about your own experience of being ‘up-and-coming’. Do you have any good memories of that time, or maybe some advice you’d give to your former self?
I'd honestly give her a round of applause. I'd big her up. But I'd also say, try not to be too trusting of people. When you come into the music industry, you’re so pure, and when you get given any opportunity it’s like, yeah, I'll do that! Or yeah, I'll work with this person! You don't really have your wits about you. So I think I'd probably tell her to not be so trusting of everyone. Protect yourself as much as you can because it leads to a lot of heartbreak. But otherwise I'd be really proud.
Do you have anyone you’re fond of that you think is doing well right now, or that you see yourself in at all?
There are so many people that are doing amazing things. But it’d be great to highlight an artist called Aloia. I think she's really dope and she's kind of cutting through with her own style, her own sauce, flavor, whatever you want to call it. I’ve not seen or heard anything like her, I don't think. And she’s just a really lovely person as well. So yeah, I’d definitely highlight her.
And then rappers from London, there's a girl called Chy Cartier, there’s a girl called Crystale… and obviously people know Doechii. She's cutting through in a big way, making noise. But more than anything her music speaks volumes—the talent’s doing the talking.
What excites you about the overall landscape of young rappers today? Do you feel it's different compared to when you were coming up?
I think it's different just because the way we use the internet is different. I think maybe because people have short attention spans now, we want things in bursts. And that’s cool—it's a different medium, different format, a different way of putting stuff out. But otherwise, I think everyone that's coming up is really owning their thing, and standing in their truth, which I've always been a champion of.
And is there anybody you think has the best style at the moment? Or someone whose general vibe you love?
There's an artist called Teoni—she's not a musician, she's a painter—who I think is amazing. She's just a groovy chick. She's saucy. And her paintings are amazing. Genuinely, when I look at her paintings, I'm like, ah, I'm so blessed to live at the same time as you. I see myself a lot in her paintings. She does really beautiful portraits of people, of real people doing real-life things. I love seeing paintings in motion: Shaquille-Aaron Keith is another painter that does that as well, actually. Whether it's just cracking open a drink, or, I don’t know…they just create images that are real.
On the flip side—is there anybody you really look up to who shouted you out back in the day? That said, ‘yeh, there’s this girl called Little Simz who I think is gonna blow up’?
I was very grateful when Lauryn Hill took me on tour, gave me an opportunity, gave me a platform to join her. She's someone that I've highly respected and looked up to, so that was incredible.
Are there any particular styles or fits that you're feeling at the moment? That really represent you right now?
Vans baby! I’m loving the checkerboard right now, honestly, I think it’s wavy. But to answer your question—as much as I can be crazy, in my personal life, I'm a bit of a Plain Jane. Especially when I'm on the move and I’ve got things to do, my style is pretty quiet. Sometimes I think the key to fashion is just how you accessorize things—or don't. I think playing with accessories, and cool ways to wear things, rather than the things themselves, is what excites me about fashion.
