Four days after the surprise drop of Lotus, Little Simz walks onstage at Pryzm Kingston for one of only a handful of intimate UK dates. There were no theatrics: just her, a mic and a crowd ready to listen.
Coming off the grandeur of Sometimes I Might Be Introvert and the defiant edge of NO THANK YOU, Lotus feels like a deep breath after a long sprint. Over 10 tracks of sharp introspection and soft fury, Lotus is perhaps Simz’s most emotionally exposed project to date. It lingers in stillness, allowing her vulnerability to take the lead.
This quiet intensity carries into the Kingston show. Simz moves between new material, such as ‘Mood Swings‘ and ‘No Merci’, and fan favourites like ‘Gorilla‘; briefly breaking the introspective spell to urge the audience to get loose: “I want it to feel like a club,” she says with a grin.
But the night’s mood shifts when she introduced ‘Lonely’. “This one’s hard for me to perform,” she admits. And when she does, her raw vulnerability is present for all to see. “So lonely / (To be alone) a race against time/ But take it slowly/ Playing on my weakness/ And that’s unholy… I was lonely making an album, I ran into mad blocks/ Tryna find that girl everybody’s a fan of”. Her delivery is unguarded, inviting the crowd into her internal world.
Lotus opens with ‘Thief’, a brooding, post-punk takedown that sets the emotional tone. Guitar riffs simmer under sparse percussion as Simz delivers each line with a venomous strike. The track hints at a fractured friendship with Simz offering something closer to a harsh but intimate testimony with lyrics like “sorry for your wife,” and “devil in disguise”.
It lays the groundwork for the album’s emotional journey. As she moves through ‘Hollow’ and ‘Flood’, it becomes clear that Simz isn’t interested in sensationalising her hurt; she delivers her anger with control and grace. This album is a way of working through her pain creatively.
‘Hollow’ drops the tempo but deepens the emotional current. Over delicate piano and violin melodies, Simz navigates betrayal and self-doubt, while ‘Flood’ sees Simz bolstered by Obongjayar and Moonchild Sanelly, layering heavy drums with tense, hushed vocals. Even in the stripped-back setting at Pryzm, the track holds its charge – proof that Simz doesn’t need a full production to hit hard.
Even when dipping into older material like ‘Introvert’ and ‘Gorilla’, the transition is seamless. The songs don’t interrupt the album’s mood; they extend it, weaving effortlessly into the narrative she’s crafting. With Lotus, Simz continues to evolve, stripping back the layers to focus on vulnerability. This album isn’t just a collection of songs, it’s a powerful statement of growth, resilience, and rawness.
featured image: Thibaut Grevet
