Simi Biography: Age, Career, Net Worth & More 

Simi is one of Nigeria’s most accomplished female entertainers known for her singing, songwriting, and acting skills. Since 2008 when her career as a musician kicked off, Simi has released countless songs many of which enjoyed frequent airplay and generally positive reviews from the populace and critics alike. In this article, we’ll discuss the biography of Simi, right from her birth till this moment as an award-winning singer, wife, and mother. 

Simi Biography

Simi’s biography would be discussed below: 

  • Early Life and Education of Simi 

Simi, whose real name is Simisola Bolatito Kosoko, is the last of four children of the Late Mr. Charles Oladele Ogunleye and Mrs. Oladele Ogunleye born on April 19, 1988, in Ojuelegba, Surulere, in Lagos State. As a young child, her interest in music was evident in that she sang as part of her church’s choir, and at ten years of age, she had written her first song. 

She received her primary and secondary education in Lagos State. For her secondary school education, she attended Stars International College located in Ikorodu, where she sat for and passed her Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE). Afterward, she applied to study Mass Communication at Covenant University in Ota, Ogun State, to which she got admission and obtained a bachelor’s degree in the said course after completing her studies there. 

  • Music Career of Simi 

The genesis of Simi’s music career is traced to the release of her Samklef-produced debut gospel album titled Ogaju in 2008. The album consisted of songs like Iya Temi and Ara Ile. Six years after the release of her debut album, Simi released a 5-track extended play project titled Restless, which consisted mostly of covers of popular songs at the time, such as Rihanna’s Man Down and Adele’s Set Fire to the Rain. 

Following the strength of her indie EP, Restless, Simi scored a 5-year record deal with X3M Music, releasing two singles, Tiff and E No Go Funny on January 9, 2014. Both songs were well-received by the public, especially Tiff, which became her breakout hit. In the following year’s edition of The Headies (2015), Tiff was nominated for Best Alternative Song. The success of these singles earned her the 2015 Nigeria Entertainment Awards’ Most Promising Act award. 

With her popularity building up in the entertainment industry, she released another hit single titled Jamb Question. She would later feature Falz the Badh Guy in the remix of Jamb Question, which further boosted her relevance in the industry. 

On Valentine’s Day of 2016, Simi released Love Don’t Care, a love ballad that received massive airplay across the country. Later that year, in October, she got nominated in MTV Africa Music Awards’ Best Breakthrough Act category. 

On October 27, 2016, Simi and Falz the Badh Guy jointly released an EP titled Chemistry, which consisted of 7 songs including Foreign, Want to, Show You Pepper, Cinderalla, Chemistry, Shake Your Body, and Enough. Her body of work for 2016 earned three nominations at The Headies 2016, of which she won one. 

While she worked on her second studio, Simisola, Simi released two singles titled, Smile for Me and Joromo, then Good for Good and Aimasiko were also released in anticipation of the album. On September 8, 2017, Simi released Simisola, which critics praised for the creativity and versatility of varied sounds. And in a week after its release, it peaked at number 5 on the Billboard World Album chart. The album won the Album of the Year award.  

In early 2019, Simi released her third album, Omo Charlie Champagne, Vol 1, which she dedicated to her father, Charles Oladele Ogunleye who passed on in 2014. This album consisted of 13 tracks, of which Oscar mostly produced, with assistance from Sess, Vtek, and Legendary Beatz. The theme of the album was centred on loss, happiness, fears, sex, breakup, and loyalty.  Some of the songs off the album include, Charlie, Ayo, Lovin, Hide and Seek, Jericho, and Mind Your Business. 

In May 2019, Simi’s contract with X3M Music expired, and she didn’t renew another recording contract with the label. The next month, June, Studio Brat, Simi’s independent record label was launched. In 2020, Duduke, was released. The song is arguably among Simi’s top 3 hits. Later that year, Simi released part two of her debut EP, Restless, which she called Restless II. 

Her latest body of work is her fourth album, TBH (To Be Honest), which was released on June 3, 2022. The album contains 11 tracks which were produced by Blaise Beatz, P.Prime, Pheelz, AykeBeatz, Ozedikus, and Ovanovo while Simi mixed the album, and the mastering was done by Vtek. The songs include Story Story, Born Again, Naked Wire, Loyal, Balance, Logba Logba, Easy, No Joy, Temper, Nobody, and Love for Me. Adekunle Gold, Fave, and Deja were guest artists on TBH. 

  • Awards and Recognitions

Simi boasts of over 30 nominations for her works, winning 14 of them. She’s won 7 The Headies awards, 1 Nigerian Entertainment Awards award, 3 City People Entertainment Award awards, 1 Nigerian Teen Choice Awards award, and 1 Net Honours award. 

  • Other Skills of Simi

Aside from singing, Simi is a songwriter, sound engineer, and actress. She mixes and produces some of her songs she is credited with mixing and mastering Adekunle Gold’s debut album, Gold, which was released in July 2016. 

In addition, she served as one of the three judges in Season 7 of the Nigerian Idol, alongside D’banj and Obi Asika. She also acted in one of Kunle Afolayan’s movies, Mokalik. 

  • Personal Life of Simi

Simi is married to a fellow musician, Adekunle Gold, after they dated for five years They got married on January 9, 2019. On May 30, 2020, they welcomed their daughter, Adejare. 

  • Net Worth of Simi

Simi has built a sizeable fortune from her earnings from singing, music, songwriting and endorsements. According to the numerous online publications we consulted, Simi net worth is estimated to be around $2 million, as of early 2023. 

 

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