Simi is a 36-year-old beautiful and petite Nigerian Afro-Pop singer, songwriter, and sound engineer who gained recognition in the music scene in 2014 with her song Tiff, which was nominated for Best Alternative Song at The Headies 2015. This fabulous, captivating singer and performer has a subtle voice that usually lingers in the heads of her listeners long after the sound has ended. Her songs are unique and capable of standing the test of time, and her lyrics are thoughtfully written with productions that usually match her genre and voice.
What’s more, the talented singer has not only won the hearts of her listeners through her endearing songs but has also made her big bucks from music. Her net worth as of 2021 is estimated at an impressive $1 million. While it is apparent that her songs have struck chords in the hearts of her listeners, given her unique voice, Simi kicked off her music career way back in 2008 as a gospel singer. Today, she has become and remains notable in the Nigerian entertainment industry.
Simi’s Profile Summary
- Full Name: Simisola Bolatito Adeola Opeyemi Oreoluwa Kosoko (née Ogunleye)
- Place of Birth: Ojuelegba, Surulere, Lagos State
- Date of Birth: 19th April 1988
- Age: 36 years old
- Education: Covenant University Lagos State
- Occupation: Singer, songwriter, actress, sound engineer
- Marital Status: Married to Adekunle Gold since January 2019
- Children: A daughter
- Active Years: 2008 till present
- Net Worth: $1 million
Simi Was Born In Lagos State 36 Years Ago
The talented singer was born Simisola Bolatito Adeola Opeyemi Oreoluwa Ogunleye on 19 April 1988 in Ojuelegba, a suburb of Surulere in Lagos State, Nigeria. Simi is the only girl child and the last born out of her parents’ four children. Consequently, she grew up being a tomboy (a girl who exhibits traits or behaviors considered typical of a boy).
According to records, her parents divorced when she was nine years old; hence, she was singlehandedly raised by her mum, Mrs. Jedidiah Ogunleye. Her father, Charles Oladele Ogunleye, died in 2014. In January 2018, her mother remarried another man. There is no public information about the singer’s siblings and what they are currently up to.
Simisola attended primary and secondary school in Ikorodu, Lagos State. Upon completing her secondary education at Stars International College, she studied at the prestigious Covenant University and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Mass Communication.
Music is a Major Contributor to Her $1 Million Net Worth
One of the most successful Nigerian song makers, Simi has amassed a satisfactory wealth and fortune for herself from music and sources like endorsement deals and her record label. Here are details of where and how she started her career journey.
Simi Kicked Off Her Professional Music Career at the age of 20 in 2008
Simi penned her first song at the age of 10 and began singing at the age of 16. She had a passion for music right from childhood, and so she joined her church’s teenage choir, where she used to sing and dance. Probably due to her church background, she began her career in the music industry as a gospel singer, releasing her debut studio album titled Ogaju in 2008. Produced by Samklef, some of the popular singles in the album include Iya Temi, Ara Ile, and others
However, a few years later, Simi switched over to singing secular songs and got her breakthrough in the mainstream music industry in 2014 under the record label X3M Music, which she was signed to in the same year. During her time at X3M Music label, she released several hits and featured in several hit records such as Soldier, with Falz, No Forget, with Adekunle Gold, Orire, with Legendury Beatz, and a few others.
Her EP, Restless, Released in 2014, Gave Her a Place in the Music Industry
With Restless, Simi started gaining more recognition and ground on the music front. She released the 5 track EP in January 2015, which landed her the record contract she had with X3M Music. In the same January 2014, she released two singles Tiff, and E No Go Funny. These two songs were successful as they received frequent airplay with positive reviews from critics. They also were nominated for Best Alternative Song at the 2015 edition of The Headies. The video of Tiff, directed by Josh Clarke, was released on 30 August 2015 and gained massive views.
In 2016, Simi released an EP with Falz titled Chemistry. Produced by Sess in October 2016, Chemistry became Simi’s most successful collaboration. The Ep contains seven songs, including Foreign, Want To, Cinderella, Show You Pepper, Enough, and Shake Your Body. She followed it up in September 2017 with her Sophomore album Simisola which was a hit, making it at number 5 on the Billboard World Music charts. The album also debuted at number 1 on the Apple Music and iTunes chart and held its position for three consecutive weeks.
A Look at Her Other Famous Songs To Date
In 2016, she released Jamb Question, followed up by its remix featuring popular Nigerian rapper Falz. In the same year, she dropped a single love ballad titled Love Don’t Care. The song, produced by Oscar Heman Ackah, grossly exposes and addresses discrimination and tribalism in the country. With its video directed by Clarence Peters, Love Don’t Care has enjoyed a good play on many TV and Radio stations both within and across the country.
Going forward in her music career, in 2017, the Afropop singer dropped two hit singles Joromi and Smile For Me, which were also followed up with music videos directed by Aje Films and Clarence Peters, respectively. These songs made her exceptionally popular, fetched her big sums, and contributed to her net worth running in millions of dollars. Another Simi song that made her gain public attention and incredibly established as one of the most successful musicians with a satisfactory fan base is Duduke. She released the song at the age of 32 in 2020 and dedicated it to her unborn baby to symbolize love and hope. With over 47 million views on YouTube, Duduke has received and continues to receive frequent airplay with many positive reviews.
Meanwhile, in March 2019, Simi announced that she would be dropping her third studio album in a series of social media messages. Then on 19 April 2019, to celebrate her 31st birthday in grand style, she released her third album titled Omo Charlie Champagne, Vol. 1. Against her normal afro-centric kind of songs, the album slightly took a different style, having a mixture of Afropop, Afro-fusion, moombahton, Afro-soul, R&B, EDM, and a sentimental ballad. Simi revealed in an interview that the album is a dedication to her father, Charles Oladele Ogunleye, who died in 2014.
Omo Charlie Champagne, Vol. 1 is a 13-track album featuring guest vocals such as Maleek Berry, Patoranking, Falz, and her husband, Adekunle Gold. It was produced by Oscar with contributions from Vtek, Legendary Beatz, and Sess. Below are other interesting and popular songs of Simi that have gone ahead to catapult her into the music hall of fame and added to her wealth.
- Ara Ile
- Emi L’Onijo
- Take a Chance
- Chocolate Brown’ Non-album single
- Don’t Judge Me
- Bibanke
- Marvin’s Room
- Tiff’ Simisola
- E No Go Funny
- Jamb Question Simisola
- Jamb Question Remix (featuring Falz)
- Open and Close
- Love Don’t Care’ Simisola
- Smile for Me
- Joromi
- I Dun Care Omo Charlie Champagne, Vol. 1
- Lovin Omo Charlie Champagne, Vol. 1
- Ayo Charlie Champagne, Vol. 1
Endorsements and Other Businesses that Add to Simi’s Net Worth
Even though Simi may have other businesses she runs by the side, the most recognized is her endorsement deals. The multiple award-winning singer has made fortunes out of mouthwatering endorsement deals she signs. On 10 February 2017, Simi was endorsed by one of Nigeria’s telecoms firms, Etisalat, as its ambassador. Upon bagging this lucrative deal, in the same year, she landed another mouthwatering contract as a brand ambassador for a multinational mobile web browser, Opera Mini. Though the exact amount she was paid is not made public, these two deals are recorded to be worth millions of naira.
Furthermore, in addition to her music career, Simi is a sound engineer, and she obviously earns money from it. She is recognized to be the engineer behind the mixing and mastering of her husband Adekunle Gold’s debut studio album titled Gold. She also does mixing and mastering for other artists in Nigeria. Not only that, the Duduke singer earns a bit part of her income from acting. She made her acting debut in 2019 with the movie Mokalik, a film directed by Kunle Afolayan. She also gets paid to play assisting roles in movies.
Upon expiration of Simi’s contract with her first record label X3M Music in May 2019, she did not renew the contract but had plans to launch her own independent label. X3M Music announced her departure, and both parties agreed to part ways. Then in the following month, June 2019, she launched her record label, Studio Brat. Under her record label, she has released several songs, including Duduke, her second EP titled Restless II, which is a continuation of Restless EP, and many others. Admittedly, she earns largely from music, yet, it goes without saying that her net worth in recent years was achievable through her record label.
Simi Has Several Awards to Her Name
Given her outstanding and impressive performance and contribution to the Nigerian entertainment industry, Sim has been recognized with notable and top awards on several occasions. Besides nominations, below is a list of her awards so far in her music career.
- 2015- Most Promising Act to Watch by the Nigerian Entertainment Awards
- 2015- Most Promising Act of The Year by City People Entertainment Awards
- 2016- Female Artiste of the Year by City People Entertainment Awards
- 2016- Choice Upcoming Female Artist by Nigerian Teen Choice Awards
- 2016- “Soldier” (with Falz) won Best Collaboration at The Headies
- 2016- “Love Don’t Care” won the Best Female Vocal Performance at The Headies
- 2017- “No Forget” (with Adekunle Gold) won Best Collabo of the year at the City People Entertainment Awards.
- 2017- Songwriter of the Year by AFRIMA Awards
- 2018- “Joromi” won Best Recording of the Year at The Headies
- 2018- “Smile For Me” won Best R&B Single of the Year at The Headies
- 2018- “Simisola” won Album of the Year at The Headies
- 2018- Prize for Music by Future Awards Africa
- 2021- Most Popular Musician by Net Honours
- 2021- Most Searched FemaleMusician by Net Honours
Fun Facts About The Amazing Singer
Simi is simply one of the most talented singers of her time with so much uniqueness. Here is a highlight of some amazing features about the songbird that would interest you.
- Voice: Unarguably, Simi has the softest voice among the top reigning female singers in Nigeria. Her very tiny but clear voice is so easy to distinguish. Like a trademark, her voice cannot go unrecognized on the radio. Unlike Beyoncé and some other singers, whose soft singing voice is deeper when they talk, Simi’s singing voice is the same as her talking voice. Her child-like textured voice makes her even more adorable and interesting to have a conversation with.
- Her Size: They say big things usually come in small packs, and that goes for Simi. Her petite stature, height, and matching voice make her an object to fall in love with. Her age, which is not reflected in her physic, does not matter, as she looks and sounds like a child – which is very cute for a music star who appeals more to the younger generation.
- Her Fashion Sense: Simi understands fashion and knows what best suits her size. She loves wearing above-the-knee apparel – gowns, bums, etc. However, when she rocks jeans trousers, she does it so well and does not forget to accessorize with a scarf or choker necklace.
- Laughter: Simi loves to smile and laugh a lot – one you won’t forget in a hurry. Listening to her laughter can be as addictive as doing the same to her songs – her laughter can stay imprinted in your subconscious for a while.
- Her Playful Nature: The talented singer has a playful disposition. People who follow her on social networks can tell from her videos and pictures that she is simple and loves to play and create fun for herself. She is known on Instagram (@symplysimi) for sharing videos of herself singing or smiling and saying nothing or saying something funny.