Meltdown curator Little Simz is set to play the festival at the Southbank Centre this weekend (Sunday, June 22).
Performing alongside the Chineke! Orchestra, Little Simz will wrap up this year’s edition of the festival, which featured a line-up including Jon Batiste, James Blake, Nubya Garcia and Lola Young.
“It felt really important to invite a visionary who could bring deep integrity and a real sense of generational impact to the programme,” said the Southbank Centre’s head of contemporary music Jane Beese, who was speaking in our summer headliners feature in the new edition of Music Week. “Little Simz was undoubtedly that person. It’s been incredible to watch her over the past few years. She is creatively fearless and is always pushing into new territory on her own terms.”
The Meltdown performance arrives as Little Simz celebrates her highest-charting album to date. Lotus (AWAL) peaked at No.3 with opening sales of 14,115 (Official Charts Company), including 11,430 physical copies, 2,431 sales-equivalent streams and 254 downloads.
Simz is showing the next generation what’s possible, not just as a performer, but as a curator, a storyteller and a creative leader
Jane Beese
It follows the Top 5 success with previous album Sometimes I Might Be Introvert (2021), which has consumption to date of 83,298.
Little Simz has also made a breakthrough with her touring career. She will headline her first arena shows in October with appearances at Manchester’s Co-op Live (October 16) and London’s O2 Arena (October 17).
The BRIT and Mercury-winning rapper and songwriter made her DJ debut on the opening weekend of Meltdown.
“Simz is showing the next generation what’s possible, not just as a performer, but as a curator, a storyteller and a creative leader,” said Jane Beese.
PHOTO: Vic Frankowski
