Nigerian singer and songwriter, Simisola Kosoko, popularly known as Simi, has revealed that health and personal challenges delayed the release of her song ‘Where You Dey’ featuring fellow artiste, Chike.
In a statement shared on her X (formerly Twitter) page on Friday, Simi said she had planned to release the track last year after sharing a snippet that generated excitement among fans, but was unable to meet the timeline due to her physical condition at the time.
According to the singer, she was battling illness, weakness and exhaustion during the period, which affected both the completion and promotion of the song.
She said, “I really, really, really wanted to drop this song last year. When I first put out the snippet, I was so excited – but it was hard to finish it on time because everything was a blur. I was sick and weak and nauseous and tired and my body just wouldn’t do what I wanted it to. Even in the snippet video, I wasn’t feeling great. I was just trying my best.”
She added that even during the recording of the snippet video, she was unwell and simply doing her best to push through.
Simi also praised Chike for his professionalism, describing him as the perfect collaborator for the song. She said that although he was initially out of town, he came to her studio immediately after returning, unaware that she was pregnant and struggling physically at the time.
She said, “I adore Chike’s voice and I knew it was him that had to be on the song with me. When I asked him to give me a verse, he was so ready to go, but he was out of town. As soon as he came back, he came over to my studio the next day. I got a lotta respect for him. He didn’t know I was pregnant and suffering”
Reflecting on the recording process, the singer said she was surprised by the level of energy she displayed in the studio video, given her condition at the time.
She further disclosed that she mixed and mastered the song herself despite disliking the mastering process.
She said, “Watching this video back now, I can’t even understand where the energy came from. When the song was done, I struggled to mix it. Even so, I decided to master it myself. I hate mastering, so I don’t know what I thinking.”
Simi admitted she was disappointed about missing the intended release deadline, especially as fans had already connected with the song and were eager for its official release.
“I was so disappointed that I couldn’t meet the deadline. Everyone had fallen in love with the song and was asking me to put it out. I didn’t have the energy to make content. I don’t even remember them recording this video. Given how much I love this song, I’m a little bummed I couldn’t give it energy it deserves. But please, know that a lot of love and resilience went into this song. I hope that you can let less be more for this one. I hope you can give it the energy that I couldn’t. That I can’t,” she said.
Addressing long-standing public speculation about her career, Simi added that the release of the song also serves as a response to claims that she gave up her music career for marriage.
She added, “PS: This is a chance for those of you that say I gave up my career for marriage to fight(?) for my uhm…rights? That or stfu.”
