Today's Song of the Day, as chosen by Gabriel Teodros, host of Early on KEXP, is "Angel" by Little Simz, from the 2022 album NO THANK YOU on Forever Living Originals.
With her latest single "Angel," London-based artist Little Simz continues to pay tribute to her friend Harry Uzoka, who was murdered in 2018.
"Harry listenin’ from Heaven on repeat/
He was backin’ it when nobody believed"
She previously wrote about Uzoka with her 2019 song "Wounds" off the album GREY Area. As she told The Guardian at the time, "“I remember waking up, Googling, trying to find out as many details as I could and going to the studio in bits. I sat in the dark in tears and I didn’t go on socials to see everyone posting ‘RIP’ – and because I didn’t do that, I was able to write 'Wounds.'”
Today's Song of the Day not only finds Little Simz continuing to process her grief, but also struggling with the music industry, as she notes on the couplet:
"They don’t care if your mental is on the brink of somethin’ dark/
As long as your cuttin’ somebody’s payslip"
A ten-minute short film was released to accompany her latest LP NO THANK YOU. Watch that below, along with her 2021 Live on KEXP at Home session.
