When Simi and Adekunle Gold announced that they had gotten married in January 2019, for many it was the first news that they were even a couple. Their relationship was one of the better kept secrets of the industry, and until then they were known only as two artists, occupying niches in the Juju/Yoruba Highlife genres, who occasionally collaborated on love-laced duets.
Alas, there was more to their relationship than the artistic reasons, so their four year marriage, as well as the five year relationship that preceded it, has produced not only a daughter but a multitude of heartfelt love letters shared in songs that have lived up to the sum of their individual abilities.
With the arrival of Adekunle Gold’s Tequila Ever After, his fifth studio album, the couple has logged one more entry into their shared discography, and it presents an opportunity to review some of the hits that have come before. Here is a selection of five songs from the stables of Adekunle Gold and Simi (and their daughter, Adejare) that are evident of the enormous talents these artists carry, as well as the chemistry they display when they bring them together.
“No Forget”
On Adekunle Gold’s acclaimed debut album, Gold, released in 2017, there was a story of a man whose intentions towards the girl he loved were being rebuffed due to his lowly financial status. The lovebirds would have to be parted for a while so they could work hard to afford a happy ending, and this was a renewal of vows to wait for each other and the passionate reunion that would come after this interlude.
Over hand-beaten drums, Simi played the role of the patient lover, and for the first time, we got to see these voices take turns for verses, combine for the chorus and finally spend the last verse trading lines and finishing each other’s sentences—the first run of a patented formula.
They were only breaking into the scene at the time of its release, getting ready to delve into the the music business and the effort it would take to climb to the top. In hindsight, this track served as a promise that was fulfilled at their eventual wedding two years later.
“Take Me Back”
When Simisola released her eponymous debut album four months later, it was the venue for the return leg. Here they take up roles on different sides of a breakup, as two partners who have realised that they cannot actually live without each other, and must now swallow ego and make it work once more. As always their chemistry thrives most when they share a verse, answering each other’s questions and finishing sentences.
Over the folksy, highlife-recalling production that was their forté then, they revel in some of their most traditional music of their shared discography. Adekunle Gold has spoken in interviews about just how pivotal Simi was to nudging him away from conventional pop and towards ‘Urban Highlife’, so it was a full circle moment to see him shine in the song’s production provided by Simi herself.
“Promise”
Promise was released four days after their white wedding in 2019, so for fans who did not eagerly follow celebrity gossip it was not only the first confirmation of their relationship itself, but its video was also the first official view of their private wedding ceremony.
In the song, Adekunle Gold and Simi put into words the hopes of any two young people embarking on a journey of an eternal bond. “Promise me you’ll grow old with me, and ride with me till the sun goes down”, they sing over an upbeat highlife production, as high pitched keys and bouncy drums officiate this exchange of vows.
“Happy Birthday”
Two years later in May 2020 their daughter, Adejare, was born. The emotion around her birth was covered in “Duduke”, Simi’s maternal love note to her unborn daughter that grew into a smash hit, but as for a joint record that celebrated their daughter, we had to wait until a year later, at her first birthday in 2021. Here the infant Adejare’s voice can be heard cleverly chopped into the chorus, while her parents take turns making promises of care and support and extolling her in words like “My sun, my moon, my light”
It is obvious Simi and Adekunle Gold envisioned their song to become a staple at children’s birthday parties, so they infuse it with a celebratory feel; production is kept simple yet vibrant, borrowing some of Juju and Highlife in a form that would be easy for any live band to play.
“Look What You Made Me Do”
Off Adekunle Gold’s latest album, “Look What You Made Me Do” was made with the same AfroRnB-Dancehall template that Adekunle Gold built his latest album around, also taking in some ragga elements along the way. As a result it represents a diversion from the Highlife-heavy titles from the past, but in compensation we get some of the best writing these acts have ever shared.
It is a song that celebrates nearly ten years of being together, and a love so strong it melted egos and brushed away insecurities they had had about falling in love. They duet on the bridge,—“You’re the one my heart has chosen/ Written in the stars this romance”—channelling complementary vocals and real life emotion into a song that would make for a breathtaking live performance.
A few other brilliant songs have been left out of this shortlist, like the evocative “By YOu” off Simi’s Omo Charlie Champagne and the enterprising “Uncle Suru”, where they were both featured by John Ogah. Throw in uncredited vocal performances, like Adekunle Gold on Simi’s “Woman” and Simi on “Ire”, and it becomes a lengthy list, and if you include the many contributions in songwriting and production (especially by Simi for Adekunle Gold’s Gold), you realise that these artists have had careers intertwined right since the beginning. As they continue to grow in love and artistry, we can only hope that every step of the way is soundtracked by emotive, heartfelt ballads such as these.
