About this artist
Zimbabwean-born rapper and songwriter S1mba is known for his summery, hook-filled pop-rap tunes that take inspiration from Afroswing and trap. He rose to prominence with his single “Rover,” which became a viral hit in 2020.
Leonard Simbarashe Rwodzi was born in Harare, Zimbabwe in 1999, and he moved to Swindon, England when he was nine. Having played percussion as a child, he learned to play piano and joined his church’s band, then began singing and producing his own songs in high school. His delicate yet determined first single, “The Plan,” appeared in 2018, and was followed by “High Key” and “24/7″ in 2019. “Rover,” produced by Relyt and featuring British rapper DTG, was independently released near the end of the year. The track inspired a dance challenge on TikTok, named after the song’s catchy “mu-la-la” hook, and Parlophone picked up the single in March 2020, eventually propelling it to number three on the U.K. singles chart, and a platinum certification. Following numerous remixes of the song, S1mba’s second major-label single, “Loose” (featuring KSI), appeared in September, reaching number 14 in the U.K. and hitting the Top Ten in New Zealand. S1mba was then featured on several tracks, including a remix of Clean Bandit’s “Tick Tock” and Predz UK’s “Naughty Naughty.” ~ Paul Simpson