Simi Opens Up on Health Battle While Recording ‘Where You Dey’ Featuring Chike
Award-winning Afrobeats singer Simi has opened up about the health and personal struggles she faced while working on her latest single, Where You Dey, featuring fellow singer Chike.
The singer revealed that although she had planned to release the song in 2025, health challenges forced her to delay the project, leaving her physically weak and emotionally drained during the creative process. Eyes Of Lagos reports,
Sharing her experience via X (formerly Twitter), Simi explained that she was initially excited about the song after teasing it with a snippet but struggled to complete it on schedule due to illness.
“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,” she wrote.
According to the singer, she battled sickness, fatigue and nausea while recording the song, including during the filming of the snippet video.
“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.
Simi also praised Chike for his dedication and professionalism, saying his contribution to the song exceeded her expectations.
“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. As soon as he came back into town, he came over to my studio the next day. I’ve got a lot of respect for him,” she said.
She disclosed that Chike was unaware of her health condition at the time, adding that watching the studio footage later surprised her.
Struggles With Mixing and Mastering
Beyond recording, Simi revealed she also struggled with the technical side of the song, particularly mixing and mastering. Despite disliking the process, she eventually decided to master the track herself.
“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 was thinking,” she wrote.
The singer admitted she was disappointed about missing her planned release timeline and not being able to promote the song as much as she wanted due to low energy.
“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. Given how much I love this song, I’m a little bummed I couldn’t give it the energy it deserves,” she said.
Despite the challenges, Simi urged fans to embrace the song with understanding, describing it as a project created with “a lot of love and resilience.”
She also used the moment to respond to critics who claim marriage slowed down her career, stating that Where You Dey is proof of her continued passion for music and her craft.