By Ajifa Ainoko
Nigerian Afrobeats star Adekunle Gold has shared that one of his most personal songs was originally written for global icon Beyoncé at a time when he was battling grief.
The singer revealed that in 2019, shortly after losing his father, Beyoncé’s team reached out, inviting him to contribute to her Lion King: The Gift album.
“At the time, I was too consumed by grief to even think about music,” he recalled. “But one day I forced myself back into the studio. Out of that pain, I wrote Simile.”
According to him, although he submitted the track, he secretly wished it would not be selected for the project. The song eventually remained unreleased until 2024, when his longtime collaborator, Michael, replayed it during a studio session.
“That moment reminded me that even in my deepest loss, I was not alone; I had God to lean on,” Adekunle Gold said.
Now featured on his latest album, Fuji, the singer hopes Simile will bring comfort to others navigating grief or loss.
“Grief isn’t just about losing a parent. It can be the loss of a person, a friendship, a dream, or even a version of yourself,” he noted.
“Whatever it is, you don’t have to carry it alone.”
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