Afrobeats star Adekunle Gold has revealed the painful experience that inspired his 2019 hit song, Simile, saying the track was created during a difficult period following the death of his father.
The singer explained that he wrote the song at a time when he was struggling with grief, feeling uncertain about the future and looking for the emotional strength to cope with his loss.
He wrote, “When I wrote “Simile” in 2019, I had just lost my father, and I was lost in a way that is difficult to explain. I wrote this song from that place, asking for something to lean on when I didn’t know how to carry everything I was feeling.”
Adekunle Gold said revisiting the song years later during an orchestral performance also made him reflect on the person he was when he originally wrote it.
According to him, the version of himself who created Simile in 2019 would never have imagined that seven years later, he would still be making music, pursuing his ambitions and achieving dreams that once appeared far beyond his reach.
“Performing that same song with an orchestra years later reminded me of the person I was when I wrote it. He couldn’t have imagined this moment. He couldn’t have imagined that 7 years later, he would still be here, still making music, still dreaming, and actually living some of the dreams that once felt so far away”.
He further described Simile as a reminder that difficult seasons eventually pass, encouraging people facing challenging circumstances to remain hopeful.
“Simile reminds me that life can change in ways you cannot see when you are in the middle of the darkest part of it. So whatever you’re going through, let Simile remind you that there is always light at the end of the tunnel. Your darkest moments won’t last forever”, he concluded.
Released in 2019, Simile has continued to resonate with Adekunle Gold’s audience and stands out as a deeply personal song that explores themes of grief, love, perseverance and hope.
