Nigerian singer Simi has responded to the backlash trailing resurfaced tweets accused of sexualising a four-year-old child, insisting her comments were misinterpreted and never driven by perversion.
The controversy erupted after some social media users dug up old posts from 2012, sparking outrage online and prompting calls for accountability.
Breaking her silence on X (formerly Twitter), the Duduke crooner addressed the issue in a lengthy post, explaining the context behind the tweets.
“I haven’t been on twitter today – but someone brought a few of my old tweets to my attention and I can’t not address it.
14 years ago, I was 23, so I was definitely not a child. I’m not here to make excuses because I don’t have anything to make excuses for. What I can’t let anyone do is twist my story to fit false narratives.
In 2012, I lived and helped out at my mom’s daycare while I was hustling my music. I tweeted everything that happened in my life, as we all did at the time. Kids can be mischievous. If a child did something I found funny, I tweeted about it. Kids are cute and lovable. I want to hug, kiss and cuddle them. I tweet about it. Nothing I tweeted was from perversion.
I was not famous, so maybe if I was, I would have understood that anything is open to whatever interpretation including being used falsely by a faceless mob. I’ve never been depraved in my life. You can retweet all the tweets in the world about me loudly crushing on people I admire/d. Or being a cheeky young woman. I wasn’t trying to hide it, because I don’t have anything to hide.
My team has been deleting some of my tweets because of how sensitive it is for my family. To be honest, I did not want to. I have always spoken against rape and sexual assault even before you knew I existed. It’s not a costume I’m wearing, it’s who I am. I’ve never claimed to be perfect. I’ve never claimed to know everything. I said stop raping women. I stand by it.”
Simi also revealed that although she initially opposed taking down the tweets, her team stepped in due to the emotional impact the situation has had on her family.
The singer maintained that her longstanding advocacy against rape and sexual assault predates her fame, stressing that her values remain unchanged despite the current controversy.
