Adekunle Gold reveals how Beyonce rejected a song now featured on his album ‘Fuji’

16 Sep 2025, 12:48 by Pelumi Bolawa · TheCable Lifestyle

Adekunle Gold, the Nigerian singer, has revealed that a deeply personal song on his upcoming album ‘Fuji’ was once submitted to and rejected by Beyoncé’s team.

Gold recently announced that his sixth studio album will be released on October 3.

In a newsletter shared with TheCable Lifestyle, the singer disclosed that the project narrates his personal journey, capturing lessons, victories, grief, and the joy of fatherhood.

According to him, the oldest song on the album ‘Simile’ originated from one of the most challenging periods of his life: the loss of his father in 2019.

Gold recounted being in a state of grief in Lagos when his manager presented a monumental opportunity: Beyoncé’s team had reached out, requesting he write for her ‘The Lion King’ project.

The 38-year-old songwriter revealed that despite the sadness, he eventually forced himself into his home studio.

He said there, he poured his emotions while producing ‘Simile’ — a Yoruba term meaning “rest on me”.

“I know it sounded crazy when I said I’ve been working on this album for over five years, but it’s true. The oldest song on the album came out of one of the most life-changing moments of my life,” he wrote.

“It was 2019. I was in Lagos, though I couldn’t tell you what the day looked like. I don’t remember if it was morning or night, sunny or rainy, grief has a way of numbing even your senses.

“My manager at the time had been calling me every day, urging me to get back in the studio. Beyoncé’s team had reached out; they wanted me to write for her The Lion King project.

“Under different circumstances, I would have been overjoyed. But I had just lost my father, and in that moment, even music felt like a weight. My whole world had collapsed.

“But one day, I forced myself to get up. To try. To write. I sat in my small studio at home, picked up my mic and let everything I was feeling pour out. That’s the day I wrote Simile. means rest on me, lean on me in Yoruba.”

He described the track as far more than a song, but a raw expression of his grief, confusion, and cry for direction.

Gold said knowing it was too intimate to give away, he still submitted it to Beyoncé’s team while secretly hoping it would be rejected.

The singer added that after listening to the song on repeat, he had an instant realisation that the track had a home on his own album.

“It wasn’t just a song. It was my grief, my confusion, my cry for direction. When I finished, I knew it was far too personal to give away. Still, we sent it to Beyoncé’s team, and I secretly prayed it wouldn’t make the final cut. It didn’t. And so Simile stayed hidden on a hard drive for years,” he continued.

“Fast forward to 2024. My best friend Michael, who produced Simile, played it randomly in a recording session and asked me if I remembered when I wrote it. I didn’t. I had buried it, just like I had buried so much of my grief.

“But the moment the song started playing, it all came rushing back. We sat there listening to it over and over, and I knew instantly: this belongs on ‘Fuji’.”

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