Simone: an artist you’ll definitely remember
Written by Daphne Bryant
All images provided by Simone
If you haven’t heard of Simone yet, you’re missing out! The heartfelt indie music artist is a breath of fresh air; her lyricism strikes the soul in intimate ways, and her incredible voice is more than just memorable. A few days ago I had the utmost pleasure of sitting down with Simone to talk all things artistry and girlhood, and I started off by asking her about her superhero origin story.
Here are the facts: Simone grew up on the Upper West Side in Manhattan and still lives in NYC. She’s a songwriter who’s been making music since she was eleven. And her music is really fucking good.
Up until the past year, Simone’s music has been primarily inspired by stories of romance and heartbreak. As she’s gotten older Simone has embraced attacking things like growing up and adulthood, but love songs and the natural cycle of life will always ring true.“ I’ve always been drawn to the truth and honesty, and I think, you know, if there’s something that I feel emotionally pulled to, whether that be my existent or non existent love life, I just tend to write about whatever I feel inspired by,” says the artist. Sometimes that inspiration is love, and sometimes it’s not romance at all. Songwriting for Simone is more about the honesty and vulnerability that comes from diving into your personal life experiences, in whatever way that manifests itself.
The genres Simone’s played with has also been pretty fluid throughout her lifelong journey with music, and now she feels as though she’s finally found her niche.“ I didn’t really know my sound when I was 12, obviously. I feel like I had time to explore different genres, or even writing styles,” says Simone. As an artist, she’s really tried to experiment and be flexible. Her upcoming EP is the first time Simone has truly felt as though she’s releasing something authentic. Lyrically it explores love, loss, anxiety and so much more, but production was the missing piece that really captured the mood Simone wanted to create;“ I always kind of knew what I wanted to say, but I never knew how to execute it without [it being] just me and a guitar.” For the EP Simone was inspired by musicians like Tom Petty and Sheryl Crow, tapping into live bands and live recordings.
Simone’s most recent track“ Emma”, which is the last single off of the EP, is the product of an impromptu guitar session, a rare moment in which everything from the verses to the melody just sort of came to her. “ Emma” stands out from other songs of Simone’s; “I definitely don’t write a lot of hopeful love songs,” says Simone, but that’s what she likes about it. It shows the other side of the spectrum: what it’s like to fall in love and be infatuated with someone. In general, the EP addresses a lot of firsts: first real heartbreaks, first real loves, etc.,.“ It was just a big year for me. This EP feels like a time capsule.”
The EP was recorded, mixed and finished within two weeks in Nashville, an ideal experience with new but very talented faces in Simone’s life.“ I hadn’t met the people who produced the EP [prior]. It was our first time meeting, and so it was really just a risk. I’m so glad that it worked out the way it did; I didn’t know what the EP needed to sound like until we were there and we were making it,” says Simone. It would be hard not to create masterpieces with producers like Jake Finch and Collin Pastore in the room. Not only did they produce Simone’s upcoming EP, but they’re the genius duo behind Lucy Dacus records and the latest boygenius project.
Simone has always loved music, movies and stories made by women.“ [Girlhood] makes me emotional. That community and that experience is so beautiful and if I can be a part of that for someone else or experience that with someone else, I think that’s always kind of been the goal. Girls, and girls who love music, are the backbone of the music industry. Fangirls are carrying,” Simone jokes. Recently she’s been writing more about girlhood and exploring it in her music and personal life (which we love).
Earlier this year Simone did her first headline tour, where she played different independent bookstores all over the East Coast. Might just be the coolest idea for a tour ever! During the shows Simone played most of her EP and made sure her fans were the first people to hear the songs live and stripped back.“ It’ll be cool to go back after the EP is out and everyone will know the songs! I’m just really happy to finally be releasing this music and meeting people in real life has been so fulfilling and awesome. I’m hoping to do more of that,” says the artist.
