Words by Carol Wright | Photos by Noah Shaub and Camilla Ffrench
Singer/Songwriter Simone chatted with Nyota about creating her music, connecting with her listeners on social media, and her advice for aspiring singers.
When did you start writing and making music?
My whole life I would improvise songs and stories in my head. I have so many voice memos of me from elementary school where I would just press record and sing whatever came to mind. When I was 11 I finally sat down and learned guitar, which really changed the game for me. I started getting more serious about songwriting and realized how passionate I was about starting a music career. My songs started to become worth hearing.
You’re an up and coming singer. How have you been working on connecting with listeners and using social media to build an audience?
The main thing I always try to do is make sure my listeners know how much I appreciate them. I talk to them a lot through Twitter and Instagram in group chats and live-streams. It’s really important for me to build that connection with them and make sure they know more about me and who I am as a human rather than just an artist.
What’s your music making process?
I write all of my songs in my bedroom by myself. Usually how it happens is I’ll get a spark of inspiration and sit at my piano or grab my guitar and start messing around with chords and melodies. I’ll eventually find something I like and stick with it, and then I ask the question “what story do I wanna tell?”. It can sometimes take months to get into the studio and record the song, but once we do I’ll bring it in to my producer and we’ll start building it together and bringing it to life.
Tell us about your song “The End of The World”. What inspired the lyrics and sound?
I wrote “The End of The World” after reading a poem about the frustration of someone almost having an identity crisis. They didn’t know who they were supposed to be because they were being told different things by everyone. I think it’s really common for people my age to feel out of place and helpless in politics or other earthly situations. Some people want us to just sit back and watch, but in reality we’re the voices that should be heard the most. I wanted the verses to be very angsty and rebellious, with a very danceable and lighthearted chorus.
Who are some of your music inspirations?
say this all the time but Taylor Swift is my biggest influence. She really got me into the storytelling aspect of music and made me fall in love with writing lyrics. I’m also really influenced by Jack Antonoff and all the music he makes, he’s like a magician in the studio. I don’t know how he does it. Definitely a huge dream of mine to work with him one day.
What advice do you have for aspiring singers?
The biggest advice I can give anyone aspiring to be a musician is to not give up when things get hard. The music industry is not an easy road to travel. There’s a common misconception that fame and success happen overnight or from one song, and if it doesn’t happen like that it won’t happen at all. The truth is, like anything in life, it’s a lot of work and is not easy. But if it’s something that you’re really passionate about, you have to keep going. Doubt should never win.
