Q&A: Simone Explores Self-Worth and Complexities of Relationships in “Any Girl”
CAPTURING THE DELICATE BALANCE OF LOVE AND SELF-ACCEPTANCE – Simone has released her latest single “Any Girl” that dives deep into the intricate and often tumultuous landscape of self-worth in the midst of romance. With sharp and witty lyrics, she captures moments of doubt, jealousy and desire, exploring the nuanced implications of wanting to be “that girl.”
“I was really compelled to write about this specific situation, because it felt like a really interesting and universal experience that a lot of young women go through: this desire to feel wanted and to be ‘enough’ for the person we’re with, to the point where we neglect our own self-worth,” Simone says.
“Any Girl” is marked by Simone's signature cinematic eye, allowing her to capture the rough edges of modern relationships in vivid detail. Her songwriting is not only poignant but also sonically rich, blending pop hooks with indie-rock grit and singer/songwriter intimacy. The arrangements in “Any Girl” are layered and textured, providing a lush backdrop to the emotionally charged lyrics.
The songstress’ ability to articulate the complexities of romance and self-worth sets her apart as a songwriter. Her lyrics are filled with sharp observations and emotional depth, resonating with listeners on a personal level.
Beyond her musical prowess, Simone's recent journey in the music industry has been nothing short of inspiring. She recently completed her first headline tour, performing at independent bookstores across the Northeast as part of the #booktok movement, followed by electrifying shows at iconic NYC venues Mercury Lounge and Baby's All Right.
LUNA: Thank you for sitting down and talking to Luna. Our readers would love to get to know you and your music more. For any readers who aren’t familiar yet, what inspires your artistic style and sound?
SIMONE: I'm really inspired by my life and everything that I live through every day. I feel like my sound evolves with my life, and what I'm listening to and what I'm interested in. I've been making music my whole life. My music has really evolved through that because I've changed so much and learned so much about my life. I'm really inspired by things that I don't know. I think the thing that stayed consistent is that I've always been really inspired by storytelling and real emotions that connect people. The honesty in songwriting has always really spoken to me and the vulnerability of that always really inspires me and keeps me wanting to do that on my own.
LUNA: What kind of atmosphere or emotional space do you aim to create for your listeners?
SIMONE: I recently did a tour and I only played in bookstores, and I feel like that was a situation where it felt so perfect, and it felt like the perfect environment to share my music. I've always written songs on the guitar and it's always been a really intimate thing in my room. I think that was the closest I've ever gotten to actually emulating that in a live setting, and especially with this upcoming music, I felt like it was the perfect way to showcase it and have people hear it in that setting. There's something about the storytelling aspect, the quietness and intimacy, and the community aspect of it. I think that was the ideal vibe for my music.
LUNA: What do you absolutely need in your space when you feel a creative spark hitting you?
SIMONE: There’s instruments everywhere in my apartment. There’s always a guitar within one foot of me at all times. I feel like just being surrounded by that all day encourages me to pick up an instrument. I just got a piano for the first time and being surrounded by that is encouraging. When I'm out and don't have access to instruments, I'm always writing lyrics on my phone. I wish I was carrying a journal around, but it's really opening my phone, writing lyrics or humming a melody into my voice memos.
LUNA: You just released your latest single “Any Girl” and I adore how introspective and vulnerable the lyricism is. I would love to hear anything you would like to share about the inspiration behind the single.
SIMONE: I love this song. I feel like it was the first song I've ever written at the time that I allowed myself to be angrier or more playful. I was writing from a sad perspective for a while and this song unlocked this other side of my songwriting that I was afraid to open or explore before. I’m now exploring this side of emotion and womanhood and it’s a lot more happier. The song started with lyrics and then I built a melody around it, and it was one of those moments where I was feeling really intensely and was writing paragraphs about how I was feeling. I was in the session writing the song and I was just picking out pieces from the paragraphs and putting them together in the song. I'm really happy with how it ended up and I'm happy that it's out and that people are resonating with it.
LUNA: “Any Girl” is a sneak peek into your upcoming EP Someone You Remember. Can you tell us about the overall concept of the project and how “Any Girl” fits into that narrative?
SIMONE: I wrote all of these songs within the same year. It was my senior year of high school, and I felt like it was a crazy year of anyone's life. I feel like a lot happens to you emotionally and there's a lot of change happening. I felt like these songs were very reminiscent of all of that and are an exploration of all sides of emotion at the time. During that year, it was my first love and my first heartbreak and this fear and anxiety and the next phase of my life and this nostalgia for childhood. I felt like there were a lot of emotions going on in my head that I didn't realize I was exploring. As I was putting together the tracklist and recording the songs, I realized it was a time capsule of that year of my life. I feel like it explores different emotions and experiences that I was going through at the time.
LUNA: This is your first big project since your Love Lessons EP in 2021. Have you experimented more or taken any risks – either lyrically, sonically or emotionally – with Someone You Remember since your previous releases?
SIMONE: I feel like I've really found my sound. I've been recording music since I was 12, and obviously I was a very shy and introverted kid. Being in a studio and telling someone what I thought of what they were doing and telling someone what I wanted, it felt impossible. I didn't know how to express myself in any other way than writing a song. I was very closed off. I think more recently, in the past few years of writing this project and recording it, I really stepped into my own voice and was able to really express myself and know what I want in my songs. I think that was always the piece that was missing, which was having the story there, but how can I match it with the production and with the actual recording version? I never had that nailed down because I didn't have enough of a voice. Recording this project was really eye opening to me to get a feel for a studio setting and feel like an equal and also feel really confident in my ideas. It was something that took me a long time to be able to do, but I feel like with this project, that all shifted for me.
LUNA: What is your favorite song from Someone You Remember and why do you love it? Is there a certain lyric or message that stands out to you the most?
SIMONE: There's a song called “Emma” that's going to be the next single that comes out in August and it's one of my favorite songs I've ever written. It was one of those songs that literally just came out of nowhere and I was in my bedroom in LA and I wrote the whole song in an hour. It was one of those moments where I disappeared into the song and let my subconscious do everything. It flowed out exactly how I was feeling at that moment. It's a really special song to me because it's a love song and I never released a love song before. I don't write a lot of love songs either, so it's like a special memory. I felt like when I wrote it, I knew it was special. When I was recording it and the way that it came to be was the ideal scenario. I'm really proud of how it turned out. It feels very special to me. I'm excited for people to hear it because that's the only song from the EP that I've never played live either.
LUNA: What messages, emotions or story do you hope listeners can take away from the EP?
SIMONE: I always hope with all my music that it makes people feel something. I don't really intend to make music for the purpose of people relating to it. I think when you try to make music that people relate to, it's obvious that it's not truthful and I really try to be as honest as possible. I think that's really what connects people, is when you get really vulnerable and you get really truthful. I really hope that it can resonate with people and extend it to their own lives and that they can take it in and feel something when they listen to it. I feel like the music that I love is music that moves me, so my goal is always to make a song that moves someone even if it's just one person.
LUNA: What would be the best environment to listen to Someone You Remember in?
SIMONE: I feel like since it's like summer, it feels very like summery vibes. I'm very into the whole flower aesthetic. I've always seen those visuals when I'm listening to this project or when I was writing it. I'm in New York and I go to Central Park and take myself out on a solo picnic or walk around and see all the beautiful flowers.
LUNA: How are you feeling in this current era of your career and what does the rest of the year look like that you would like to share with Luna?
SIMONE: I'm really happy to be releasing this music. I've been sitting with it for a minute and trying to get the production right for a really long time. I'm excited to get that EP out and start the next chapter and to be in the headspace of what's next. I'm really excited about what I'm writing for the next project and I'm definitely already in that headspace. I'm probably going to be playing a bunch more shows in the fall and probably be going back to Nashville to write some more. I'm happy that I'm releasing music that I feel really proud of, which is a good feeling.
