Abby Simone’s journey is as eclectic as her music. Born in Singapore, the singer grew up in a strict household prohibiting her to be exposed to pop music. Singing in the Church became her first kick as a singer, where she learned to perform in multiple languages and managed to get featured on movie soundtracks.
It was a matter of time before Simone began following a more introspective musical path, rebelling against the constrictions imposed by her family and exploring the music she was not allowed to listen to. This eventually actualised in Simone playing live and even forming her own band. As of now, the singer has perfected her sound as an elegant mix of jazz, and neo-soul with tints of pop, and she is venturing into the music world with a tender yet powerful debut, “Same Sunrise” an excellent culmination to Abby’s years in the making creative process.
Head below to find out more about Abby Simone’s journey, right now…
Hey Abby! You told us you were not exposed to pop music growing up. How much did this affect you and your practice?
It allowed me to create, to think outside of the box. Also hearing some of the songs now that I might’ve missed back then is a WHOLE other revelation. Of course, there are so many instances where musicians or friends bring up references from back then and I’m sitting there looking confused but otherwise, I’ve been catching up with everything that I’ve missed.
Do your cultural roots influence your music?
You know what, I never thought it did until recently. We didn’t really fit into a specific cultural norm and it was not until recently that I realised my culture is everything we did together as a family. From my father playing the bongo in church, or us watching old movies together as a family, to trying to harmonise with each other during gospel sessions.
How was your experience playing with a band?
I LOVED IT. Just like with everything, it came with its set of challenges but we had so much fun performing together. Every single time we went on stage we just forgot ourselves and became one. I gigged with them for over 3 years and not a single day felt like work. These were also guys who taught me music theory, how to count bars & the incomparable feeling of playing live with friends.
You described your latest single, “Same Sunrise” as a song dedicated to long-distance relationships: have you ever been in one?
Yes! We met in 2019 In Amsterdam during a holiday (Talk about living a real life). We both said “Nah, can’t do this” because we are not the kind of people that do long distance relationships and then 6 months later we dived right in. We discovered that communication was the most important thing. I hate how you can misunderstand things on WhatsApp sometimes, so we had to make sure we understood what the other really meant. Was it easy? No. Did it teach me how valuable alone time is? Yes. Also, time differences suck! We’d catch up after he was done with work and it would be 2 am back in Singapore. And now that I moved, I’m in a long distance relationship with my family & friends so I guess it’s an ongoing thing in my life and that’s why I wrote this song. I’m just relieved that in my case distance makes the heart grow fonder and not the other way around.
If you had to describe your journey as an artist so far, what words would you use?
Imposter Syndrome, Confident, Freedom, Innovative. (The first two contradict each other so much, I know, but it’s still a process)
Did you always want to be a musician? What was the turning point that made you want to pursue this career?
Actually, no. I’ve always wanted to be a Zoo keeper (Every time I enter the zoo, the first thing I do is take a whiff of that manure! So good…. and I know I speak for a lot of people!) Anyway I realised I had to study Biology/Life sciences and I said: nope! I love animals but I guess not as much as dreading waking up to go to school.
Music has always been a part of my life, and it was not until I wrote an original song for someone’s birthday that I went “Oh Shit, what did I just do?!” I did try and test the waters for a few years before realising this really feels like it’s a part of me now, so let’s go get it!
Let’s talk future: do you see yourself experimenting with your craft?
YES. Recently I’ve been diving into more science-y stuff (The irony) and been intrigued by lots of newfound theories & research. I’m sure at some point I’d wanna find a way to juxtapose these two and create a performance. I hope!
Your music taste seems very eclectic and tasteful, is there one musical genre that you cannot stand?
I just googled – ‘All musical genres” and I listen to almost all of them. (OKAY MAYBE EXCEPT country *I’m sorry*)
Lastly, what would be your dream collab?
To be a feature on a N.E.R.D track. They’ve done Lemon so I could be on another fruit track. Manifest with me pleaaaaase!