"I have so many stories inside of me. I don't want to compromise what I have to say- or how I say it. Art never got anywhere by being safe, or by copying the past." 21-year old J Simone, a poet and singer has the type of introspective music that has graced her with comparisons to her idols, such as Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye. "I have a penchant for story-telling somewhere between the likes of Joni Mitchell and B.I.G, she laughs. I loved Jefferson Airplane as much as Aretha, and Donny Hathaway as much as Jay-Z."All her songs start as poems, and J Simone calls herself a poet first. She began writing at the age of 6, and was first published at 7. Since then she has gathered a following along the way as she performed at such places as Sylvia's in New York, Harlem School of the Arts, Fairleigh Dickinson University, CBGB's, Wetlands, SOB's, the Hard Rock Cafe, Village Underground, Nelle's, and too many other clubs and events to name.
"I'm gonna start a revolution with my words-ain't that what they all say," she laughs. But really- the world needs to hear J. Simone. Her raw essence brings to mind the grittiness of hip-hop, the haunting intelligence of jazz, the desperation of a Panther poet, and the feel of 70's soul. Intellectual, sensitive, and blessed with a voice that touches the soul, J. Simone will make you listen to her words- whether sung or spoken.
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