Fae Simon: An Artist Going Onwards and Upwards!

As you should be aware, I take pleasure in reporting the professional advance of fellow artists. I find it motivational and hugely encouraging to observe the ambition, tenacity and will of individuals pursuing their interests, developing their careers and moving closer to fulfilling their dreams. I take particular pleasure in witnessing the progress of my cousin Fae Simon as she moves forward, establishing her credentials as a singer-songwriter and painter.

Trained in opera and jazz, Fae revels in live performances. Drawing from all her musical influences, Fae has idiosyncratically fused hip-hop, jazz, rare groove, soul and dub in her song writing. Having toured the London unsigned scene, performing tracks from her debut album, “Mellowdrama” she has become a firm underground favourite. Her track entitled ‘New Londinium’ features on my video ‘Let’s Jam- A Painting in the Making.’

Gaining further performance experience from supporting N’Dambi at London’s Jazz Café and touring with Yarah Bravo & Trommel Tobi on her ‘Good Girls Rarely Make History’ tour, Fae has introduced Europe to a new facet of her style. After headlining ‘Got Soul’ at the Bohannon Jazz Club Berlin in November 2010, the next year brought two fresh releases. The first was ‘RoyalFlushLushSelf’ taken from the ‘Faerie in the Cloudz’ EP, an experimental collaborative EP reflecting a journey of the alter egos of Jonas McCloud aka CloudFistConceptz; and Fae Simon aka the AfroFaerie, available for download on the ‘Untold Songs’ compilation for Amnesty International. The second was ‘I See You’ a reggae/dub hit on the ‘Love The Music’ compilation released by Ryff Music in conjunction with the Caribbean Tourist Organization, featuring Singing Melody and Aloe Blacc. I take pleasure sharing a recent conversation with I had with her.

DEN: You’re a talented painter as well as a singer- songwriter so are you furthering your visual art career?

FAE: I have just successfully exhibited & sold my first pop art piece in Berlin, for the annual artshow and am working on 3 canvases for exhibiting at Yarah Bravo’s ‘Pop-Up’ store, which should be back in Brick Lane next month.

DEN: Since I can remember you’ve been singing but how did you get into it?

FAE: I attended the Weekend Arts College where I received voice & dance tuition from professionals. Julie Dexter was my singing teacher. I then started working on my own music by collaborating with producers I’d met or knew, the first being Jnr Sas from the Planets…and the rest is my autobiography…lol…

DEN: Who is your greatest inspiration within the industry?

FAE: That is a BIG question because I don’t really know! I’d say Lauryn Hill, because she can sing, act & is one of the best female rappers ever! She was iconic as a young dark-skinned, natural-haired woman in a crew with men. She showed me that I could do it all & do it well when I was young. Aim high!!

DEN: Of your contemporaries, who would you like to work with and why?

FAE: Ooooh, the hard questions keep coming!

DEN: Ok, I’ll let you think on that one. I loved the energy and eclectic sounds of your last album. What should we expect of your second?

FAE: Even more! I have more collaborations with featured artists, not just producers; such as John Robinson & Pugs Atomz, as well as some fully live tracks. You will even hear me rapping on it too! I’m really excited about it!

DEN: Many UK RnB female singers have their sights set on the US and overseas. I know you’ve toured Europe in recent years so what’s next on your agenda?

FAE: I’m not an RnB singer, but yes I hope to get out to the US asap!

One of my tracks ‘I See You’ was released on the ‘Love the Music’ compilation for the Caribbean Tourist Board but released by Ryff Music in Atlanta who are hopefully going release more tracks of mine that will get promoted in the US. The track & compilation are available on iTunes. For now, I’m on Jehst’s 2nd UK tour & feature on the remix album of ‘A Dragon of an Ordinary Family’