Some people are just destined for greatness. More than a decade ago, a fifth-grade student out of Guilford County Schools by the name of Simone Joy Jones earned a leading role in a Broadway production. Since then, she’s gone on to appear in Anything’s Possible, The Son of No One and The Chair. Now, she’s secured a key role as Lisa in Bel-Air. Not to mention, she also earned a degree at the prestigious Carnegie Mellon University. If that wasn’t enough, she can also sing. While many may know her for her work on screen, the North Carolina native has used the moniker, S!MONE, to express herself musically.
Whatever high marks film and television critics may give her for her work on Bel-Air, S!MONE is equally, if not more, talented as a vocalist. Don’t believe me? Use her latest single, “Ether,” as an introduction. Produced by Brown Boyz, the nearly three-minute single uses a soulful, yet sultry soundscape to make a bold statement about claiming personal peace and freedom from those who just aren’t meant to be in your space.
“I don’t want to fake smile no more. Take the truth however you want to, but I ain’t gotta try no more,” she opens the track.
It comes as no surprise that my YouTube algorithm began playing “Senses” by Mack Wilds and “Gonna Love Me” by Teyana Taylor after “Ether” finished. Like those two artists, S!MONE has the talent to be not only a star in front of the camera, but also behind the microphone. Check out “Ether” below.
