Simone Simons.
You are thinking “Epica” right now, BUT Simone is a multifaceted individual.
Since 2002, she travels the world with the band, and a camera by her side to ensure she documents all the pretty things in life. Besides the band she blogs, she is a mother, MUA (she has worked for high-end makeup brands such as MAC Cosmetics), and a freelance photographer.
I would love to get to know her better so we had a chat:
Simone, you have a quite diverse lifestyle. You’ve done photo shoots for L’Oreal and Nivea, you’ve been photographed at the Karl Lagerfeld Headquarters and at the same time you are working the metal music industry. How do you manage to combine the metalhead lifestyle with your glamorous side?
I think that fashion and music has always been connected, I actually enjoy both parts. I work hard and I have a lot of hobbies and I think that Epica also benefits from that. I can do my own makeup, make sure that everything looks good, and make sure that I don’t look like a clown on the stage. You know, the music is important but then you do photoshoots, you go on stage, and it all has to fit pretty well together. It has to complement each other I guess.
And how does it feel to be a girl in a men’s world?
I like it. I would rather be surrounded by a lot of guys than a lot of women because guys are more straight forward. More to the point. It can be annoying and they can say the same about us but with guys, it’s black and white. Guys don’t bitch around and that’s kind of nice.
Do you wear your own merch?
No, I’m not into merch that much. But we are working on something new, I can’t say too much now but something new is coming.
What’s the first band t-shirt you ever owned?
I once stole my first boyfriend’s Cradle of Filth t-shirt, Cruelty, and the Beast, that was my first band t-shirt, and I used to wear the first Epica merch like girly tank tops and so on but I’m not really a fan of wearing band merch. They guys are! They wear band t-shirts all the time. This is actually what we’ve been working on with Epica lately. To design band merch that is less obvious and maybe a little bit more everyday appropriate. Most people like wearing typical band merchandise so it’s a challenge.
If you could describe the essence of Epica in a single sentence what would that be?
Musical energy that transcends music.
When it comes to music-related content, do you prefer working with a standard crew that you know you can count on, or you enjoy trying out new people and explore new horizons and collaboration potentials and paths?
The crew that we have is very loyal until of course, something else comes up. We had a little touring break so our crew was working with other bands but we found people we like and we stick together same with the band. We have three band member changes over the past 17 years so we’ve been a pretty steady group so far, I was the last band member sever or eight years ago. Not new anymore. We have a good team.
Professionally speaking, what does it take to design your own universe?
Just going for what feels right and not listen too much what others say. If you like something keep fighting for it and even when it feels that you are not moving forward, new opportunities come and you gotta grab them. Take risks, be bold, mainly believe in yourself and keep on working on your goals cause if you keep working hard you will reach those goals. By sitting around and waiting for things to happen you’ll just end up sitting around forever. You have to make it work.
So what’s the plan for Epica now?
Well, we have the book coming out, the Essence of Epica, we have the new release of design your own Universe with an acoustic bonus CD, then we are going to do some touring, we have shows in Europe, then Israel, Moscow, Latin America, North America, and we will be recording an album and then tour again.
You are doing so much and you are always busy. What do you do to unwind, relax and leave work behind?
I love to be outside and take walks whenever I can. Right now I’m drinking tea, chamomile to unwind, and I love watching series on Netflix, take baths and sometimes play with my makeup and create new looks. I also like to bake or cook.
I decided to leave Simone to finish her cup of tea in peace. I regret not asking what she currently watches on Netflix because I would love some new suggestions. Simone, if you are reading this, lemme know, please.
——
I spent the rest of my night browsing Simon’s personal blog, SMOONSTYLE. I too, work with a lot of guys so I definitely appreciated some girly time looking at lipsticks, chit chats, and gingerbread cake pops.
I know you want more Simone in your life so I’m gonna leave you with a few fun facts about her while I keep browsing her collection of recipes.
Fun Facts about Simone!
- She is a proud mommy since 2013
- Carnival was the highlight of the year for her as a kid because she could wear makeup
- SmoonStyle has over 9 million views
- Ariel is her favorite Disney character
- Her sister was born on her second birthday
- SmoonStyle is the first beauty blog created by a singer from a metal band
- She has made up the beautiful faces of Anneke van Giersbergen, Floor Janssen, Elize Ryd & Marcela Bovio
- She loves Elstar apples
- She owns more DVDs than CDs
- Her favorite colors are orange and yellow
- She can eat a ton of chocolate
- She loves to cook but hate to clean the kitchen afterward
- She is Dutch but lives in Stuttgart, Germany
- She loves a dirty joke
- She always has some sort of candy in her handbag
Until the next one,
MHF Magazine/Chelf
