The Girl Behind The Noise: Interview With Simone, Founder of Girl noise

Photo by Camilla Ffrench

I met up with Simone on a rainy Sunday morning in the East Village. We discussed her upcoming album, the story behind her all girl music festival called Girl Noise, and her thoughts on New York City’s music scene. 

I want to start by talking about your introduction to music. You’ve stated before that you used to play open mic nights in bars when you were 11. Is this where your musical journey started? Or was it even earlier than that?

I was the kid who was performing for anyone who would come over to our house. I was like, “watch me sing!” I was always performing, always singing. I just loved it so much, I don’t remember a time where I wasn’t doing it. My parents were definitely encouraging of creativity, so I think that was part of it too. Just letting us use our imagination. I did musical theater when I was younger, which was a really fun introduction to the world of performing and being onstage. It allowed me to experience that feeling of disappearing into yourself when you’re onstage and being able to be a different type of person. I was such a shy kid, but I loved being able to play a part where I could be big and loud onstage in a way that I can’t really be off of it. From there, I realized how much I loved it and how much I wanted to hone it in more and more. 

Are your parents artists too?

My dad is a huge music nerd. He’s also a bass player and played in bands as a hobby. When we were growing up, we would watch him play with his friends. My mom is a big musical theater person, so those creative outlets were definitely soaked into our childhoods. 

What is it like trying to uphold your identity as an artist in a city like New York where there’s constantly more talent popping up? Is it exciting? Is it competitive at times?

It’s honestly encouraging, the more incredible artists there are around you. That’s one thing I love about New York so much and is very unique to New York. I feel this way when I’m in Nashville. I write there and I work there a lot. I think that seeing other talented people who have such a desire to be individuals and want to be artists first before anything is really inspiring. When you’re surrounded by people who maybe don’t have that same care and attention to detail, it’s a little bit more isolating. I think New York is the most inspiring place to be, just seeing how many creative, unique, and talented people are here. Watching them succeed in their own ways never feels competitive. We’re all doing our own thing, there’s enough room for all of us. It’s been fun over the years to carve out my own space and figure out where I fit in. Over the years it’s definitely been a trial and error to find that space. I feel like I’m finally finding my footing here and know what I can bring to the table. 

I think you do bring a lot of interesting, unique ideas to the table. One that stuck out to me was the east coast tour you did where you only played bookstores. What inspired that creative approach to a tour rather than doing something more “traditional?”

Honestly, it was more out of necessity than anything. It’s so hard to sell tickets that I thought, “how can I perform and bring people to shows who maybe can’t afford it?” As for playing in bookstores, I just love them. I love books, and I love reading. It felt like a very natural fit for the EP that was coming out at the time. It felt very intimate and acoustic, which was kind of a transition from the other stuff I had made in the past. Bookstores just felt like a natural fit. It didn’t feel like a lot of people were doing that, and it was a fun way of getting people to show up who might not know me. I would post a video saying “who wants to see a concert at a bookstore? It’s free!” and people would stop by without knowing who I was. It taught me a lot too, because it’s hard to perform to fewer people than it is to more. Even the experience of playing in a day-lit room and being able to see everyone’s faces. Like, if someone yawns, I’m looking at them. I’m seeing it. There’s no hiding, there’s just eye contact. There were times where people would be coming in and out and the store would be busy. So, I learned a lot as a performer just from playing in some uncomfortable positions. There was a lot of adapting to be done, but it was a really fun experience. 

It sounds like you took yourself outside of your comfort zone. Do you prefer the late-night show where you can’t see the crowd to the more intimate, acoustic setting?

It depends on the crowd. There were some shows in bookstores where people were singing along and it felt so energetic. It was 3pm on a Sunday, and it felt like it could have been 11pm on a Friday. Either way, I’ve always been down to play anywhere. Truly, if you’ll have me I’ll play, I just love it so much. From being 11 and playing in random bars, that was ingrained in me, to play as much as you can and get better. Everything’s practice, everything is a step towards your goal. I’ll do anything. 

Photo by Camilla Ffrench

On the topic of uniqueness, I want to touch on your creative process a bit. You’ve stated previously, “I’m always writing, it’s like a muscle I have to exercise every day.” What does day-to-day writing look like for you, and how does that evolve into your final product? 

I definitely go through phases with writing. I just finished up an album, and that writing process was super intense. I told myself, “every day from 12 to 6 I’m not leaving my desk.” I was so strict about being able to write every day and making sure I was getting as much as possible out of it. So, by the time I was done with the album I knew that I had written every song I needed to. I knew there was nothing left, I just had to get to the point where I couldn’t say anything else. I really like routines, so things like that are really helpful. I definitely go through phases where I have to focus on other things, whether I’m in the release process, or I’m doing promo and my schedule changes. I always go back to writing at the end of the day, it’s what keeps me going. My first instinct any time I feel something is to go to the guitar and start writing about it. I’m kind of in the stage right now of doing it when I feel called to it rather than doing it every day. It’s always been my favorite part of the process, even though it can be grueling sometimes. It’s definitely not always fun, but it feels like a challenge. I learn something new with every song I write. If the song sucks, there might be a lyric or a melody that I like and end up using for another song. It’s kind of the same with live shows, you get better every time you do it. I prefer quantity over quality sometimes. 

Speaking of quantity, there are six collaborators on your EP, which you mentioned recording in Nasvhville. Your most recent single, This Time Last Year, you’re the only credited contributor. What is it like going from a process where there are more hands on deck to one that is completely independent. 

The six contributors include the mixing engineer and the mastering engineer. The EP was just me and my two producers out in Nashville, and then I wrote it with a songwriter out in LA when I lived there. It still felt very intimate, I’ve never put out a project that was written with more than two other people. I don’t really like writing that way. I made this album after meeting these producers, Jake Finch and Collin Pastore who made the EP with me. My goal going into it was, “I don’t want to work with anyone else on this. If I’m going to do this, it’s going to be the three of us.” So, that’s what it ended up being. Half the songs are self written and half of them are the three of us. But every song still feels collaborative, and I love that. I love finding a collaborator that really gets me and makes me feel like an equal. When it’s just me writing, that’s been something that’s become more and more fun these days. I started that way, and over the years I was doing a lot of sessions and meeting a bunch of producers and writers and trying out everything. After I had a couple of years to do that, I wanted to go back to trying it on my own again. That has been really fun over this past year, because I think when you get used to something, it's hard to go back to another routine. It’s nice to be alone with your own thoughts and not to be nervous whether or not something sucks. There’s no pressure when it’s just me. I always try to keep it as intimate as possible. With more voices, I get overwhelmed. I’m also someone who wants to make everyone happy. If there were more than three people in a room, I would be thinking, “how can I make sure everyone is liking this?” It’s an internal process that I think is hard to express around so many people, so I definitely try to keep my circle tight in terms of collaborators.

When do you decide to bring others onto a project?

When I started this album, I was definitely in the mindset of needing to write with other people. I didn’t feel confident enough in my skill set to go back to writing alone, but I was also just in a really weird position in my life career wise where I didn’t feel encouraged. I didn’t feel like there was anyone who had my back, and that was such a catalyst for why I made this album. Over the two years I spent writing it, I got to the point where I just had to sit down and finish it myself. I couldn’t keep going to Nashville, they’re busy, and I don’t have the money to keep going back and forth. So it was really out of necessity. I had a goal going into the album of having two songs that were self written, then half the album ended up being self written, which was so exciting to me. I hadn’t done that in so long. I was at a point in the beginning where I would write something, get really excited about it, then stop myself and think “okay, I have to bring this in and finish it with them.” Eventually, it got to the point where I would write something and I just had to tell myself to finish it. I would get scared, I wouldn’t want to mess it up, so I had to get better at fighting the initial feeling of insecurity. I very much enjoyed just working with Jake and Colin because I knew that working with so many people wouldn’t have made the album feel as intimate as I wanted it to. I feel like we all learned so much from it and it was a really great experience. 

How did you find producers who were based in Nashville? What was your motivation behind working with them over there?

I had that EP written, was looking for a producer for it, and was living in LA at the time. I felt like I had to “go back to my roots” of the stripped back acoustic sound, and I wasn’t really finding that in LA. There were a few people I was working with at the time who recommended Nashville and told me I should be out there. Real songwriters are out there, real musicians are out there. I went out there for two weeks and had never met them. Luckily we really connected. I needed that positive experience so badly. I had never met collaborators who were so respectful of my vision, and I had never felt like I was an equal in a room. I started so young, a lot of the time I would be this teenage girl trying to say what I wanted to a 30 year old guy and thinking, “I don’t know how to talk to you.” I also didn’t have the confidence to say what I wanted. So the fact that these guys were so open to my ideas made it feel special. I wanted to make an album for so long, that was always the goal. I could have done it at a certain point, but I knew how big of a deal it was going to be to me, and I was waiting for things to fall into place. As soon as I met them, I felt like I had finally met people who I could trust with this project. They were the final pieces. I had come into my own as a writer and a person, and then I found the people who would allow me to express myself in the way that I wanted to. 

Photo by Angelina Jairam

You’ve been talking a lot about the album, and you did say that it was finished. Can we expect to hear any of the songs at the Girl Noise festival?

Yes! I’ve been playing the songs live for a couple years now. The last Girl Noise show was in March, and I flew out to Nashville the day after to finish the album that week. I debuted a lot of them at the first Girl Noise show, because that was actually the first show I played with a full band. I had always played acoustic shows, but this album is a lot more rock based than anything I’ve done. All the songs I’m going to be playing at the show are unreleased, which is really exciting. 

What a way to debut your music, at your own festival that you put on by yourself. What originally sparked the idea for the Girl Noise festival, and what ultimately made you decide to go through with it? 

It’s funny, because everything was so intertwined when it all happened. The album is about a very pivotal moment in my life; the transition between girlhood to womanhood. I was feeling so much when I was 19 and was trying to understand why I was so frustrated. I was learning how life isn’t what you thought it’d be when you were a kid, and I think that can be applied to so many things. I was feeling very confused and upset a lot of the time, and I wanted to find community and solace, and I realized that the places where I’ve found those things and felt the most myself were around other women, and around music. I love 90s music, so I knew a lot about Lilith Fair and Riot Grrrl. I’d noticed this pattern of artists becoming less outspoken in recent years, and I knew I wanted that to change. I didn’t have the confidence right away to put together a music festival. I started thinking about it over the summer of 2024, but I didn’t tell anyone for months. I started talking to my friends about it, one of the first people I talked to was my brother’s girlfriend, Corey. She put together a lot of shows in college with her friend. I asked her what she thought, and she said, “you should definitely do this.” Having her support and encouragement meant a lot. Then I talked to some other friends, and they told me the same thing. They offered to help me if I needed it, so it just kind of started from there. At the beginning of 2025 I started reaching out to artists and venues. It was a slow process at first, the first show took almost 6 months to plan. It was hard to pitch a festival that didn’t exist yet. Luckily, the response was very positive, and that encouraged me to keep doing it. I was very passionate about the idea, so that kept me going. 

How has putting together this festival taken you out of your comfort zone? What have you learned or taught yourself after three shows?

So much. I just had no idea what the workload would be like going into it. All I thought about at first was putting a lineup together and having it be in New York. Then I remembered I had to sell tickets, I would have to get some partnerships, some vendors, things like that. I was so committed to making this as communal as possible. With every show I think I learned more about the process. The first show was the hardest because I had to build my confidence up a lot. I needed to be able to email agents and ask if their artist wanted to play my show. There were so many things I never had to do before, but it’s helped me so much. In both my personal life and my artistry, it’s allowed me to feel like I have a voice. I know I can do hard things, I know I can stand up for myself. 

You mentioned how your friends were willing to help you when you pitched this idea to them. Did you immediately start working with them? How has the Girl Noise team evolved over time?

The team has mostly been moral support and day of show help. For the first show especially I had a lot of guidance. My friend Maria taught me things like making a brand deck and email templates, things that I didn’t have prior experience with. She was very open to being there when I needed her and answering my questions. For the second show, I met a wonderful girl named Anaya, who reached out to us on Instagram. She’s now our event coordinator, and a really close friend of mine. That was a huge change for me, having a right hand person on the day of show. As of right now, this is our first show working with interns. We’ve brought on some college students in New York and we’re very excited about it. That’s been another new thing for me, learning how to delegate, but they’re all so fun. Unfortunately for me, I am a control freak. I do like to have things done a certain way, so I definitely take on more than I have to. I love it so much that I’m okay with it and it’s always worth it. I love being in front of all aspects of it. I do the booking, I do the marketing, I make the graphics for Instagram. I could probably find someone to take over, but I’m so precious with it. My friends are always there to help me on the day of show, they just want to be involved, and that’s the sweetest thing. 

I’m sure it feels nice when everyone there has the same intentions. Do you have any longterm goals with the festival, or are you more focused on moving from one to the next? Do you have a dream lineup?

My goal has always been to eventually bring the festival to other cities. I would want to keep it as a one day DIY event. Growing it in New York is really important to me, and that's definitely my priority right now. Luckily, there’s no shortage of amazing artists out here. I definitely have dreams of bringing it to LA, Nashville, Chicago, or wherever in the future. Being able to highlight local talent, businesses, and non-profits in those places is exciting to me. But for now, I’m keeping it in New York and focusing on playing bigger venues. I have so many dream artists for the festival. Hannah Jadagu is someone who I’d love to have play the show, I love Annie Dirusso, Meet Me at the Altar is also really cool, Tchotchke is so sick, The Army The Navy, there are just so many awesome female artists. I have an ongoing spreadsheet. 

Photo by Camilla Ffrench

Is there any correlation to this next festival falling on the two year anniversary of your EP release, or was that a coincidence?

That was coincidental, it’s also my mom’s birthday. I think maybe I just keep making it about myself! But that was just when we were able to book the show at Bowery Ballroom. Last year we only did one show, and being able to do two shows this year was so exciting. After our last show in March, I didn’t feel the need to wait another year. 

Besides recognition for female artists, what else would you like to see more of in New York City’s music scene?

I want the importance of live music to continue. Like I said earlier, it’s hard getting people to buy tickets, which I totally understand. It’s money, and that’s hard to come by. But I’ve really enjoyed going to smaller shows. For the first 15 years of my life, I thought Madison Square Garden, Radio City, Irving Plaza, and Barclays were the only venues in New York. Finding smaller venues, going to local shows, and being able to connect with artists in that way is so important. There are so many music fans in New York who I think should hone in on those scenes and know that they can get tickets for $20 to support the artists that they’re fans of. I think people should know how meaningful live shows are to smaller artists, and I hope they continue to support in that way. 

On the topic of New York City, I have a deep cut question for you. It’s been four years since you’ve released Manhattan, a single in which you stated you would “never go back.” Yet, here you are. So, how does it feel to be a liar?

I used to say that when I played that song live! I would finish playing it and then say, “so, I’m a liar.” I wrote that song in such an angsty moment, I think I was 16. I was in LA on a trip, and I thought to myself, “I’m never going back. I’m sick of that city.” When you live anywhere for so long, it’s hard to feel like you’re not always surrounded by the past, or things that you maybe would rather forget. I wasn’t thinking big enough, I eventually realized that this is a pretty big city and that I could find places that I could still explore. I had also never lived in the city on my own, I was still in high school, and high school just sucks. My teenage self was just so angsty, but I do love this city. I take it back every day, I would never want to live anywhere else.

Photo by Angelina Jairam

I have a few rapid fire questions for you before we wrap up. First, what’s one of your best memories from Girl Noise?

I played Who Says by Selena Gomez at the last show. I do a cover at every show, and I always try to pick one that encapsulates girlhood and maybe feels nostalgic to people. I love those sing-a-long moments so much, seeing girls in the crowd holding their friends, it’s very sweet. 

Which artist would be your dream collab?

Right now, I would say Charli XCX. I think she’s such a strong songwriter, I’m so curious to see what we would do together. She’s such a collaborative person that I feel like she’d be open to anything. 

Favorite venue in New York?

I’m not just saying this, I do love Bowery Ballroom. Though, Radio City would probably be my dream venue to play. I think it’s the most beautiful place in the world. 

Favorite song from your childhood?

So many. It’d have to be something from Glee. Loser Like Me was huge. Also, in that same episode, Get It Right is the first song that Rachel writes. As a kid, hearing her sing “what can you do when your good isn’t good enough,” was so true. I was watching her cry while writing it and thought “wait, I do that.” That song got me through my imposter syndrome. Obviously, it’s a TV show, but as a kid it felt so real. 

Do you know of any niche or random facts about New York City’s music history?

I always hear stories about Lady Gaga playing in the most random places. Every time I play at The Bitter End, I think of her. Radiohead playing at Mercury Lounge, there’s so many deepcuts like that. I think it’s awesome that there’s so much history in venues specifically. 

There’s one last thing I want to ask you. If you had the chance to speak to all the young women out there who want to pursue a creative career, what would you say?

I would say work with women. Finding community is so important, the most fun I've had has been in collaborative environments with other women. Putting a show together has shown me how passionate women are and how hard they work. So that’s the first step, work with other women in any capacity. Whether it’s creative directors, photographers, agents, anything. It’s such a special experience. Also, don’t listen to anyone who says there aren’t any women out there who do certain things. I heard that a lot growing up, I would say I wanted a female manager and was told there are none. When I was putting my band together, I knew I wanted a girl band. People just aren’t trying hard enough. I spent an hour on my phone looking for people I could form a band with and I did it. You just have to take that step and put in the time. Don’t listen to anyone who tells you they aren’t out there, because they are. 

Find more from Simone here!

Buy tickets to this years Girl Noise Fest here!