Simeon Hammond Dallas

London-based country singer-songwriter Simeon Hammond Dallas announces the release of her highly-anticipated second EP ‘Make It Romantic’. We at Neo Music sat down with her to find out a bit more about her latest release and what's she has been up to

Congratulations on your upcoming EP Release - “Make It Romantic”. What was the inspiration behind this project?

The EP came out of lockdown when a lot of us had a bit more mental space to evaluate how we were living our lives and think about what was important to us. I was thinking about my experiences in the music industry as a woman and as a woman of colour, and what that means. Hence, the EP has moments of joy and celebration as well as anger and sadness. It’s a little journey

How long have you been making music?

I started writing when I was sixteen almost as a kind of alternate diary. I would write songs to get my feelings out, and then it evolved into something more mature and deliberate.

Who inspires you musically?

I have a lot of inspirations, but I’ve been really inspired by Joni Mitchell and BB King lately

What three words would your friends use to describe you as?

Sparkly, loud, thoughtful

Give us 3 things on your bucket list?

See sea turtles, go scuba diving, hike the Simien mountains (almost spelled the same, so close)

What is your favourite album of all time, no skips?

It’s one of the ones everyone says but it might have to be Blue by Joni

What was the reason behind the title of your focus track of the EP titled ‘Betting On You’?

Betting On You is about my experiences as a woman in spaces that are predominantly occupied by white men, and not trusting them to have my best interests at heart.

The title comes from the chorus, “if I needed someone I could believe in I wouldn’t be betting on you”

When experiencing a creative block, what do you do to combat it?

I just don’t put too much pressure on myself. Take a break, go out, experience the world, come back with a fresh perspective

Out of all the songs you have released, which is your favourite? And why?

I think it’s probably the title track, Make It Romantic. It features my first ever guitar solo, which I’m really proud of as I never imagined I could be my own lead guitarist

What do you hope to achieve by the time you reach 50?

A bunch of other stuff would be nice, but really I think I just want to achieve a sense of peace and happiness

Let us know where to find you, on your social media!

I’m Simeon Hammond Dallas on everything, except Twitter which is shammmonddallas because of the character limit!