Coming from Greenwich, South East London is singer/songwriter Sean Simmons.
Reaching number 8 in the singer/songwriter charts was ‘Don’t 079 Me’ which surprisingly, Simmons dislikes. The new EP to be brought out will be called ‘1992’ after his birth year and will contain five acoustic tracks; three which have already been released, and two which are completely unheard demos.
However, this EP isn’t a step into an acoustic career, this is a sign off from a solo career as Simmons has started a new project called ‘Simmons and the Stags’, which will moving away from the solo side of things into rocking out with a band. The move is a bold one but Simmons thinks it’s also the right one, plus, he wants to get playing festivals and he thinks bands stand more of a chance than solo artists. Moving from solo to band, you think perhaps it’s going to be the classic frontman with an instrument band but Simmons has aspirations for this to really have a family vibe. Not any Bruno Mars - look like a solo artist - but you’re not bollox. Yes, that’s right - Bruno Mars (and the Hooligans) is actually a band - not just a person.
Being one of ten, and the youngest of the ten, Simmons knows exactly what it’s like to constantly have a big family around you, and I feel as though going in the direction of working in a band can help reignite your confidence knowing you have other people to rely on and work with, but of course this can always go two ways. Simmons is a one-man band to some extent; he’s a talented multi instrumentalist who can play; the guitar, bass, piano and ukulele. All of the instruments on the EP have been played by Simmons and it’s all been produced and promoted by Simmons - completely DIY style - one of his favourite things about this EP (that it’s all DIY).
The inspiration behind the tracks varies and so does the style. The EP aims to explore the stripped back version of his music, which is why he’s made the EP acoustic. The tracklist goes as followed; 1. Hollywood Smile, 2. It’s Over, 3. Loveable, 4. Fairytales and 5. Shine For You. The guitar in Shine For You is the only time Simmons doesn’t play an instrument in the whole EP - every other time - everything you’re listening to is Simmons. Track 5. Shine For You was actually considered to be a song for The Stags, as guitarist of The Stags, Tom Parry, played on this track.
When asked why he wanted to release the EP, Simmons answer was fairly simple, “I just wanted to release something!” Plus he wanted to release a piece of work before he started fully in the band and could leave his solo career on a high note. Within the band Simmons will be lead singer and multi instrumentalist, but mainly vocals.
Moving from solo to band can be quite a change though as Simmons says, “All of it is DIY. No marketing or production done by anybody else, this is a complete Sean Simmons. If it does well - I’ll take all of the credit and if it doesn’t do well - I’ll learn from it.” There’s only one person to rely on when you’re a DIY solo artist, but things can be a lot more different in bands - the possibility of more exposure is there - but control and power over decisions is less.
The 1992 EP will be out on Monday 30th of November - available to stream on all major platforms. Pre save link here.
Instagram: @seansimmons