Talking with the Epic Voice of Epica

Talking with the Epic Voice of Epica
Interview with Simone Simons
As Epica continues to spread their music worldwide and grow in popularity so does their vocalist,
mezzo-soprano Simone Simons. No matter where she goes or whom she sings for, the audience not
only reacts to her powerful, on-stage presence, but to her stunning voice as well. It is hard to imagine
Epica without her, and yet, she was not the first chosen vocalist, but, without a doubt, the right choice.
Among the many ties Epica has with other bands, probably the strongest one is with Kamelot, after all,
they took their name from Kamelot's epic album, Epica. However, these ties do not end there given
that Simone Simons has made several guest appearances on Kamelot's The Black Halo, Ghost Opera
and their latest album, Poetry for the Poisoned, as well as her sentimental relationship with Kamelot’s
keyboard player Oliver Palotai. This relationship has also led her to be the female vocalist for Oliver's
other band, Sons of Seasons.
Given Simone’s close relationship to Kamelot, it was no surprise to find her touring and guest starring
in Kamelot’s 2011 Pandemonium Over Europe tour. This finally gave me the chance to sit down with
the voice behind Epica, Simone Simons. When facing Simone, her powerful on-stage presence
disappear, the diva becomes a kind, soft spoken, delicate flower with a lovely sense of humor. As we
speak in the privacy of the tour bus, she allows me insight into her thoughts about Epica, Kamelot, as
well as many other aspects of her professional and personal life.
Nerissa: Here we are with Simone Simons from Epica.
Simone: Hello.
Nerissa: First of all, I know you've worked a little with Kamelot. . .
Simone: A little? (Laughs softly) A lot.
Nerissa: True. Compare what it is like to work with each one of them, Epica and Kamelot.
Simone: Well, Epica is my band, of course, and with Kamelot I'm a guest musician. But I've known
Kamelot as long as I've known Epica, basically from the start. Epica was also involved with Kamelot,
so, it's a little bit like a second band, and, I've toured so many years with Kamelot, I sing in four or five
songs in the last three records and I'm always honored that they ask me again. So, I must be doing a
good job, I think (laughs softly), plus, my boyfriend has been the keyboarder for the past six years. So,
basically, it's like I'm a band member of Epica and, like, part-time member of Kamelot as well. And
bands, the music, sounds completely different, but I like both bands. I already loved Kamelot before
Epica was there, so, it's a nice chain of events.
Nerissa: Epica is a spin-off of After Forever. . .
Simone: Yes, Mark was originally part of After Forever and then he quit and his new band was called
Epica. And Epica is the same as Kamelot's album, Epica. We were called Sahara's Dessert before, for
like only two or three months. We were recording in the same studio as Kamelot, in Germany, they
were recording Epica, the record, and we really loved the name and also the meaning of Epica, it's the
place in the universe where you can find all the answers to the questions of life, which is like the main
topic of our lyrics. So, it was all meant to be epic. (Laughs softly)
Nerissa: So, after defining the meaning of Epica, describe what Epica means to you personally. After
all, those of us who listen to Epica have our own perception.
Simone: Yeah, I guess for me it's totally different to the people who listen to our music. To me, it's a
lifestyle, it's a huge part of my life. It's not a job, it's really, you know, who you are as a musician. You
never work from nine to five, you're always working, you're always having creative ideas. And, Epica
has been in my life for eight years, travelling all around the world, I know the guys so well, we've been
through some hard times and some good times. And we are all pretty fortunate to be in a successful
band, part of it is thanks, we can thank ourselves because we are hard workers, but it is also luck and
having a great fan base which has supported us through the years. So, for me Epica is like, yeah, a
huge part of my life.
Nerissa: OK, describing Epica as a huge part of your life, how would you say, if any, has this affected
your personal life?
Simone: Oh, sure, a lack of privacy (laughs). You lose a lot of your privacy and that's something I find
very difficult to cope with because I am a very private person and I like my privacy. But you can forget
about that once the band becomes bigger, more people want to talk to you, have photos with you,
autographs, and a lot of people kind of could become stalkers and stalk you, follow you to your hotel,
when you are having breakfast and they call you in your hotel room and, even stand in front of your
hotel room, which can sometimes be pretty scary. And, yeah, it's not a nine to five job, basically you
have to be available all the time and sometimes it can become a little too much. I'm only one person
and everyday hundreds of people at the venue want to talk to me, have photos with me. I don't have
enough time and I also have to be careful with my health because I have quite a history of health
problems so I try to be extra careful when encountering too many people. I had MRSA for three years.
I had to take it easy because my immune system was low for so many years that the contact with a lot
of fans or a lot of people in general, made me ill. I was very vulnerable for bacteria and stuff, I had to
be careful. But I'm 100% healthy now, but, still, in the back of your mind you always think, ok, health
is the most important thing and I've jeopardized my health too many times. Now I think, ok, my health
comes first, I need to rest a lot, in the past I didn't rest a lot. You have a very irregular lifestyle so I try
to sleep a lot, and, indeed, wash my hands as often as I can, do sports, eat healthy, I don't party, I don't
smoke, my only vice is candy.
Nerissa: Oh, mine's chocolate.
Simone: Oh, I love chocolate!
Nerissa: Most personal song.
Simone: (Thoughtful pause) All my lyrics are basically, come
from my point of view, put into a different, what am I trying to
say? A different code, a different jacket. But, uhm, I can't just
name one because they are all dear to my heart, the ones I wrote.
I write half of the lyrics, Mark writes the other half. So, I think
the last one which is dear to my heart would be Touch of Time,
it's about the circle of life, new life also means that somebody
has to die and, yeah, kind of a tear jerker (laughs heartily).
Nerissa: The creative process, where do you get your ideas for
the songs, how do they come to be?
Simone: Well, I'm not the one who writes the music. I write half of the lyrics and a big part of my
vocal lines. Mark is the main composer in the band, we have the bass player Yves and the keyboard
player Coen and Issac will also contribute to the writing process. But as far as I know, one of Mark's
idols or inspirations, he loves movie scores, you can hear them in our music, it's very epic, very, you
know, soundtrackish (hearty laugh). I think he likes Chopin, he likes Opeth, he was a big Guns n'
Roses fan in his younger years although I don't think you can hear Guns n' Roses in our music (laughs).
Everything in there lyric wise, Markus reading all those books on quantum physics, the Mayan culture,
near death experiences, he likes to write about political issues, extremes within religions, that was
actually what we had encountered in The Divine Conspiracy which we both co-wrote the lyrics about
extremes within religions. We are not saying that religions are false or, I actually do believe in the
strength of religion although I am not religious. But, it can take different shapes and dangerous
directions. I think everybody should be free to believe whatever they want without trying to
indoctrinate everybody or judge people for thinking otherwise. I think we are all free to be whatever
we want as long as we leave each other at peace.
Nerissa: Anything you'd like to add?
Simone: Well, we are writing our new record right now, we're doing a couple of summer festivals.
Then, at the end of the summer we'll hit the studios again and at the beginning of 2012 there will be a
new Epica record! Until then I am also touring with Mayan and Sons of Seasons.
Nerissa: Let's talk about Sons of Seasons, what can you tell me about the band?
Simone: Well, I'm Oliver's first baby, so, the Seasons is his second baby (laughter). I know the record
so well because he writes it at home and I hear the melodies. I've sung in both albums and I think this
record has some serious potential. The first record they were figuring out their style a little bit. Now it
has settled down and it's powerful, it's full of melodies and it’s an album that will probably become one
of your favorites and stick with you for a long time. I am going to perform with both Mayan and Sons
in this upcoming tour.
Nerissa: Wonderful! I look forward to catching one of those shows. Thanks very much Simone.
Simone: My pleasure.
Nerissa Alison
March 2011
Promo Pixs from NB