In this material, we will present to you a biography of Simone Simons. This Dutch singer with a soprano voice is the lead vocalist in a symphonic metal band called Epica. She was born in the city of Herlen, in 1985, January 17. In 1995, she began to learn to play the piano and flute. A year later, took up vocals, she focused on jazz and pop singing.
Biography
The future singer Simone Simons at the age of 15 listened to the Nightwish album called Oceanborn. She was so delighted with Tarja Turunen's strong opera vocals that she began to take classical singing lessons.
Before joining the symphonic metal band Epica, Simone Simons managed to test her strength as the vocalist of the choir, in which she sang for several months in 2002. Initially, the young group was called Sahara Dust, and the musicians participating in it managed to give several concerts together with a vocalist from Norway named Helena Michelsen.
However, the bright appearance and voice of young Simons immediately turned her into the face of the team. The group itself became an event for European metal music, fame came to the musicians after the appearance of their first joint album. Simone Simons for some time was in a relationship with the guitarist and founder of the band, Mark Jansen.
She is the author of several songs by the band. In 2005, the girl as a guest vocalist participated in the creation of the album of the group called Kamelot. Simone did not graduate from any musical educational institutions. The girl calls the band Epica her only great teacher.
At the same time, she admits that she nevertheless took for four years classical singing lessons. He calls his teacher a cool guy and emphasizes that working with him gave her a lot of pleasure. The girl believes that five years of classical music education were too boring for her.
Personal life
Since 2013, Simone Simons has been married to Oliver Palotai. Her husband is also a musician. The spouses also have a son, whose name is Vincent Palotai. He was born in 2013.
Discography
In 2003, Simone Simons, along with Epica, recorded The Phantom Agony. She also participated in recording the following works of the team: We Will Take You With Us, Consign to Oblivion, The Score - An Epic Journey, The Road to Paradiso, The Divine Conspiracy, Design Your Universe, The Classical Conspiracy, Requiem for the Indifferent, The Quantum Enigma, The Holographic Principle. The girl actively collaborates with other bands and musicians as a guest vocalist.
Group
Simone Simons gained the greatest fame thanks to her participation in the Epica project, so you should talk more about him. This Dutch band plays music that is usually classified as symphonic metal.
The visiting card of the collective is the combination of female vocals with male growling, this approach is often described by the formula “beauty and the beast”, and it is typical for gothic metal. The collective also uses the choir and string orchestra. Guitarist and vocalist Mark Jansen left After Forever and founded Epica in 2003.
In addition to Ad Sluiter, drummer Ivan Hendrix, keyboard player Kun Janssen and bass player Yves Huts were involved in the new ensemble. Soon, Dennis Liflang replaced Ivan Hendrix. He also did not stay in the team for long, and was replaced by Jeroen Simons. Simone joined the group, succeeding Helena Michalsen.
The latter subsequently became the founder of the Imperia project. It was in 2003 that the team took the name Epica. It comes from the Kamelot album of the same name.
All Epica members are fans of this team. However, this name has a second meaning. This is not only a tribute to the Kamelot group, but also the name of a special place in the Universe where you can find answers to pressing questions.
This version of the interpretation of the name is ideally suited for the content of the lyrical works of the collective. Four women and two men participate in the Epica Choir. The string orchestra sounds double bass, two cello, two viola, three violins.
The debut album of the group called The Phantom Agony 2003 was produced by Sasha Paet, who is known for working with various groups, including Kamelot, Rhapsody of Fire and Angra. According to some sources, a choir consisting of 6 women and 6 men participated in the recording of the mentioned album.
The disc soon gained fame in Holland, and then throughout Europe. In support of the album released three singles, in addition, the musicians had a full tour. The team also participated in a number of festivals held in Turkey, Belgium and Germany. In 2004, the group pleased fans with the first DVD - it was a live video filmed in the studio.