00:00:00:00 - 00:00:03:17
Unknown
the people are crazier, like in a in a good way though,
00:00:03:17 - 00:00:04:01
Unknown
And I
00:00:04:01 - 00:00:07:21
Unknown
see what people mean now when they say, when you go outside the country, people
00:00:07:21 - 00:00:09:06
Unknown
appreciate that more,
00:00:14:20 - 00:00:28:04
Unknown
thank you guys for joining us on the podcast today, where we enjoy exhilarating euphoria through creation and collaboration. We are here with Nell Simmons. How are you? I'm doing well. It's good.
00:00:28:04 - 00:00:45:15
Unknown
It's good to see you. So, yeah. It's been a minute. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know, I know, I'm glad you've been here before. And we can talk a little bit about some of your experiences here, but let's, let's let's start with your origin story. So where are you from? Where you went to school. Let's talk a little bit about that.
00:00:45:17 - 00:01:05:01
Unknown
So I'm from New Orleans, born and raised. I went to well, it doesn't exist anymore, but it's Ellie Rowe in high school. Okay. And then I went on to study university at New Orleans, what they call sono. And then I went on to Delgado as well to get another. I didn't finish off over there.
00:01:05:01 - 00:01:22:00
Unknown
So, yeah, I kind of move around a little bit, move around a little bit. Well, being born and raised in New Orleans, is there, a part of New Orleans you feel like you rep more than anywhere else? Because we all, you know, we always kind of click together. Yeah. You're right. That would be Gentilly. They've been Gentilly.
00:01:22:00 - 00:01:42:18
Unknown
Yeah. Okay. All right. Yeah I'm like yeah, Gentilly. All right. Well great. Well what did you did, your college. But explain your, your degrees and things that you went for. So I actually minored in music. I didn't really major in music. I wasn't, like, the kind of person that was like, okay, I'm going to study music and jazz.
00:01:42:19 - 00:02:05:10
Unknown
That's it. I kind of felt like I have a great knowledge of music, you know, the voice and all those things that involved me. So I wanted to study something different. And I also had an interest. I loved my animals. I always said, you know music is not my thing. It will be veterinary medicine. You know I kind of just love my animals.
00:02:05:12 - 00:02:31:04
Unknown
So I kind of had only small animals. I when I say small, yeah. Yeah. You know horses. Okay. All right. No horses, no cows. You don't want to work on them. Yeah. So I studied biology. Okay, well, it was funny. A little small part about me. I. I actually wanted to be a marine biologist growing up.
00:02:31:06 - 00:02:55:20
Unknown
Yeah. And then a vet was probably on the list as well on that moment. But then I realized it wasn't good at school. So, you know, just it just, I just moved on. But anyway, I digress back about you. Well, yeah, I mean, I, I, you know, I enjoyed I just really had this extreme passion for music in my voice, using my voice.
00:02:55:20 - 00:03:17:03
Unknown
This is my instrument. It just felt so right. It felt like a strong marriage, you know? And, when I used my guitar, people would. You know, I just love the feeling that I would give myself and others. People would really, it would move them. So I just gravitated to writing music and recording music and performing music. And yeah, that's just me.
00:03:17:04 - 00:03:40:03
Unknown
And and and that moved into a career, Yeah. What was that moment? What was that? That. I'm, I'm no longer. This is no longer a hobby and no longer, something that, passion. This is something that, you know what? I'm going to make money in it, right? You know, I started really young, like working with some other artists that were older than I was.
00:03:40:05 - 00:04:10:18
Unknown
And kind of, like, showing the ropes a little bit, you know, probably 18 to 19, singing background festivals. Working with her then went on to do the quarter with her. We actually performed together in the quarter. Okay with her. So it was a long time ago before like this, you know, right now where it's like, okay, there's a lot of artists out there now, but at that time you have people like that who really were grooming you to, you know, perform and have this, you know, work ethic, work ethic.
00:04:10:20 - 00:04:29:09
Unknown
Right. And just this attitude on stage. So, you know, kind of worked with her for years for a couple of years. But I always say, you know, the quota was just something to kind of teach you. Performing and singing live, in my opinion, here in New Orleans. But it wasn't something that I wanted to do for a long time.
00:04:29:14 - 00:04:45:15
Unknown
I felt like, you know, your voice needs to be used in other platforms, not just, you know, on bourbon, people come out there, they get drunk, and it's just like I said, right? Like, hey, I also had a cousin that was that produces music, and I would fly in and out of New York where he lives and kind of record with him.
00:04:45:15 - 00:05:06:18
Unknown
So I was really young, kind of starting out with people in the industry and people that performed, you know, in bands and things like that. So it became a career pretty early. Well, well, okay, so let me ask you that question, because one thing that I, I, I and I one race here, so I, I love New Orleans is part of me you know.
00:05:06:20 - 00:05:38:21
Unknown
But I also feel like we don't necessarily give the business to the musicians and the artists that, that that needs, to drive an actual career. So having a cousin in New York probably progressed your career faster than, than than just working down here. And it did. And it really made me look at my city differently. Right? I mean, I was early on, I was like, this is not it.
00:05:38:22 - 00:06:02:23
Unknown
You know, there's no business mind business, you know, concept. There's no one here. It's it's so random. It is very random. And it's like, I can't. So I traveled a lot to New York and really spent time there. I was really in love with their spaces, their venues, the performances, the artists that took their art seriously because they're in a city where the labels are and they fell.
00:06:03:01 - 00:06:41:15
Unknown
Right? Yeah. It's the number one thing that is wrong in New Orleans. And music is there's no label buildings, there's no answers, there's no label building. There's there's there's no there's nowhere for an artist to walk in and find information, you know, and, and and it sucks because we had two of the biggest labels ever to come out of New Orleans and, and, and, and yet we have no label building, you know, and and no limits and Calabasas and and, what cash money in Miami and you know here you know, they have and and I feel like we've been forgotten about since Katrina.
00:06:41:17 - 00:07:01:01
Unknown
I agree Katrina was crazy. Yeah. It's over. It was over. And I was like, I'm done with it. You know, I really had a negative. But we you were obviously doing music before Katrina, right? Yeah. Yeah, yeah. But after. Yeah, it was definitely worth it. Just. It wasn't giving anymore. Do you need to, to really dive into the creative heart?
00:07:01:03 - 00:07:18:02
Unknown
Because otherwise you would have just given it up. And I kind of sort of did. Right. Like, okay, this is not worth it, you know, is too many highs and lows and mountains and valleys. And I just it was exhausting because I kept, you know, I came back here my first I thought mistake at one time was coming back to New Orleans.
00:07:18:06 - 00:07:37:18
Unknown
Okay. I felt like, okay, I need to be somewhere in Atlanta, somewhere in New York, somewhere maybe in L.A., where these things are taken more seriously. And at that time, before Katrina, I worked with that artists. I came out of New Orleans and actually, you know, we we actually sing together sometimes a couple of times on a couple of our black shows.
00:07:37:20 - 00:08:02:08
Unknown
But she kind of, you know, left and kind of did her thing. And, you kind of saw that with certain artists that left, they kind of had some movement though, like quite like being here. What kind of being slowed down, you know. So I have a similar story and a sense of, so my I'm born and raised here, but my mother moved to Palm Beach when I was, 16 and, and after divorce.
00:08:02:08 - 00:08:42:22
Unknown
So my mom, my, my mother, my sister and I all moved to Palm Beach and, I moved back here in my mid-twenties to try to do music and do things and get involved in things. I was here maybe six months, and I realized I have to go somewhere else. And I had been dipping my toe in LA at the time, and and I started to sleep on some couches out there and doing some things that, like, made me feel like it was actually progressing in a career.
00:08:43:00 - 00:09:22:06
Unknown
And at some point I said, you know, like very quickly I said this, I can't stay here. If I want to build a career, I'm going to have to move. And and it's because there were no label buildings and was because there were no support for the actual culture of business down here. For music. So, so hopefully part of me moving home and building this build facility is, is helping is going to help artists to get, get, get a little bit of realization of how fast they have to move as well as, fitting in the budget for moving that fast.
00:09:22:08 - 00:09:38:02
Unknown
Absolutely. And I think that's why I kind of liked it when I came over here, I felt like, okay, this is different. I've not seen another studio space that kind of, you know, maybe a couple other things in New Orleans. I've seen that kind of clothes or something like that. But I still feel like what you're doing is kind of built because it's like you do.
00:09:38:02 - 00:09:55:04
Unknown
I, you know, ever since I followed this entire thing, it's been like, okay, this is really different. So I thank you for that, you know? No, absolutely no. Listen, I, I know I, I bought a raised here I love new worlds. I want New Orleans to be the number one city music city on the map. I want it, I want it.
00:09:55:04 - 00:10:18:06
Unknown
We have the creativity here. People come down here and they grab it and they leave, you know, and they and they take the creativity somewhere else and they use it and, and and it just, no one's cultivating the music business down here, you know, and, and and so hopefully I thought, you know, I saw a gap in the market and, and, and I didn't enjoy L.A. and personal reasons.
00:10:18:09 - 00:10:46:17
Unknown
Really. No, I really didn't, you know, you know, there. Well, I mean, look, being from here, I was, you know, I was single when I moved out there and and and, you know, I guess I was 27 or so, 26, 27 and, at that time already, I felt like the weird alcohol at the bar trying to talk to people because what everybody in L.A. is like, why?
00:10:46:17 - 00:11:06:14
Unknown
Why are you talk? Why? What are we is there is a reason you're talking to me, right? Like like, do you have something to offer me? Otherwise, I'm not having this conversation. And at the same time I'm like, dude, I'm in the bar by myself having a burger. I'm just fucking talking to you, right? Like. Like, you know, like, like this is a Saints game on.
00:11:06:14 - 00:11:25:06
Unknown
Like, I'm just talking like, I don't know, you know and and it and it just it just never connected in a personal sense you know. So I was out there nine years but I just. Yeah. Yeah I just but I just. Yeah. But I just decided at some point I was like, you know, it's time to come home.
00:11:25:06 - 00:11:51:07
Unknown
Time to get back to reality, build a family, be close to family. But also realizing that New Orleans needed something. Yeah. And, and, and and I felt that every time I came home and, and because I was out there doing, you know, music career stuff, you know, that happens in LA. And I come home and, man, it's just, what are we doing now?
00:11:51:09 - 00:12:18:03
Unknown
We're wasting time. We're wasting time, you know? How do you feel about social media opening up like the opportune and TV artists to actually now get information that they didn't get it? I think I think it's already past it's good point. Wow. I feel like it. I feel like it's had its good, good moments where like, it was very authentic.
00:12:18:08 - 00:12:58:05
Unknown
People were throwing things out that are authentic. Things are people are truly reaching out and teaching things. Yeah. Now I feel like it's oversaturated with both shit. And there's there's no accountability to the lies and the actual things that aren't real that come out to it. But also, I feel and I, we actually just had this conversation, with another guest about how I don't feel like social media is going to be the same in the future now that AI has come in.
00:12:58:07 - 00:13:26:00
Unknown
So I know for me, I don't care to put a post picture up and care about an AI bot responding to it, right? So like and now everybody knows that their AI assistant is going to be responding to these comments or responding to these pictures or responding to the song, or it's to me it's like, okay, but then we've lost the social aspect to social media.
00:13:26:02 - 00:13:47:22
Unknown
Now it's just media just that's it. And it's information that's out there that you can go look for, but you're not really engaging in it. Yeah, because it's computers engaging. So so that's that's my take on social media. You brought it up. I didn't when you brought it up. I thought about and I would you're right. Like like where do we go?
00:13:47:22 - 00:14:10:18
Unknown
Like, I don't care about a computer responding to my post. Like what? Like, where is the social aspect of that? You know, so I tell artists this is where I also go back to the trunk sale. Go back to this, go back to the point where you're engaging with 100 people in your town and not caring about the 10,000 people that aren't in your city or surrounding areas.
00:14:10:21 - 00:14:38:03
Unknown
Yeah. You know and, and, and those 100 people will buy shirts, they'll buy hats, they'll buy albums, they'll buy tickets, they'll buy alcohol. When you're at your shows, like they they will come and participate in your moment and your. Yes, you know, and and and and if we don't get back to that, I feel like we're just going to be socializing with computers.
00:14:38:05 - 00:14:58:23
Unknown
This is an interesting time, I tell you that the interesting I mean, well, I and I feel like we've gone off of our path of our conversations, but there's so much but but there is but but as an artist, I mean, you have to worry about this now because you you have to do you have to think about where you're placing your music.
00:14:58:23 - 00:15:20:12
Unknown
And because didn't it used to be on the shelf, you thought about right. Like where, where, where would, level on the shelf that your album was on was a big thing of the advertising part, you know? And and that's why you cared about when you released your album, because everything would rotate like, if you. Yeah. Well, absolutely.
00:15:20:12 - 00:15:47:23
Unknown
Because because they were, they were differences in where your album would be placed and, and I don't know, I just yeah, it's scary. It's, there's more listeners but less space. Space. It's just. Yeah. Oversaturated which is junk or something. Yeah. Oh that's so bad. But but live music. Live live music. You singer live music. You can actually sing live music.
00:15:48:01 - 00:16:12:16
Unknown
You know, it's that's that will never die, right? That will absolutely never die. But let's talk about live music. American Idol. That was so long ago. Oh my God. American Idol. That was dope, you know? And as a matter of fact, when I did audition, it was, you know, all of the singers at that time that were really dope in popping people.
00:16:12:16 - 00:16:37:06
Unknown
That's probably not even doing much right now. But we were all at that audition, like, like it it was cool because, you know, I recall I remember he and I moved forward in the audition that you that happened here, and that was crazy. That was crazy. I mean, it wasn't like, now you can kind of see, you know, send your video in to audition for it.
00:16:37:08 - 00:17:05:20
Unknown
Right? You were outside and you were waiting hours. You didn't know what was going on. Yeah, yeah. No, it's big. It was great, but it also was it was wild. How does the song choice go? Did you. You chose the first song, right? I chose all my songs. Okay, okay. Because sometimes, you know, they talk about how, like, they give you a list of songs that like that you have to choose from what depends on, like what you're doing and what platform.
00:17:05:20 - 00:17:31:13
Unknown
You're right. At that time, American Idol, that was a long time ago. I'll be telling you. All right. We had asking that, it's like, okay, we pick their songs and they would ask you at that time, like, okay, so what made you pick this song? What? You know, what drew you to this particular song? And for me, I was heavy on Whitney Houston.
00:17:31:13 - 00:17:53:08
Unknown
I was like, Whitney is the one. I had a hard time picking other songs, but I think what they wanted from me was to kind of branch out of my comfort zone on what I wanted to sing, you know, what I was most, which doesn't make sense for an audition, you know, like, I am going to sing. I'm gonna sing my best.
00:17:53:10 - 00:18:21:01
Unknown
I don't really like why step out is something that I've never done before in front of the world. And three big people like, like like, no, I won't pick something I'm comfortable with because like the year before, I think it was Fantasia on the show. She did signs go deliver. So they kind of wow them because it was like okay that's different.
00:18:21:03 - 00:18:39:06
Unknown
You know she's a woman that's a Stevie Wonder and cover that. And it was different. You know for me I felt like oh you're a woman singing a woman's own. Guys you gotta go with what you know. Like what you got you. And sometimes it doesn't make sense. You know, it really doesn't for me. I'm like, do what you do.
00:18:39:08 - 00:19:13:10
Unknown
But sometimes they love this whole idea of you're able to do this, and then all the things. And I think it's because once you're on the platform, they're able to kind of see what else they can do. They can do it. You I got you. I mean, it makes sense. I mean, women and men have different inflections. So, so like, I mean, just to give you a little bit of, I guess, insight, when we were doing the Grammy writing camps in LA for Beyonce, she would not listen to any, any demos that were that were recorded with a female.
00:19:13:12 - 00:19:40:23
Unknown
Really. She wanted all male vocals on the demos and, Yeah, well, and and come to after thinking about it and the processing and understanding what I guess she was going through, you guys have different inflections. So she wanted to be the first female to throw the inflections in the idea. She didn't want one to take from another woman's ideas and perspective.
00:19:41:01 - 00:20:02:17
Unknown
So she wanted to be the first woman perspective on the idea that is fire, right? That's fire. I don't know what team or whatever, you know, came up with that, right? That I where around. But that's pretty dope that I never thought of it that way. And when you think of it that way, that's kind of what keeps you original.
00:20:02:18 - 00:20:31:09
Unknown
Correct? It makes sense. Yeah. Okay. Well, I'm glad you. That's what I know. Absolutely. Absolutely. Well, so what led, you to Trombone Shorty and all of this, this, this local stuff that's going on? The blowing up, what I actually was, you know, I began performing and doing a lot of my own shows, maybe about 12, 13 years ago, and still doing that.
00:20:31:09 - 00:20:50:22
Unknown
Of course, my name became, you know, known in the city more, although I was prior to that. Like, I'm not doing New Orleans, you know, right after Katrina, though, and after I settled in with the thought of, you know, hey, this is where I am right now. I'm like, I'm going to do something here. And then. And my cousin always said, well, you are there, you live there.
00:20:50:22 - 00:21:10:07
Unknown
This is where you are currently. Get the people very interesting. That's a good look to. So I began to do shows, perform, do all the things and you know try and I was kind of in contact maybe a year or so before I went on his tour, I was asked to do some background vocals on one of his songs on his album.
00:21:10:09 - 00:21:28:03
Unknown
And then after, of course, as he was looking for a new talent for his platform, he kind of reached out and wanted me to do the, the tour. So I went out, maybe, I think it was like May 2019 and did a couple shows, and he was like, yeah, you, you know, so do you. Good. Yeah.
00:21:28:05 - 00:21:47:23
Unknown
Like it was, it was not that bad. We just kind of you know, Troy's awesome. Yeah, yeah. He's awesome. And he's. Then he gives you the opportunity as an artist to do your thing. You know, you don't just do backs on his platform. Like, he'll say, hey, come forward and do your thing. That came out to see Trombone Shorty.
00:21:48:01 - 00:22:10:00
Unknown
You, you know what I noticed about him. He doesn't have an ego about music at all. And, and he actually he was just here over the weekend. Yeah. And he actually we, we were, we were, we were in the room together. I was playing him some music that I had done, and, he was asked me questions about what I played and all that stuff and that, and I told him.
00:22:10:00 - 00:22:30:12
Unknown
I said I played it, but I played mostly off ear, like, I don't know, music theory, so. So I don't say I'm a musician and, and, and, and I played him a few more things and he goes, you know, he goes, he goes, no, you are a musician. You he's like you, you're playing music, you're creating music, you're a musician, you're shortchanging yourself.
00:22:30:14 - 00:22:53:16
Unknown
And I'm sitting there thinking like, man, this this guy who is a real musician in my head because I've always been careful with that word. I've always been very careful. I'm like, okay, you're a musician. A but, yeah, a producer to a very careful with that word. It took me a long time to call as up producer, even though I, I was producing music and and trying to do things.
00:22:53:18 - 00:23:19:16
Unknown
But it took a long time for me to adapt that word to myself because I felt like I respected the work that everybody else put in ahead of me. And I kind of started the game late. I was in my mid 20s before I really started creating and doing things, so I don't know, but but, but you get to LA and you realize he's been playing drums and six, six, six, seven years old in the church band and you're like, I'm okay.
00:23:19:18 - 00:23:43:13
Unknown
You know, like, okay, I'm here. You know, like, I don't know. I don't I don't know what to say to you, you know, like so I got real careful with that word because I didn't want to, I guess over problems until under the deliver and those moments, you know. So, so if I as long as I just stay the creative, I was able to place myself in the moments that I, that I could, you know, okay.
00:23:43:15 - 00:24:04:19
Unknown
Because it's like you're giving us that room to grow. Yeah. No, 100%. No. And everybody respected it. It's just it was just I was very careful with those words, you know? But now you just have to own it now. And now I gotta own it. According to Trombone Shorty, I gotta own it. But but shout out to him being so humble and so, so awesome, you know?
00:24:04:21 - 00:24:35:20
Unknown
Well, we're let's see. Touring, touring in the UK. So super fun. What what's different about touring in the UK than touring in the States? So a couple things I know. And as well, some of the venues that we were in were smaller than the venues that we have done over here. But the people are crazier, like in a in a good way though, okay, to show into it.
00:24:35:22 - 00:25:03:04
Unknown
And I see what people mean now when they say, when you go outside the country, people really appreciate that more, you know? And that's exactly what I got. They were really oh my goodness, they follow you. They are I mean, it's just all of the things you know, they went outside and they want to like, you know, on a raft from like everybody in the band, you know, it's like they, they're moved by it sometimes you don't know what they're saying, but they're saying it, you know.
00:25:03:04 - 00:25:28:01
Unknown
And I think that's so that's so different because, I know for me, if I'm not from somewhere and I don't understand what I'm saying, and I'm like, maybe I don't know what I'm thinking, did I get all into it? They just get into, do you think it's because other cultures, Want a piece of other cultures meaning like.
00:25:28:03 - 00:25:51:15
Unknown
Absolutely like like we always looked at British rock and and and things like even EDM, but, but but really British rock. So I guess where it started with the Beatles and all that stuff. But like, we adapt to that stuff because we thought they were cool and it was different. It was something different than what the states were used to and culturally.
00:25:51:16 - 00:26:16:15
Unknown
And now you're over there and they're looking at you like, man, you're different and culturally different and, and, and, progress. They see almost more progressive than, than where they stand, that cool word, you know what I mean? Like, whatever it is, I think that attachment, to being cool, is what I think a different culture will give you.
00:26:16:15 - 00:26:37:23
Unknown
Yeah, I agree, I actually met someone over there she and I like. We're in touch sometimes still, but she was like, oh my goodness. You know, she's amazing for the British accent. And, we kind of like, which I love. I love British accents. Yeah. She's been here before a couple of times. And, so we kind of keep in touch on socials and she's like, when I come back, someone's gonna get together.
00:26:37:23 - 00:26:56:00
Unknown
I'm like, oh yeah, we, you know, whenever. So they just do have a different appreciation. It's it's it's the same thing for me though, honestly. I will say when you go other places, you kind of feel like, oh my goodness, I just love the way you do this. You learn often, you learn something from different every different culture.
00:26:56:02 - 00:27:24:08
Unknown
Yeah. Was there one fan experience that you could attach to. You think wow. She's definitely one. I mean, she came to a show in France. We, we met her. I want to say in I can't remember exactly, but it was over there, you know, in London. And then she came to France for any friends to see us in a different venue.
00:27:24:08 - 00:28:02:19
Unknown
And I just felt like, okay, you traveled a little bit, you know, to get over here. Right? And I just that kind of made a connection for me because I just saw her commitment to. I'm coming. And, you know, she just was really in it, you know, she was into it. If I could think of others, there's a few others that, they just kind of connect in a way where they're telling you, you know, I'm going through this, and after this experience, I just feel, you know, so just happy, you know, my life is, you know, if you when you realize what music does for people.
00:28:02:19 - 00:28:27:04
Unknown
Because I know what it does for me. Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. I realize what it does for people. It kind of makes you feel like you're your purpose is absolutely valid. You know, in a lot of ways. Well, it's healing. It's. Yeah, it's, you know, that. Yeah. No, it's it's healing. It's therapeutic. It's it's there's there's the, it's it's a, it's an educational.
00:28:27:04 - 00:28:49:07
Unknown
It's, there's so many aspects to it, but traveling, I feel like, gives you a different appreciation to what you have back home. It does. It really does. You see a lot. You understand people more. You understand their situations. It's not as you know, I know that. Well, this is so off the topic. I mean, I know we overuse air over here when it's hot but and not do that.
00:28:49:09 - 00:29:11:21
Unknown
Which is good. And you know but it's you realize oh my goodness. Like I can do this every day. No. Sorry. That's funny you know. Yeah. No. Absolutely. Well tell me a little bit about your residency at Windsor Court. Oh. I'm sorry, how did that come about? And and when is it and when can we go see you?
00:29:11:21 - 00:29:36:23
Unknown
And and what kind of music is it? Tell me the whole spiel. So I actually I've always loved how quaint and just so intimate. The space. Oh, yeah. Go and chill out over there. The polar lounge right where you're at. Yeah, yeah. And my, my stepdad is actually on the wall. Yeah. So the guy on the left of the bar of riding the horse for the polo picture, that's my stepdad.
00:29:37:01 - 00:30:05:23
Unknown
Yeah. Was that dad and I went there? Step dad? Yes. Yeah. So, anyway, like, I laugh at him. Yes, yes. Every time I go there, I laugh at him. Yes. Now, but, Yeah. So. Yeah. Yeah. No, but. And he plays polo. So that's why he's in the Polo Lounge. And anyway, move on to you at the Windsor Court.
00:30:06:01 - 00:30:23:18
Unknown
So back during essence weekend. Well, actually, I had, you know, we reached out and kind of got a connection with them. And during the, essence weekend in New Orleans, you know, they were like, hey, can you come and do you know, our I think it was Friday night or something. And I'm like, yeah, of course.
00:30:23:18 - 00:30:48:19
Unknown
So we did that. It was amazing. People were it was higher love. I've never seen it that super lit before. Not in that awesome. You know. So that's it's kind of a quiet. Yeah. Loungy space. And I'm like, all righty then. The music was really rich, and I mean, I kept it to where they can. That was fun.
00:30:48:19 - 00:31:10:09
Unknown
So we already had discussed once I came back from another project that I was working on in LA. And then when I came back this fall, I would be starting every Friday night, at the Windsor, okay, from nine to midnight. All right. So that's now where they place me. Awesome. Awesome. The Windsor, nine to midnight show.
00:31:10:09 - 00:31:34:15
Unknown
Come in. Well, we definitely have to come see you. I put jazz music, so it's different than what? What? I'm pushing and promoting a showcase at a, you know, I mean, you were somewhere that I actually perform with my band sometimes it's not. It's different because it's more money. Music recorded and things that kind of complement that.
00:31:34:17 - 00:31:52:21
Unknown
The showmanship was a little bit different. At the Windsor Court, for me, I kind of make sure that I'm reading the room. Right, right. You when you're performing, you. Absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. You don't always. Well, I listen to all my music tonight. You. No, no, no, no, we're doing that. I'm doing some jazz music because we are from New Orleans live here.
00:31:52:21 - 00:32:19:02
Unknown
This is what we want to come in here when they come here, you know, people that are saying there and I mean, but I love it because I always love the space. Awesome, awesome. Who's your favorite jazz musician? Oh my goodness. Let me say Ella Fitzgerald is by far my favorite. It has to be Ella Louis, Armstrong and Sarah Vaughan.
00:32:19:04 - 00:32:40:11
Unknown
It's going to go on. Yeah, there's a lot of good ones, but that's some good ones. There's a lot of them. But I just love them so much. Frank Sinatra I just could go on and on. Yeah. There you go. There you go. What do you feel some of the challenges that you faced as a woman and the music?
00:32:40:13 - 00:32:44:23
Unknown
Well, journey.
00:32:45:01 - 00:33:06:03
Unknown
I'm just going to stay off the topics of things that are going on right now. But, you know, their there, yeah. As a woman, I don't really take. No, I don't say, you know, stuff like that. Like for me, I'm not into the whole, like, selling your soul. Do whatever. I'm talented. I'm. I feel like, you know, I'm gifted.
00:33:06:05 - 00:33:29:01
Unknown
God has blessed me with, everything I need to succeed. So if you, as you know, whatever you are, whatever you do want to do business with me, it's not going to be on a funny style, right? For me as a woman, that is probably a challenge, because a lot of women who use what they got to get what they want, they sometimes doesn't work out for them.
00:33:29:02 - 00:33:48:04
Unknown
Well, I would, I would say most of the time it doesn't work out. Most of the time it doesn't work. I won't, it does. It's like, what price do you have to pay, right? I'm not with that. So you're right. I'm going to stay in my room right. It's more like I would say. I would say, use your talent, not your talents.
00:33:48:06 - 00:34:16:04
Unknown
Exactly. That's not funny. Ha. That's that's probably the best advice I can give them, because it just never lasts in that moment, you know, like, even. I mean, Britney Spears was dating the manager, but where is Britney now? Like. And she's not in a good position. Toni. Toni Braxton, where did you end up making her like, you know, like it's not a good moment.
00:34:16:06 - 00:34:39:13
Unknown
I don't even know. But but it ends up ruining the careers, you know, because on the other side of that, that person is a powerful person in the industry. So you're you're now, you know, and all the things, you know, I think I cut my losses, make you make your own platform. Yeah. Right. Yeah. What about a mother?
00:34:39:13 - 00:34:59:23
Unknown
Being a mother and a mother has been the most rewarding experience ever. And becoming a mother. When I did become a mother, honestly, I wasn't the kind of mother that felt comfortable with. Okay, I'm leaving you for, like, three months to go on this story and go over here and over there. Oh, no. I feel like I don't want to be that kind of mom to come back.
00:34:59:23 - 00:35:20:01
Unknown
And and I understand that the sacrifices you have to make, the sacrifices. And eventually, as he got older, I became more comfortable traveling more. But, you know, my husband and the support system that I have, it makes sense for everything. But earlier on, you know, I had to get comfortable too. Like, okay, well, mom is right. He understands.
00:35:20:01 - 00:35:40:17
Unknown
And it's also different because you're not, you know, where you're super innocent and you're just like, oh, I'm just but kind of a wanderer. I didn't want my, you know, my child to ever feel like I left, you know, left him or that somebody else raised him. And now he has all these and mannerisms and the way that he conducts himself.
00:35:40:17 - 00:36:11:15
Unknown
It's because of me chasing, you know. Of course, of course, what I do and what I love. But I have a responsibility as a mom. This is a life, you know, he's going to be here on this earth, and this is the next generation, right? It represents me. Yeah. I need to also invest in that, but anything. So, as a mom, I just, I really took my time with that, and I did my music, kind of not as a hobby, but it became second.
00:36:11:20 - 00:36:30:11
Unknown
But, you know, to my being a mother. So as time went on and things became a little bit more, you know, it made more sense. Then I began to kind of say, okay, I'm going to do this. I have this project happening for a week. I'm over here, but you have this great support system here that, you know, is different now.
00:36:30:11 - 00:36:44:20
Unknown
It's not like it was back then when he was 3 or 4 and five, you know, and I have great parents. My parents are still alive, you know, I'm married and everything. But we went through such crisis at that time. It just wasn't a good time. So just. Well, I got my parents. Let me just push you over.
00:36:44:20 - 00:37:04:10
Unknown
There is just wasn't. And I feel good about that. Right about that. Yeah. You guys take a step back, you know, and and and and understand that they are their number one fan. And you have to milk that, you know, and in the right moments and especially those early on moments, I feel like that really builds the bond, you know.
00:37:04:10 - 00:37:26:02
Unknown
And then you can they will start to understand that it's 15 of them. And I wish my child, right now he's not 16. There you go. He, you know, he was with me. All the musicians know him. They know him as he was with me in rehearsals and stuff. So I was still doing my thing. I just made sure, like, I kept that.
00:37:26:03 - 00:37:47:12
Unknown
Yeah, but that's. And then it's also awesome because then he gets experience. What you doing while you're away? And at the same time, like, it gives him a little bit of, intrigue, you know, about what's going on. Well, let's see. Plans for the future. Oh, plans for the future. So one thing I haven't done, and I, you know, this is me overthinking all the all this stuff.
00:37:47:14 - 00:38:04:03
Unknown
You know, a lot of times as an artist that doesn't have a record deal or something like that behind you, you sit on music for years. Like, what is the right time. Like if they're going to really do well and am I going to get like a tour and all that thing, you know it's like overthinking overload.
00:38:04:03 - 00:38:25:17
Unknown
And do you have enough followers on social media to put this project out and be, you know, the masses are actually getting to experience it? I'm over that. So for me now, all the music I've recorded, music I've done, that I'm doing, I'm definitely going to put out. Yeah, I cannot keep sitting on it. It's just not it doesn't do any good in the computer.
00:38:25:17 - 00:38:45:21
Unknown
Yeah, yeah. Not doing any good. I don't care what happens at this point. I just want it to be out. It's my work, you know? And I'm just I wanted to be out. And then there's other things happening right now that I can't say that are so exciting. You know, to top of the year, that will kind of help with that, movement when it happens.
00:38:45:21 - 00:39:11:22
Unknown
Okay. Well good. Well, good. Well, exciting. Well, what brings the lation to you in your life? You know, elation. We, we we we define as peak happiness around here. So. So what would that be for me? Wow. It's it's it's it's a bunch of things. First of all, me being a mother, you know, my son, my husband, my step daughter.
00:39:11:22 - 00:39:34:12
Unknown
Like, we're a family. In my extended family, you know, just. We've gone through a lot, you know, things, I've had some serious losses in my life. And when you experience that, you just want it. You want it, you want joy. You want love. You want genuine souls around you. Traveling, experiences. That is what brings me elation.
00:39:34:12 - 00:39:55:14
Unknown
All that put together. Real life. Real life, real life. Yeah. And music for sure. There you go. In my DNA. So. Yeah. Awesome. Awesome. Well, great. Well, great conversation and great to have you. I'm glad you came through today. Did. I was not going to miss it. I was like, oh my God. So busy this summer.
00:39:55:15 - 00:40:15:10
Unknown
So, you know, I'm glad, right? Listen, I'm glad you were busy. Yeah. Let's keep you busy. The busy. Good. Busy making money. Right. Busy making money. Well, great. Well, listen, please tell everybody where they can find your socials, where they can find your music. Okay, so my socials. You can find me on Instagram, TikTok. You can find me on YouTube.
00:40:15:10 - 00:40:36:07
Unknown
You can find me on Facebook. Now Simmons rally. Well, I'll just say it out right now. Underscore now in e l al Simmons as I am going as an underscore Bradley on Instagram. I have Facebook. You can just put it in now Simmons it'll come up for you YouTube I can always like add the links and stuff like okay.
00:40:36:09 - 00:41:15:01
Unknown
And you actually find my photos. You'll find probably videos TikTok as well. Music will be out. It would definitely be on all platforms pretty soon, so keep an eye out for that. I'm super stoked about the next experience. I am, you know, I'm happy to have been pushing myself through all the things that I actually that people around me that I love, that love me, have pushed me to keep going with something that I, you know, after you've experienced so much, you kind of just like, hey, I don't know you here, but I'm glad that I have these amazing souls around me, because for that reason, things are really, really
00:41:15:03 - 00:41:33:20
Unknown
there forward there for a movement. So I'm awesome. I'm excited about that. So all of my social lives and awesome, awesome. Well great well great. Well, we will definitely follow. So well great. Well, thanks. Thank you guys for joining us on the podcast today. And please like and follow and subscribe to our page. If you enjoyed the content you saw today.
00:41:34:02 - 00:41:37:18
Unknown
Thanks so much and see you next time.
