Originally from Victoria, a small town in the heart of Transylvania, Simona-Valentina is a pop-folk singer-songwriter based in London, UK. Her music, comprises dreamy, enchanting songs of love, loss, heartbreak and escaping the confines of a washing machine, a funny childhood story described in one of her songs, ‘Head Outta Washing Machine.’
From singing with her head in the washing machine, Simona-Valentina has come a long way. She released a few songs already and performed live at various events and venues around the city. Her third written single, ‘Blue Tattoo,’ won a Semi-Finalist award in the 2019 International Songwriting Competition (ISC).
She is inspired by artists such as Celine Dion, Kate Bush, Dolly Parton, Sia, Tori Amos, Lana del Rey, and many others.
With her debut album, Mirrors & Feathers, out now, we took some time to hear from Simona-Valentina. Read below to learn more about Simona-Valentina, the story behind Mirrors & Feathers, and what’s to come.
Hi Simona-Valentina! Let’s start with how did you get your artist name?
Hello. My artist’s name, well, it’s actually my first and middle name. ‘Simona’ is the name that my father chose at birth, a Hebrew name meaning ‘one who hears,’ and ‘Valentina’ is a name with some history in the family, it is an inherited name, passed down from grandfather, Valentin, to mother, and daughter (myself).
What city are you from and where are you based now?
I originally come from a little town called Victoria, in the heart of, Romania, Transylvania region. In 2011, I moved to London, UK, where I lived for more than thirteen years, but recently moved to Luton, UK.
At what point in your life did you decide to pursue a career in music? How did you get started?
I’ve always been passionate about music, and my mother has many stories of me singing a lot when I was very little. Hence, it all started right from when I was a child, I was dreaming to sing on big stages. I had many attempts of starting a career in music, but sadly many times I failed as being a singer was not something that was regarded as socially acceptable or desirable for a kid that was very good in school like myself, whom all teachers loved.
It was only when I fully settled to London, the hub of music, that I rediscovered my passion for music, started to play the guitar and wrote my first songs. Hence, my music career started, I shall say around six years ago.
Has your upbringing played a role in shaping who you are and defining your sound today? If so, how?
I grew up in a little town called Victoria, in the heart of Transylvania, Romania. Yes, indeed, I am from the land of Dracula, bears, wild wolves, foxes, Lynxes, red squirrels and other wildlife marvels. I love nature and I grew up surrounded by it. The picturesque sightseeing close to my hometown has always inspired my artistic side and since a very young age, I discovered that music, painting and dancing made me the happiest person in the world. I should also blame my parents for always listening to good music on the radio, on the record and cassette players.
I have a very funny story to tell, and a song called, ‘Head Outta Washing Machine,’ that talks about how my singing started when I was a child. I used to sing with the head in the washing machine. ‘Wait what?’ – this is probably what you will ask yourselves with total confusion and surprise when reading this. We’ve all done silly things when we were little and so did I, haha. The intimate and reverb-like effect found when singing with the head in the washing machine made it so appealing to me. It also made it possible for me to shout and sing as loud as I could and feel like I’m on a big stage, same as those my idols at that time, Celine Dion, Dolly Parton, Whitney Houston, were performing on.
And, I believe that’s how my music journey started and that is how that folky/country/ballad like sound that you find in my music, got shape and form.
How would you describe your sound to readers who may not be familiar with you?
Authentic, handcrafted, soulful and emotional folk, with 70s and 90s pop influences, ballad like storytelling.
Do you have any hobbies outside of music? What do you do to stay creative?
I have too many hobbies to be fair, one of my favorites being painting and dancing. I love creating cover arts for my music, by painting the story of each song, I did that for a number of songs, such as ‘Middle Ground,’ ‘Blue Tattoo,’ ‘Two Birds,’ etc.
Lately, I love spending time in my garden, so gardening is another, rather relaxing hobby for me.
Who are some of your main musical influences?
I am inspired by so many artists, from big names such as Celine Dion, Kate Bush, Dolly Parton, Sia, Tori Amos, Lana del Rey, etc., to some amazing local singers that I met in London, some of whom I had the chance to collaborate with, the list is super long…
What’s one of the proudest moments of your music career so far?
I am not very good at showing off, haha, I strongly believe it is the journey that matters and not the final destination in life, music career, etc. However, something that is worth sharing here is the fact that one of my songs, ‘Blue Tattoo,’ won a semi-finalist award in the International Songwriting Competition in 2019 (ISC). Also, for me, the fact that I managed to put together my debut album, that is a great achievement, also all the collaborations with some incredible artists in London, all that plus more, make me so proud of my music journey so far.
What would you say are the greatest lessons that you’ve learned so far?
One of the greatest lessons in life that I’ve learnt is something linked to what I said in the previous question. To enjoy the journey and care less about the final destination. Most of our lives are busy trying to impress, to succeed, to be the best. But what matters is the journey, the failures that make you better and stronger, the clouds before the sunshine. It applies to the music career as well, ’cause, by all means, it’s been a hell of a journey so far.
Now onto your release, Mirrors & Feathers. What inspired this album?
My very first album, Mirrors & Feathers, has been the end result of many years of creation, writing and re writing, recording and re recoding, mixing and re mixing, and so on. It’s been a long journey, very creative and reflective, at times, painful as many tears were shed in the songwriting process, while reflecting on some very sensitive and personal experiences and thoughts. It’s been a beautiful journey of love, a perfect reflection of my life, my inner thoughts and fears, confessions of love and lust, happiness and pain alike. Hence, songs are like tiny ‘mirrors’ inside the most vulnerable corners of my soul. Furthermore, these songs have been perfectly honest confessions to the world and a way to set myself free, hence, the idea of ‘Feathers’ which symbolically mean ‘freedom.
What is the overall theme of Mirrors & Feathers?
The overall theme of the album is authenticity and sincerity, confessions of an honest soul and setting it free through these confessions I called mirrors.
What was the creative process like when making Mirrors & Feathers? How long did it take to complete Mirrors & Feathers?
As I already mentioned above, Mirrors & Feather has been the end result of many years of creation, writing and rewriting, recording and re-recoding, mixing and remixing, and so on. It’s been a long journey, probably from the beginning of when I started to write my first song, ‘Unspoken Love,’ to these days. All the songs in the album have already been released in the past, but which I decided to rerecord and mix in my own album, then send them to an engineer to further mix and master.
Is there a specific song on Mirrors & Feathers that speaks to you the most? If so, what is it called, and what is it about?
Probably my favorite of all the songs in this album, and the reason why I chose it as my opening song, is ‘Love is Written in the Tears.’ I wrote that song in the memory of my grandparents and to talk about the passing of time and the very painful prospect of losing the ones that we love.
What message do you hope fans take away from your music and from Mirrors & Feathers?
Love is the quintessence of life and pain is part of the process. By confessing how you feel, you set your soul free and learn to float like a feather in the wind.
What’s next for you? Are you working on any upcoming projects, or do you have any upcoming shows that we should be on the lookout for?
I am currently preparing the release of two more singles that I am super proud of, a song called ‘Breaking Waves,’ which should be released this summer and another one called ‘Diamond Rings,’ which will hopefully be out before the end of the year. These songs have been fully produced and mixed in a lovely studio in the South of London, with a great artist and producer, Will Whisson.
Where can we follow you on social media?
Official Website: https://simonavalentina.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simonavalentina.music/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simona.v.seulean
X (Twitter): https://x.com/simi_seulean
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@simonavalentina.music
Before you go, let’s ask you something random. What is your favorite food?
Mici (Romanian Kofte) with chips and fresh cabbage salad with dill.
Thank you for the great interview; wish you much continued success!
