EPICA's SIMONE SIMONS feels 'more pressure' on female musicians 'to always look good and be in the best shape'
11-03-2021
Simone Simons of Dutch symphonic metallers EPICA was recently interviewed by Anne Erickson of Audio Ink Radio. She talked about her role and the role of women in general in the metal world.
Asked how the metal world has changed in terms of its acceptance of women in metal from when she started out in EPICA to now, Simone said: “I guess women in the scene are more prominent, and, I guess, also maybe more respected or accepted for the fact that we have talent and can work hard and can succeed. I guess that women are still the minority in the whole metal scene, but it’s developing in the right direction, I would say. Back in the day, we had the term ‘female-fronted metal,’ and that is nowhere near accurate at the moment, because it does not describe the sound of the band other than there’s a female singer in the band. I, myself, am lucky enough to not have had any really big negative experiences to talk about. And I’m one of the guys; that’s how I always felt, I guess — with the exception of some females things. [Laughs] And I feel well being surrounded by a lot of guys; I never felt misunderstood or disrespected.”
Regarding whether there is pressure on women to physically look a certain way to make it in music, Simone said: “Well, I guess, in a certain way, the appearance is important, not just for the women, but also for the guys. I mean, don’t we all want to look our best? Don’t we put a lot of effort in making the live show visually appealing? But there is, of course, more pressure on the women to always look good and be in the best shape. And people create this image of you that you’re perfect, and you’re not, and it’s sometimes tedious to keep up that appearance. With guys, it’s easier for them; they can just roll out of bed and look like crap and nobody gives a shit. And [when you are a woman,] if you have a bad day or a huge zit, everybody is pointing at it. But, yeah, that’s how it’s always been. That’s just a thing you’ve gotta fight. And I know some of my female colleagues — I respect them enormously — they posted photos without any makeup on, and I think that is a great thing to do, to show everybody that we are normal as well. I post makeup videos, and people see me without makeup as well. And I guess I don’t mind as much as I did in the past. It comes with age, I guess, that you start to feel more comfortable. When you’re in your younger years, when your skin and everything is nice and tight, you are actually the most insecure; you don’t value or acknowledge that you’re young and that it has a lot of advantages and that it’s a beautiful thing to be young. But, yeah, that insecurity, I guess, gets to all of us.”
EPICA‘s latest album, “Omega”, was released on February 26 via Nuclear Blast. The follow-up to 2016’s “The Holographic Principle” was once again produced by Joost Van Den Broek (POWERWOLF, AYREON) in part at Sandlane Recording Facilities in Rijen, Netherlands.
LIVE DATES:
03.06.2021 TR Istanbul – Kucukciftlik Park
04–05.06.2021 RO Bucharest – Maximum Rock Festival
02.07.2021 NL Dokkum – Dokk’em Open Air
03.07.2021 IT Verona – Rock The Castle
14–16.07.2021 AT Leoben – Area 53
15–16.07.2021 DE Balingen – Bang Your Head
22–24.07.2021 FIN Laukaa – John Smith Rock Festival
05–07.08.2021 ES Villena – Leyendas del Rock
12–15.08.2021 BE Kortrijk – Alcatraz
»The Epic Apocalypse Tour 2022«
w/ APOCALYPTICA, WHEEL
06.01.2022 DE Leipzig – Haus Auensee
07.01.2022 DE Berlin – Columbiahalle
08.01.2022 PL Gdansk – B90
09.01.2022 PL Warsaw – Progresja
11.01.2022 AT Vienna – Gasometer
12.01.2022 CZ Brno – Hala vodova
13.01.2022 HU Budapest – Barba Negra
15.01.2022 DE Munich – Tonhalle
16.01.2022 I Milan – Fabrique
17.01.2022 CH Lausanne – Metropole
18.01.2022 CH Zurich – Komplex
20.01.2022 DE Wiesbaden – Schlachthof
21.01.2022 DE Ludwigsburg – MHP Arena
22.01.2022 LUX Luxembourg – Den Atelier
23.01.2022 DE Hannover – Capitol
25.02.2022 FIN Helsinki – IceHall
27.02.2022 NO Oslo – Sentrum
28.02.2022 SE Stockholm – Berns
02.03.2022 DK Copenhagen – Amager Bio
03.03.2022 DE Hamburg – Docks
04.03.2022 NL Amsterdam – AFAS Live
05.03.2022 DE Cologne – Carlswerk Victoria
07.03.2022 BE Brussel – Ancienne Belgique
08.03.2022 UK Nottingham – Rock City
09.03.2022 UK Glasgow – O2 Academy
10.03.2022 UK Manchester – Academy
12.03.2022 UK Bristol – O2 Academy
13.03.2022 UK London – Roundhouse
14.03.2022 F Paris – Zenith
15.03.2022 F Toulouse – Bikini
17.03.2022 ES Barcelona – Razzmatazz 1
18.03.2022 ES Murcia – Gamma
19.03.2022 ES Madrid – La Riviera
20.03.2022 P Lisbon – Coliseum
Studio Vlog #1: https://youtu.be/JQECj9jbQ_U
Studio Vlog #2: https://youtu.be/P8tbDNzOLSQ
Studio Vlog #3: https://youtu.be/CpUpIlelrv8
Studio Vlog #4: https://youtu.be/GMgMWthA-ps
Studio Vlog #5: https://youtu.be/ccjqVvaMTD4
Studio Vlog #6: https://youtu.be/NHy_ht95dO4
Studio Vlog #7: https://youtu.be/yX0tZD5YptQ
Studio Vlog #8: https://youtu.be/d1BYKO4w4g8
Studio Vlog #9: https://youtu.be/whLMYkwyM04
Studio Vlog #10: https://youtu.be/S-COWzMYgjo
Studio Vlog #11: https://youtu.be/X-OaN9xEscc
Studio Vlog #12: https://youtu.be/4vTTCzpo1qc
Studio Vlog #13: https://youtu.be/4zyglxmDm4w
Studio Vlog #14: https://youtu.be/MTPbOx9cMqo
Studio Vlog #15: https://youtu.be/aV3mhutC0Fo
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