MY STORY
Simon Bass is a singer-songwriter-composer from Québec, Canada. He made his unofficial debut on the music scene in 2020 with the release of his first single titled Say which he produced on his own. He is currently in the studio working on his official debut album due out in 2023.
Raised in a little suburb house outside Montreal, Simon is the youngest of two children. From a Portuguese father and a french canadienne mother, surprisingly, he wasn’t surrounded by any family members or friends that were into music or had a musical background.
An athlete to the core, Simon started playing soccer at the age of 5. He played anything and everything and to this day, one of his passions lies in sports and group activities. Which made his journey to eventually becoming a personal trainer a natural one. He loves that sports allow him to always challenge himself and push his limits.
In highschool, he also had a hidden talent for the arts. From music to drawing, Simon loved both. He desperately wanted to play an instrument, but did not have one at the time. Simon loves to learn and likes trying different things. He’s very hands on, so trying something new is always a interesting challenge. He often says «Life is like a checklist, you put a bunch of ideas out there and try them out to be fulfilled and know what you like! »
It’s at the age of 12, while on an outing to fix a broken string on his sister’s guitar, Simon ended up with his very first acoustic guitar. This gift from his father was a dream come true. Unable to follow proper music lessons, he taught himself how to play by listening to songs, which in turn, eventually developed his musical ear. Little did he know that life would come full circle 17 years later, and he would be writing songs using an acoustic guitar.
It’s only a couple years ago, in 2020, that Simon got back into music. He had played here and there but nothing serious. It’s after a breakup, where he found himself in a dark headspace and emotionally fragile, that he started writing. When his confidence was at an all-time low, he turned to music to cope. It was his escape from reality and allowed him to put pen to paper and finally SAY what he was feeling.
While coping with this heartache, life threw him a second curveball. This time, one that would affect him physically. Like any other day, while riding his motorcycle, he got into an accident that almost cost him his life. Surviving an injury to his left side and a concussion, he was in rehabilitation for almost 6 months and had to stop work as a personal trainer. After two months of rest, his insurance made the decision to stop payment on his treatments ruling that « he hadn’t made enough physical progress». They say bad things come in threes and this wasn’t an exception. While surviving his two curveballs, he got hit with some upsetting news. His position at the gym would be cut and he would no longer have a job, which was his whole life and passion. He found himself heartbroken, physically injured and jobless with a stack of medical bills to pay in less than 2 years.
Most people would have given up at the first sign of trouble, but Simon channeled that pain and suffering into his writing instead. He decided to see this as an opportunity to make drastic changes in his life. He knew he loved music and was passionate about it and knew he wanted to explore this further. He thought that if he didn’t have the talent to make it in the music industry as an artist, then he could help in other ways.
He took a leap of faith, decided to pursue music in a more official way and enrolled in a year-long course in sound recording & live sound. This course was the gateway to everything musical. He learned the theory behind the music, how to record & mix, how to place equipment and to create musically a song using various softwares. The creative aspect however, he learned on his own. Writing songs, composing music, playing instruments, all things he has taught himself through the years. The idea with this class was to one day, be able to produce his own record. That being said, with hard work, time, determination and fun, he is one step closer to that dream!
It’s on a night out, while driving to a concert in Detroit with friends, he started singing. Seeing their reaction made him realize he enjoyed singing and had a passion for it.
During his music journey, he decided to start singing lessons to understand the only instrument that stayed a mystery to him, his voice. Danielle Pilon, an Iconic figure in his region, became his teacher. She was also one of the pivotal points in his path to self-discovery. Coming out of his breakup, she supported him, helped him believe in himself and his talents and showed him something new to love and do.
In 2020, Simon decided to write, compose and produce Say, his debut single. The plan was to just release that one single, but life decided otherwise. After releasing this track, he met his now musical director, Samuel Mendoza, with whom he decided to create a 6-song EP. While prepping for this, Simon couldn’t stop writing and they decided that a full 12-track album was the way to go! For this new project, they added a third person, Sebastien Dalphond who became their sound engineer on this project. Simon loves working with others and grows through these artist collaborations. During the pandemic, he thought that musicians had difficulty working and if he could hire a couple to help and learn from, then that’s what he would do! He knew they could bring a sound quality to the table that could benefit the entire team. He took on ALL of the financial responsibility for this project and put everything he had into it. Against all odds, he finally found a "musical family in this”, powered-through pain and suffering and is now excited to release his debut album in 2023!
While we wait for the drop of his album, his new single “Want Some More” is now available!
To stay updated on future releases or to know more about Simon’s journey, follow him on social media. A lot more music, inspiration and fun are to come!