What city are you from/ Where are you based now?
I’m currently based in Chicago, Illinois
What is your artist name? What is your real name? How did you get your artist name?
I go by the artist name Simexn, pronounced “si-mee-uhn”. My name is Dakoby but I usually go by the nickname Koby. I got my artist name through my middle name which is Simeon, but in terms of styling it with the x, I remember searching up Simeon and seeing so many artists and other things with the same name so using the x in place of the o will have me pop up as the first choice.
At what point in your life did you decide to pursue a career in music?
Well, I’ve originally been singing since I was around 6 or 7 in a children’s choir usually being the lead for most songs, so music was always a huge interest of mine. It wasn’t until I was 16 when I started to get into creating my own music but didn’t start officially releasing music until I was 20. I was just tired of feeling like I wasn’t applying my full potential as a creative. I wanted to be able to express myself freely with no regrets.
Has your upbringing played a role in shaping who you are and defining your sound today?
If so, how?Oh yeah, 100 percent. My mother was a singer and music lover as well, introducing me to many types of music like house, jazz, neo-soul, 80’s pop, and R&B. She’s the reason I make music. Also being half Puerto Rican my titi listened to a lot of bachata and salsa music. Also with growing up in Chicago itself you’re bound to come across great musicians and styles of music.
How would you describe your sound to readers who may not be familiar with you?
I would say my sound is alternative r&b but with trap soul and neo-soul inspirations. I love my ambiance and I love to keep listeners engaged with dreamy background vocals and smooth transitions in every project.
What ultimately inspired you to dedicate yourself to a music career?
I would say after dropping out of college was when I told myself that music was the right path for me. The only thing that ever brought me happiness was creating music and I told myself that’s what I’ll do as a career no matter what.
What’s one reason you are passionate about music and what inspires you
Music has always been something that was therapeutic to me. Listening to music was always something I did whenever I felt any emotion because it was the only way for me to actually express my emotions, I believe that others may also have the exact same emotional outlets that I do and I want to help others express themselves the exact same way others did for me.
Do you have any hobbies outside of music? What do you do to stay creative?
Outside of music I usually don’t do much but chill. I’m pretty big on anime. I love to play basketball in my free time, but most of the time everything I do is solely based on music. In terms of staying creative I love to write, I write about my day, I create stories, and write out theories I may have on life.
What were you doing before music?
Before doing music I was heavily into playing basketball. Had D2 offers and I would consider myself a pretty elite ball player, but after time passed my true calling was always the arts.
Who are some of your main musical influences?
My main influences are easily The Weeknd and Childish Gambino, those are two artists that I’ve always cherished since first hearing their sound. Others include Michael Jackson, Bruno Mars, and Frank Ocean. I was heavy into the pop and r&b sounds and gradually became more interested in more hip-hop sounds around the 8th grade.
What are some of your music career goals for the future?
I want to have an impact on the music scene. I want to change the sound of r&b and inspire generations to come. I want to win awards and I want to prove not to people who doubted me but also prove to myself that I was always capable of doing great things.
Tell us the name of the project you are currently promoting?
What inspired this project?In terms of a project, my last EP “PROJECT; blu” dropped in May. Easily one of my best bodies of work as an artist. It was a project I made in response to my last EP “PROJECT: red”.
Date that this project dropped or is set to drop?
May 14th, 2021
What is this project about in your own words?
Blu was really just a project made to show that I’ve changed as a person, I’ve been more aware of myself and internal pain that I have to fix. It was a very apologetic project that really pushed the criteria of self healing.
Is there a specific song on this project that speaks to you most? If so, what’s It called and what’s it about?
My favorite song on this project is the intro “Wins and Losses” . It was a song that I made to get away from the sadness and start to get real into depth about my struggles as an artist. I wanted to give listeners a real insight of how my day to day life goes and the things that I’ve dealt with, yet I still continued to pursue my dreams as an artist.
What’s one of your most proud moments of your music career so far?
I think the most proudest moment I had was me starting to break out of my shell and start collaborating with other artists. I’m a very shy person who still has trouble with anxiety but I’m becoming more and more comfortable with every collaboration I’m a part of. My biggest feature has to be with Autmn Rains, we just recently put out a song “Chance” that we had been sitting in the vault for about a year and it’s finally out now on all platforms.
What’s next for you? Are you working on any upcoming projects we should be on the lookout for?
Include some dates if you have them.I do plan on dropping a full length project pretty soon, but honestly at the moment I’m focused on promotion. I feel like I have a large enough discography to relax with my music for a while and start focusing more on visuals and creating my aesthetic that screams “simexn.”
What message do you hope fans take away from your music and from this project?
I’m definitely excited to get out some music videos and associating my face with the name simexn. I can’t just make music and hope to blow up, I have to actually put my physical self out there and bring a personality to my music and to myself as an artist.
Where can we follow you on social media?
Include links.You can follow me on instagram @simeon.x https://www.instagram.com/simeon.x/
