An Interview with Simeon Hammond Dallas for Her Stunning EP ‘Make It Romantic’
“Make it romantic. Don’t let them know that I’m out of my mind.” ~ Simeon Hammond Dallas
Simeon Hammond Dallas is a rising country singer-songwriter from London’s Camden Town, and she’s back with her brand-new EP, Make It Romantic, which was released on August 11, 2022. Belles and Gals had the honor of chatting with Dallas ahead of the EP release.
Get to Know Simeon Hammond Dallas
Dallas grew up in a musical household, and there was always music playing. Around age eight, she learned classical guitar in school, and this led to her diving into songwriting when she was sixteen. Joni Mitchell, Alanis Morisette, and Ella Fitzgerald are her biggest inspirations, and as a songwriter herself, Dallas stands out with her unique blend of country, folk, blues, and soul.
Dallas shared her thoughts on her genre-blending and what these styles mean to her: “I think genre is really interesting because I think it allows people to communicate what they like, but I don’t think that anyone really likes being put in a box. And I think that it gives a bit of freedom to just be able to, like, enjoy what you enjoy.”
Her genre choices mean more than what she loves as an artist. She said, “For people listening, I like to feel like my songs don’t feel confined by their music choices and they are allowed to listen to whatever they want to. And I hope that my music kind of enables that as well because it doesn’t sit neatly in one genre.”
The Unique Writing and Recording Process of Make It Romantic
Dallas shared how her process of creating Make It Romantic differed from her first project, Manic Pixie Dreams. Much of the EP was written during lockdown, which automatically led to a unique experience: “It was a very different process just because of the kind of space that I was in and that the world was in. So, it became much more, kind of, figuring everything out on my own and then taking it all into the studio when everything opened up and I could do that.”
Recording the EP presented another challenge for Dallas, due to her getting COVID around the time of doing vocal takes. She not only had to delay recording but also had lingering issues with her voice once she was able to record. She said, “Everything that you hear on the record is not my full vocal capacity, which is very strange, but you know, we made it work anyway.”
Despite the obstacles thrown her way, Dallas was able to create a project that she’s proud of.
All About the EP’s Lead Single “A Hundred Lovers”
Dallas shared the first piece of Make it Romantic with the release of “A Hundred Lovers” on April 8.
Dallas opened up about the story behind this track: “The song was inspired by a text that I sent to my friend when I was talking about a guy that I was dating. She asked me, ‘What, who’s this one?’ And I said, ‘I have a hundred lovers,’ and then I thought, oh, that’s a really good name for a song and then wrote the song.”
“A Hundred Lovers” stood out as the perfect lead single because Dallas feels that this song is fun and has a level of relatability to it. She said, “It’s got a good balance of fun and saying something important as well about women and us being able to do what we want.”
The Inspiration Behind the Title Track “Make It Romantic”
The second single and title track of the EP, “Make It Romantic,” released on June 11, and Dallas pulled back the curtain on the inspiration behind this stunning track.
Dallas sees “Make It Romantic” as the soundtrack for the point in a film where you’re going to see your lover for the last time and it’s raining on a bridge. She said, “That’s what I see in my mind, like that’s the song that I hear to that scene in a rom-com in my mind.”
“Make It Romantic” was accompanied by a music video as well, which is outstanding and a fantastic visual to go along with this track.
The Message of Make It Romantic and a Self-Discovery
When releasing such a special project that required so much time, patience, and creativity, there’s likely a specific message that the project expresses as a whole. Make It Romantic has one of those powerful messages.
Dallas said, “I hope that the EP communicates my experiences as a woman of color in the music industry. And I hope that it resonates with other people, and you know, some songs maybe just give a feeling of solidarity. And then, for others, maybe some inspiration that you can be all you in a space that doesn’t always want you there.”
Along with the message that Dallas hopes her EP communicates to her listeners, the process of creating this project led to a realization about herself and how she’s grown as a songwriter and artist.
She said, “This is my first time playing lead guitar in all the songs. That is something that I never thought that I’d be able to do. And I started working on my lead guitar in lockdown, and I kind of let myself imagine what it might be like to be my own lead guitarist, and that’s kind of come to fruition with this EP.”
If you’re in the area, be sure to catch Dallas at her full-band headline show at the Lexington to celebrate the EP launch. The show is at 7:30 pm on August 22 and you can grab tickets here.
If you’d like to check out all of Dallas’ music, tour dates, and more, head over to her website.
We hope you enjoyed this interview with Simeon Hammond Dallas. Click here for more Belles and Gals artist interviews.