FEATURE June Simon - LoneBoyStore

featured artist

june simon

Interview with LoneBoy Records… April 2008

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At 10 years of age my father took me to a movie of “La Boheme” and I was hooked from then on. I loved the music, the acting, the drama, the beauty. I started singing lessons and immediately was cast as a lead in Henry Purcells’ “A Statue for the Mayor”. It was a cute little operetta and the mayor of our city attended. The entire piece got a write up in the paper and everyone enjoyed themselves. From then on I sang and performed all kinds of music but throughout I loved the direct communication with my audience. When I was about to leave for Europe to begin a career, I fell ill and was stricken with this condition for many, many years, including 11 surgeries. Early on, I realized that music was over in my life as the drugs had impacted my voice and I could not hope to maintain the perfection necessary for a coloratura soprano. My heart was broken but as with most people, I had to continue and I did so even becoming a pilot…in between the frequent, vicious bouts of illness. At that time they did not understand the condition and called it a “business woman’s disease” – now, fortunately, they realize that their prescriptions were terribly off track! Fortunately, also I have totally recovered.

By a strange fluke of destiny, I found a new voice had returned while in a recording studio with a friend. I started to sing and Emile started to write music…I have never stopped to look back. Sometimes people ask me “Why are you so happy?” I simply cannot help it – when I start to sing, I feel absolute joy. I am doing something totally different than other artists simply because of the strange circumstances surrounding my life. Our music is totally different. It speaks of the charm of love. It speaks about people and life. I wanted to make visual music and so we have traveled and filmed our songs at different locations that we feel impart the true meaning of the song. I cannot say that any one song is preferred as in each song there is a very dear and special message. “Saddles in the Grass” which is on the video of the same name, is an example of one of the most touching experiences I have had filming and singing. I actually sing when I film and in this case it was a very cold morning and very quiet as if everything around me was waiting for this moment in time. I felt as if I was right on a battlefield and then suddenly the dark, gray sky opened to beautiful sunlight streaming through and the song was complete. A similar moment happened when I sang “The Feather” on the Never Give It Up DVD. We were on an Indian reserve with a wonderful man called Helmer Twoyoungmen and his son. The song is rather sad but very positive in a different way. It tells of a father who is dying and wants his cowboy friend to bring this eagle’s feather to his son. Just as I was looking up into the sky while I was singing again the sun came out from under a cloud and a majestic bald eagle came soaring overhead. All the songs I have done, and am doing, I hope bring good and positive messages to the audience as they journey with me to these wonderful places. A father once told me that as soon as he puts my music on, his little baby stops crying. I just recorded a song with that in mind called “Don’t Cry, Don’t Cry My Baby” which will be out this year!

Currently, we have just finished filming a special Christmas show which will come out in DVD as well. I have many stories to tell about this one but I do not want to take up too much time. However, this is a totally different and positive reflection on Christmas including Ave Maria, Largo, Faith in Christmas, Christmas in Canada and more. Dress of Life with its rather controversial ending, is now available, and a very, very special DVD is in production called The Bridge of Time. Perhaps this is my favorite song because it says everything about today, our society and when I sang it in the studio – only one take – I put all the love and feeling I have into it. I realize that I do not fit the stereotype artist for I am equally as comfortable singing a romantic song in an evening dress as I am in a cowboy hat and boots singing a ballad. This is something which is often not understood about North America. However, we are getting fans from all around the world to our small company and we are working on an unbelievably low budget trying to bring the best of music, visually and on CD to everyone for them to think, to dance, to smile, to regain hope. We are very grateful to companies like LoneBoy Records for helping to profile our work. The well known Honolulu interviewer Mike Buck was elated when he played the wide range of music I was performing to his listeners. Another music critic found my voice was equally as pleasing in traditional Italian songs, to that of soft jazz and samba and even those with a Caribbean touch. He compared the Love In Your Eyes CD to Walt Disney’s family style of entertainment, warm, dramatic sounds changing from a hero’s homecoming to that of a tender child’s lullaby.

Emile, the composer and lyricist of my music, has lived through WWII as a boy soldier, was in prison camp and has devoted his life to trying to educate and enlighten people. He started writing music and lyrics just 5 years ago. He has since won 1st in World Music at the government sponsored International HMA twice. I think it is this combination of European and North American that makes his music and lyrics so timely and that makes “The Bridge of Time” the song that it is. If you want to know more about our music logon to www.junesimon.com.

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