Can you tell me how you started to work in television?
I started working in television when I had only 12 years old, I became part of a group in Holland. It was the youth department of a TV station… there I learned for the first time how to write scripts, how to use cameras, what is a set, how to do an transmission, everything that was involved with television... That was a very cool thing to do. I started to do a whole bunch of commercials and I kinda went on from that. I never really had a "normal" job.
Accidentally I was looking on youtube for Partyzone shows, and… I saw this video Let This Feeling. Can you tell me more about the video and the song?
When I was 18 I got a record deal in England… Because I got a big record deal, everyone wanted to have my publishing. The only thing is that I had never written a song in my life :-) And it was crazy, because all these big records label at that time were fighting over my publishing, and I did not even know if I could write a song.
So in the end I was given a whole bunch of money to go and write some hit records, and of course it's pretty difficult when you've never written a song in your life. After a little bit of trying, I ultimately ended up with Let this feeling, probably being the best one I wrote at the time. But till this day I still don't think it was a particularly strong song, but that's pretty much what you get when you ask to a 18 years old girl who's never written a song :-) to write songs but it was all right …
The video was great fun, it video was directed by a friend of mine, Matthew Glamour... it was crazy because took strange characters on the set, artists, sculptures.. and put me on that Pegasus made by the famous sculptor Andrew Logan... yeah it was great fun!
Was When Love Rules The World your first single ?
When Love Rules The World was not really my first single. I had my very first record deal at the age of 15 in Holland. The song was called Make’s Me Wanna Dance .. I've got not idea if one has still got that single... and it was good fun actuall... it was quite a jumpy, fun song but it was never a hit, but it was a fun to do it.
Why did you stop singing ?
I left my record label because one day I got a telephone call : “Simone you have to make a videoclip for a track called Walk on water." And I was really confused because Walk on water was a demo I made with a new producer and I really didn’t like the track... But the record label had this track remixed and released it. And first time I heard of it is when, I think it was in top 3 in some Scandinavian country... I think it was in Sweden or something …
I hated the song, I hate the hole era ! I hate it because they published without telling me and because the broke the contract without telling me I was able get out for my deal… and since then, I never really managed to find the right label again. I remember that I recorded songs better then the first ones but I didn’t find a good label to publish them..
But I still sing … :-) but now it’s just a little bit of fun…
If you had to choose between music or being a TV presenter, what would you choose ?
I think I will choose being a Tv presenter… I just think that is more I can do as a TV presenter. I like to write show proposals and stuff. I don’t know, I just feel htere is more I can do… Like I said, music is fun, I love making music … But I don't see much of a future with that. But I definitely see myself back on TV.
Simone can you tell what do you think about eurodance music ?
What I think about eurodance music… I think a lot of it, through the years, has been produced by people who weren't truly passioned about music. That's not true for everybody. There are definitely some people whom I came across as well that really did it for the love of music. But a lot of people would do it to cash in… That was the part of the whole scene that I didn't like. I just did not find as many passionate music lovers behind the scenes when I was doing the Partyzone
Do you have any favorite eurodance artists?
Phew, hard !... I still love Rozalla's Everybody's free' as an individual track (plus, she was always such a sweetheart) & I always respected and admired Captain Hollywood's stage act and professional attitude. Though he was incredibly tough on his dancers. One time he was shouting at one of his dancers for jumping through the stage and getting his leg stuck in the stage. It was the weirdest thing...the guy was dancing so hard, his whole leg crashed into the stage. His whole leg disappeared into that stage. I've never seen anything like it. We all had to pull him out ; )"
What happened after you left MTV Europe?
I did shows in Germany especially and in Holland. Popstars was really good fun… and of course I went to Belize, and that was the end of this crazy chapter.
Do you have any regrets ?? If you had the power to go back in time, what would you change ?
I sometimes regret that I Left Europe the way I did .. I did have a very nice career, a nice job, I kinda sometimes regret that I just walked away from that. But, you know, I really still believe that I can go back and do something like that again.
Many people know you from MTV PartyZone as VJ Simone. Does it bother you?
No, not at all, it was a fun time and... I think I did some good work there. There was also a lot of work I did that was quite average... No, I don't mind at all. It quite nice you think that you are part of people life’s even though you never meet them… That’s is quite a funny thought.
What is the best thing that happened in you life ?
I will say the birth of my 2 boys. I think every mother will say that... But it's not just that, I mean, that was of course great. But also the moment when I started working for MTV, or standing on stage on MTV Awards. The whole feeling around that all this, getting the crowd excited, there have be so many great moments, really.
I know that you were in the jury of German show Popstars, can you tell more about this experience ?
Popstars was amazing. That show was so much fun to do... Cause I’m really passionate about finding the right people in this industry. I think the whole music industry is not for everybody… If you get the wrong people I think you can’t destroy them. But also if you find the good people, you can make their life amazing… It was fun finding the right people, not just talentwise but also characterwise, and to put the whole band together. We put together the No Angels and it was a great band, a great act, and the whole thing was amazing...
I was aked to go back in the Popstars jury again but I turned it down, because my little boy had just been born and I didn't want to just rush back in television when I was still nursing him. So I just said no to that. But I would love to do something like that again. It's so much fun being in the jury of a show like that.
What will your next future plans be ?
Right now... I'm not sure, to be honest with you. I'm trying a whole bunch of different things. I want to do something in the media again, that's for sure. I did tourism here in Belize and that was fun, we have a really lovely business. But it's no me, you know. My life is really TV, radio, media. So, you'll see me doing something like that again. :-)
What do you hate the most ?
People who aren’t honest... I’m very honest, I can’t lie, I keep thinks quiet but I can’t lie... I guess that's what I hate the most… dishonesty.
Special Thanks to Simone Angel
