Simone Murphy

Last updated

Simone Murphy
Born (1993-07-29) 29 July 1993 (age 31)
Edinburgh, Scotland
Occupation(s)Musician and former model
Years active2016–present

Simone Murphy (born 29 July 1993) is a Scottish musician and former model. Born in Edinburgh, she started modelling aged two before setting up several events while at the University of Edinburgh. After being scouted while working at Harvey Nichols in Edinburgh aged 21, she applied for Cycle 11 of Britain's Next Top Model, on which she placed fifth. That year, Murphy was a finalist in a competition to become PETA UK's Hottest Vegan. She later modelled for Karl Lagerfeld and appeared in music videos by The 1975.

Contents

Murphy diversified into DJing during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. She released a remix of Lana Del Rey's "Say Yes to Heaven" in 2023 under the name sim0ne, which she followed with several original compositions and remixes of Janet Jackson's "Empty" and MCR-T and HorsegiirL's "My Barn My Rules". Critics usually categorise her music as house music, techno, and trance music.

Life and career

Early life and Britain's Next Top Model

Murphy was born 29 July 1993 [1] in Edinburgh, Scotland, and was named after Nina Simone. [2] : 16:06  Her mother was a stylist and owned a dress shop, [2] : 3:12  and her father was a photographer. She attended George Heriot's School. Aged two, she modelled for The Scotsman fashion magazine, [3] before modelling for local clothing brands as a teenager. [4] Murphy studied Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Edinburgh, [5] during which time she worked as an events manager [3] and ran club nights. [4] She also spent time on the door of Fly Club [6] and helped set up Fly Festival. [4] Her first job in the fashion industry was a job in Hollister Co. aged nineteen, which she quit after three weeks. [7] After graduating in 2014, she worked in the hospitality and events industry, and took a post on the third floor of Harvey Nichols [3] in Edinburgh, at which she was scouted as a model aged 21. [2] : 3:12  Initially signed to an agency in Glasgow, she moved to an agency in Manchester because it was a bigger city with more work available. [7]

In 2016, after another model from Murphy's agency appeared on Britain's Next Top Model and booked many jobs as a result, [2] she applied for the series' eleventh cycle. [3] She got most of the way through filling out the form before deciding she did not want to film a video for the application, only doing so after the producers emailed her a reminder; [7] she filmed her episodes late that year. [3] Murphy's participation was announced in early 2017, at which point she had spent the previous three summers working in Ibiza. [8] The only Scottish contestant in the lineup, [3] Murphy finished in fifth place. [9] She stated in a May 2022 episode of the Navigating the Modelling Industry podcast that she struggled to find work after appearing on the competition until she spent a winter living in Cape Town. [2] : 3:12  She later modelled for Karl Lagerfeld and appeared in music videos by The 1975. [4]

Music and presenting

Murphy spent the first four months of the COVID-19 pandemic in Bali, having moved there with a boyfriend just before lockdown, and having signed with an agency in Sydney with the intention of travelling. After returning to Scotland, she broke up with her boyfriend via FaceTime. She later moved to London with a friend after struggling in Scotland. [7] After modelling work became harder to find during the pandemic, she taught herself how to make music. [4] She also came out to her followers as bisexual during this time [10] and quit the modelling industry after finding success as a DJ. She told Yazzi Gokcemen of Notion in February 2024 that she was proud of being able to withdraw from the industry on her terms, due to the industry's practice of withdrawing from models. [6] By July 2022, she had played sets at Snowbombing in Austria and at Victoria Park in London. [11]

In 2023, Murphy released "Say Yes to Heaven" on SoundCloud, [12] a glitchy techno remix of the Lana Del Rey track of the same name [13] which she had premiered at HÖR Berlin. Around this time, she began a residency at Rinse FM [12] and released another track, "Star Sign". [14] She was selected by SoundCloud for their "First on SoundCloud" program that July and then performed a set as part of a day rave comprising entirely female and genderqueer DJs, which had been organised by Nia Archives for her single "Bad Gyalz". [15] She then launched the club night Club Zer0. [6] In December 2023, Andrew Ryce of Resident Advisor wrote that her SoundCloud bootleg version of Janet Jackson's "Empty" had converted "a lament for loneliness" into "a sweaty, almost athletic celebration of togetherness". [16] By the end of that year, she had released a remix of MCR-T and HorsegiirL's "My Barn My Rules". [17]

After being named BBC Radio 1's Future Star of 2024 [18] that January, [19] she released "Halo", a collaboration with Remedy Club. [6] She played a warm-up slot for DJ Daddy Trance at The Carpet Shop in Peckham that February; Skiddle's Ben Jolley wrote that she "delivered thumping techno and trance edits of pop hits like Addison Rae and Charli XCX’s '2 Die 4'", and felt that "Say Yes to Heaven" and "Halo" were highlights. [20] For International Women's Day 2024, she and other women and non-binary DJs performed a set at The Thekla in Bristol. Laviea Thomas of Skiddle described her set as a "concoction of mainstream pop hits, OG club classics and a whole lot of spontaneity", and observed that Murphy got "straight to the point, diving into bouncy club music with EDM-inspired drops", in contrast to other DJs who preferred to take ravers "on a journey to [a] climax". [21] The following month, she released "Work It", a combination of techno and trance. [9]

"This set feels like an unabashed celebration of 2000s girlies who love to dance, the images behind the DJ glitching through anime, paparazzi shots of celebrities like Paris Hilton, psychic hotlines and memes. What looks like an AI version of sim0ne herself is also present on the screen, but the real thing is even better, striking the perfect balance between cool, calm and collected behind the decks and constantly dancing along with the crowd. It’s a great showcase of the little nook sim0ne has carved out for herself." [ sic ]

Georgia Jackson of The Soundboard Reviews discussing Murphy's 2024 Leeds Festival performance [22]

In June 2024, she released "Number One Lover", a track inspired by 1990s Eurodance, which she produced in response to comments criticising her practice of dancing while DJing. The track was premiered at a pop up nail salon and karaoke session at Shoreditch's PickPic, at which ravers could have their nails decorated with artwork containing a scannable NFC tag. [18] She then performed at that year's Leeds Festival; Georgia Jackson of The Soundboard Reviews described her set as "a seamless mix of styles, techno and trance beats, Spice Girls and Lana Del Rey remixes and her own glittering Eurodance and hyperpop-inspired material". [22]

Personal life and artistry

Murphy lived in Camden Town in July 2022 [11] and had moved to East London by April 2024. [17] She spent a period dating people in the modelling industry before signing up for Hinge in 2022 after a long dating pause. [23] In April 2023, Megan Wallace of Planet Woo noted that she had over 120,000 followers in Instagram, with her social media content comprising humorous videos, modelling looks, and advocacy "on the pressing political issues of the day – from the injustices of Conservative party austerity, to the need to advocate for trans rights amid a context of increasingly overt hate and discrimination". [24] She adopted a vegan lifestyle after being horrified by a social media clip, [lower-alpha 1] noting in May 2022 that she had done so "overnight" "six [or] seven years" earlier. [2] : 25:20  In July 2017, she was a finalist in a competition to become PETA UK's Hottest Vegan, [25] a contest won by Mark Goodwin and Casey Rider. [26]

In March 2017, The Scotsman reported that Murphy had described herself as being influenced by the flower power movement. [8] In April 2022, she told Mixmag that many of the DJs she looked up to were in both the music and fashion worlds, with Peggy Gou starting off in fashion and Virgil Abloh and Dimitri from Paris starting off by mixing for Chanel shows. [4] In July 2022, she told Gay Times that she was inspired to become a DJ by Peggy Gou and that she took inspiration from the fashion choices of Alexa Chung and from the way Jameela Jamil "uses her platform and her voice to speak up for what she believes is right". [11] In January 2024, Tmrw wrote that she was inspired by Gou and Nina Kraviz. [27]

Writing in April 2022, Becky Buckle of Mixmag wrote that a normal day for Murphy involved "playing mixes of camp icons such as Kylie, Lady Gaga and Charli XCX while dressed head-to-toe in Fiorucci". [4] Yazzi Gokcemen used a February 2024 Notion interview to note that her sets "sprawl[ed] techno, hard house, trance and other pulse-raising genres", which Murphy explained as being made out of a desire to make ravers move. [6] AGZ of Guettapen wrote in January 2024 that her sets were inspired by hyperpop, hard house, and trance, [28] while Chiara Maculan of Bricks wrote in June 2024 described her productions as "high energy blends of house, techno, trance, and even acid". [18]

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
2017 Britain's Next Top Model Contestant Eleventh cycle, eight episodes
2022PGTVPresenter

Discography

Singles as lead artist
TitleYearRef.
"Say Yes to Heaven" (Sim0ne & Melo Nada Remix)
(Lana Del Rey)		2023 [29]
"My Barn My Rules" (Sim0ne Remix)
(MCR-T & HorsegiirL)		2023 [29]
"Halo"
(Remedy Club x Sim0ne)		2024 [29]
"Work It"
(Sim0ne)		2024 [29]
"Number One Lover"
(Sim0ne)		2024 [29]

Notes

  1. ↑ She stated in July 2017 that she had done so after watching a clip of a chicken hatchery, [25] while in May 2022, she stated that she had done so after watching Cowspiracy. [2] : 25:20 

Related Research Articles

Trance is a genre of electronic dance music that emerged from EBM in Frankfurt, Germany, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and quickly spread throughout Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rave</span> Dance party

A rave is a dance party at a warehouse, club, or other public or private venue, typically featuring performances by DJs playing electronic dance music. The style is most associated with the early 1990s dance music scene when DJs played at illegal events in musical styles dominated by electronic dance music from a wide range of sub-genres, including drum and bass, dubstep, trap, break, happy hardcore, trance, techno, hardcore, house, and alternative dance. Occasionally live musicians have been known to perform at raves, in addition to other types of performance artists such as go-go dancers and fire dancers. The music is amplified with a large, powerful sound reinforcement system, typically with large subwoofers to produce a deep bass sound. The music is often accompanied by laser light shows, projected coloured images, visual effects and fog machines.

Goa trance is an electronic dance music style that originated in the early 1990s in the Indian state of Goa. Goa trance often has drone-like basslines, similar to the techno minimalism of 21st century psychedelic trance (psytrance). Psychedelic trance developed from Goa trance. The typically long songs built on progressive beat changes are said to put the listener in a “trance”.

Progressive house is a subgenre of house music. The progressive house style emerged in the early 1990s. It initially developed in the United Kingdom as a natural progression of North American and European house music of the late 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Above & Beyond (band)</span> English electronic music group

Above & Beyond are an electronic music group consisting of English musicians/DJs Jono Grant, Tony McGuinness and Finnish musician/DJ Paavo Siljamäki. Formed in 2000, they are the owners of London-based electronic dance music labels Anjunabeats and Anjunadeep, and also host a weekly radio show titled Group Therapy Radio. The trio has been consistently ranked among DJ Magazine's Top 100 DJs Poll, having placed at No. 6 in 2007, No. 4 in 2008 & 2009, No. 5 in 2010 & 2011, No. 51 in 2018, No. 22 in 2019, No. 19 in 2020, No. 21 in 2021, No. 30 in 2022, and most recently No. 40 in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gareth Emery</span> British music producer and DJ (born 1980)

Gareth Thomas Rhys Emery is a British trance music producer and DJ. Best known for his first three studio albums Northern Lights, Drive and 100 Reasons to Live, He is considered as one of the most influential trance artists in the first 20 years of 21st century, and has won A State of Trance Tune of the Year award three times.

Electronic dance music (EDM), also referred to as club music, is a broad range of percussive electronic music genres originally made for nightclubs, raves, and festivals. It is generally produced for playback by DJs who create seamless selections of tracks, called a DJ mix, by segueing from one recording to another. EDM producers also perform their music live in a concert or festival setting in what is sometimes called a live PA. Since its inception EDM has expanded to include a wide range of subgenres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tomcraft</span> German DJ and producer (1975–2024)

Thomas Brückner, known by his stage name Tomcraft, was a German DJ and producer. He specialized in progressive house and progressive trance music and is better known for having created the tracks "Loneliness", "Prosac", "The Circle", "The Mission", "25:17" "Silence" and "Overdose" working alongside Eniac.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DJ Awards</span> Spanish electronic music awards

DJ Awards is a celebration of electronic music, and aims to recognise and honour DJs and individuals who have influenced electronic dance music worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TyDi</span> Musical artist

TyDi is an Australian DJ and record producer specializing in electronic dance music. Originally from Queensland, TyDi was signed by Armin van Buuren's Armada label at 17 and was ranked at No. 1 of Junkee's Australian Top 50 DJs in 2008 and 2009.

Amber D is a British hard dance DJ from Staffordshire. She produces and DJs a variety of genres including Hard House, Trance, Hard Techno and Hard Trance. As Amber D’Amour she plays house, electro, fidget, and tech house.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Martinez Brothers</span> American music duo

The Martinez Brothers are a duo of disc jockeys, music producers, and remixers from The Bronx, New York known for their long-term residencies at clubs in Ibiza. In 2014, they were named as DJs of the year by Mixmag, who wrote that "no other DJ or DJ duo encapsulates house music in 2014 like the crown princes of DC10."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honey Dijon</span> American DJ, producer and trans activist

Honey Redmond is an American DJ, producer, and electronic musician. She was born in Chicago and is based in New York City and Berlin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amelie Lens</span> Musical artist

Amelie Lens is a Belgian electronic music DJ, record producer, and owner of the record label Lenske.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maddix (DJ)</span> Musical artist

Pablo Rindt, professionally known as Maddix, is a Dutch electronic dance music DJ and producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michele Sainte</span> American DJ

Michele Sainte is an American drum and bass DJ and former techno DJ.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlotte de Witte</span> Belgian DJ and record producer

Charlotte de Witte is a Belgian DJ and record producer, best known for her "dark and stripped-back" brand of acid techno and minimal techno. She has previously performed under the alias Raving George. She is the founder of the labels KNTXT and Époque.

Hannah Laing is a Scottish disc jockey and electronic music producer from Dundee specialising in high energy trance, techno, and hard house. In 2023, she was nominated for a DJ Mag Best of Britain award. Laing has been regularly featured on BBC Radio 1, including performing a two-hour Essential Mix.

Olga Korolova, known professionally as Korolova, is a Ukrainian music producer and DJ. She primarily produces melodic house and techno music.

References

  1. ↑ Murphy, Simone (27 July 2023). "my late 20s have been an absolute joy, full of love and exciting adventures i can't wait to continue in my next decade. roll on 30s/SATC era. ps. you could not pay me to relive my early 20s". Instagram . Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "PODCAST: Navigating the Modelling Industry with Simone Murphy". Steady. 11 May 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Cameron, Courtney (15 March 2017). "Edinburgh University graduate bids to be UK's Next Top Model". The Scotsman . Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Buckle, Becky (8 April 2022). "I Love Models: Why so many fashion models are becoming DJs". Mixmag . Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  5. ↑ Murphy, Simone. "Simone Murphy". The Dots. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Gokcemen, Yazzi (9 February 2024). "sim0ne is Mixing Music for Hedonistic Nights Out". Notion . Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Simone Murphy: FYP, ADHD & OAP", Dansplaining: The Danny Lomas Podcast, Spotify, 29 June 2022, retrieved 16 April 2024
  8. 1 2 "Edinburgh girl to feature in Britain's Next Top Model". The Scotsman . 9 February 2017. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  9. 1 2 Wicks, Jade (15 April 2024). "The best new tracks, picked by our staff". The Face. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  10. ↑ Alford, Maddy (1 June 2022). "Finding pride in our style". Cosmopolitan . Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  11. 1 2 3 Kheraj, Alim (29 July 2022). "How to bring your authentic self to festivals". Gay Times . Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  12. 1 2 Paine, Andre (18 July 2023). "Scottish DJ Sim0ne selected for First On SoundCloud: 'This platform is crucial to emerging artists'". Music Week . Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  13. ↑ Garcia, Thania (18 July 2023). "SoundCloud Selects Five Electronic DJs, Producers and Artists to Spotlight for 'First On SoundCloud' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety . Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  14. ↑ Ravenscroft, Tom; Grant, Deb (21 September 2023). "BBC Radio 6 Music - New Music Fix, sim0ne in the Mix". BBC . Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  15. ↑ Williams, Kyann-Sian (14 August 2023). "Nia Archives uplifts non-male DJs with 'Bad Gyalz' rave: "Sisterhood in dance spaces is so important"". NME . Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  16. ↑ Ryce, Andrew (7 December 2023). "2023 in Review: What's Pop Got to Do With It? · Feature ⟋ RA". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  17. 1 2 "sim0ne wants to make you sweat". The Face. 19 April 2024. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  18. 1 2 3 Maculan, Chiara (21 June 2024). "sim0ne launches her lovergirl era with new single 'number one lover' - BRICKS Magazine". BRICKS Magazine. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
  19. ↑ Story, Sarah (26 January 2024). "BBC Radio 1 - Radio 1's Future Dance with Sarah Story, Radio 1 Dance's Future Stars 2024: sim0ne". BBC. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  20. ↑ Jolley, Ben (26 January 2024). "DJ Daddy Trance in London review: Techno rave blows away expectations". Skiddle. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  21. ↑ Thomas, Laviea (11 March 2024). "Sim0ne @ Thekla review: A night of mainstream pop and club classics". Skiddle. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  22. 1 2 Jackson, Georgia (3 September 2024). "FESTIVAL REVIEW: Leeds Festival 2024 – Saturday". The Soundboard. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
  23. ↑ Wallace, Megan (4 October 2022). "Matching With Celebrities on Dating Apps Is Awkward As Hell". Vice . Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  24. ↑ Wallace, Megan (26 April 2023). "sim0ne: the rising dj and producer melding url and irl". Planet Woo. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  25. 1 2 Churchill, Laura (20 July 2017). "Bristol's Frankie Crossley a finalist in UK's hottest vegan competition". Bristol Post . Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  26. ↑ "Bexhill's Casey and Eastbourne's Mark are the UK's Hottest Vegans". Sussex Express . 8 August 2017. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  27. ↑ Williams, Isabel (29 January 2024). "In Conversation: sim0ne wants listeners to find euphoria on the dancefloor". Tmrw Magazine. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  28. ↑ AGZ (7 January 2024). "Focus : Les 15 artistes à suivre en 2024". Guettapen (in French). Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  29. 1 2 3 4 5 "Sim0ne - Discography". Spotify. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.