Born and raised in Moscow, Russia, Lyusi Simon is a singer-songwriter, educator and dancer. She moved to Los Angeles to pursue a music career in singing and teaching. One of the qualities that makes her so unique is her experience in multiple music styles as well as her knowledge of many languages. She is able to incorporate various sounds and cultures into her music, making her a flexible and versatile artist. In the past few years, Lyusi Simon has been working tirelessly to create new music and expand her fan base. She is currently working on her first solo album as well as her debut EP. In addition, she has released some successful singles including her Russian song “Fly Away,” which was in the ABC show Whiskey Cavalier. Lyusi Simon often collaborates with other artists; she worked on her most recent single “Stranger” with artist Triana. “
Stranger” begins with electronic sounds combined with piano countermelodies and a traditional drum beat. She then introduces a piano melody with a sustained pedal making it sound like it’s coming from an old radio. By combining these simple effects, Lyusi Simon’s musical ear is evident in the first few seconds of “Stranger.”
The echoing background is constant throughout the song except for a few moments where she cuts the music entirely to spotlight certain lyrics. She easily transitions between tender energy where she sings about pain, to a powerful chorus that she uses to exemplify her emotional strength. Lyusi Simon’s lyrics are a poetic love story that seems to represent her real emotions. She sings about giving her hear to someone and exposing herself as a vulnerable person, only to get hurt. Lyusi Simon then transitions into being strong in order to prevent the pain she experienced from happening again. Her message of not holding onto the past is inspiring for listeners who have likely endured similar heartbreak.
Welcome to BuzzMusic, Lyusi Simon! Both the message and the energy of “Stranger” were something we loved to hear! Can you elaborate on the message you were trying to express with this song?
"Stranger" was born out of a really nice accidental mashup of love to music and creativity. The producer Triana has started working on the track and urgently needed a singer to topline. I came in and the song was born the same night. It was a really easy and nice vibe to the writing process. The melodies were just flowing and the chorus idea came in so light that we decided not to change a thing about it. Most of the songs ever written are about love to someone whether it’s a good or bad relationship. And at this moment, I didn’t have a bad one. And sometimes I would love to write a song about something I’ve never experienced or would love to experience. I’ve written a song about being a side chick: never been one and would never recommend anyone going through that. The energy of our song gave me an idea of writing a song about a relationship that we’ve all had, when you’re bittersweet it’s done. You are happy with what you’ve had, the love, the passion and especially how they made you feel. But at the same time, you just can’t keep going on and gotta say goodbye. A final one.
Having grown up in Russia, and with a background of multiple languages and genres, can you explain how this cultural experience has shaped you into the artist you are today?
I’m proud to be how I am, a diverse person living in a more diverse society. Back then, I think I was a bit ashamed of my ethnicity, but now I’m so on to embrace it. Unfortunately, I don’t fully speak Armenian, but I do speak 2 dialects of my language and but either way, I’d say my first language is Russian since I was born in Russia and have used that language most of my time living. Armenian music is really emotional and full of flavor. It’s like whenever you cook a new dish, you’d like to try out the tricks you’ve learned and used it in your new recipe. This is what I do sometimes while writing my songs. The riffs, harmonies or lyrical ideas are taken from those recipes I’ve been cooking for a while. Armenian and Russian songs are full of dramatic sense, powerful lyrics that are taking more important than melody to be fair. So whenever I’m writing a song, I fully dive into writing lyrics not just to create a rhyme, but to make sense and touch somebody else’s heart. I grew up listening to all sorts of music from rock and jazz, the bands would vary from country to country. Thank God my parents were always incredibly supportive in my pursuit of musical success and my dad, a huge music lover and a musician himself in the past would always suggest new music for me to listen to. Through him, I found about the Queen and about Santana.
You mentioned that, along with music, teaching is one of your main passions. Can you explain more about what you teach and how important being an educator is to you?
My mom would always tell me I’m good with kids. And now when I teach young musicians, I think I’m way goofier than them. I’d always play around and make funny faces and noises. My friends know me - this is just me. I don’t like being serious, it’s too boring. I love teaching and the feeling that you get when a person is learning a new skill and they’re nailing it - it’s something else. In my life, I haven’t had such a powerful teacher who’d inspire me and keep pushing me. I use every part of me to show my students they can do whatever they want as long as they believe and do it. You’re allowed to make mistakes, cause we are learning and learning is exciting especially if you are doing something you love.
Your song “Fly Away” is performed entirely in Russian, can you elaborate on the variety of languages and genres you make music in? What types of audiences generally gravitate to your music?
Since I moved out to the states, I haven’t thought about selling my music in Russian. My main goal was to write music in English. And suddenly, an opportunity came in and we wrote this song with another producer and magic happened. Still, I remember when I found out the song was in the show Whiskey Cavalier, I told my parents and my happiness would punch through the roof. Of course, my parents would tell everyone, they were beyond happy. I think this is a perfect example of when you gotta work hard on your craft and keep working hard even more and one day it would happen to you. Literally, days before I would tell my dad I wish the song would have gone somewhere. And two days after - boom. I think my music would be close to people from their 20s-30s. I mostly write about love. I love to write songs that keep you moving. Even if you’re on the couch, with a glass of wine or just enjoying a quiet Friday night, my songs can help you with your mood. And currently, I have a couple of ideas of writing about social injustice to women from the beginning of time. I’m a feminist but I’d rather not show my breasts and fight for justice through my music. So if you’re into love or hate songs and you care about women in society, I think you’d dig what I can show.
What can we expect to see from you throughout 2020?
At this right moment, I expect the world to get kinder and keep making art. Personally, I love spending all this time creating, exploring, and just living life as it is. Lots of opportunities are about to be open, we just gotta be patient. I’ve been patient about my new EP and it’s slowly appearing. You’ll hear songs about obsessive love, cheating bastards, and love that is over but made us stronger.