Simone Kelly is a former TV personality and independent R&B artist who is best known for her appearances on MTV‘s “Are You The One?” and “The Challenge.” She was even given her own segment on MTV News called “Simone Says.” After her experiences with television, she focused on connecting with herself more through music and pursued a career.
Kelly shared how television prepared her for a music career and what she wants fans to take from her latest song, “Too Late.”
How do you feel being a former TV personality has prepared you for the artist you are today?
First is when you’re on television, when those episodes air, you have people that are watching it live. So, it’s like you’re on a platform to be judged. So, it helped me to be more confident in music because it’s something that you put out. You put your art out for people to judge and they’re going to have an opinion. Sometimes I like it, sometimes they don’t and television did teach me tough skin. Especially because I was on a predominantly White network, you know, VH1 one is more for the urban side and I’m on MTV. I’m a real Black girl from Chicago on MTV, so I had a lot of people that did not like me because I don’t cater to their audience mostly. Do you know what I’m saying? So, it taught me tough skin. So, it makes me a little bit more comfortable putting out my music because I don’t care if people are going to talk, it just comes with it. So, that did help.
What do you want fans to take away from your song, “Too Late”?
The basis of the song is about, by the time a person realizes your worth, how much they love you, and they want to be with you; it’s like it’s too late now. Like, I’m already at this next stage and this next season in my life. Sometimes we may double back, we may go back, or go back and forth. Love, comfort, and time hold people together but then when you get down to the core of things, this time has passed. A lot of times, we try to hold on to that person that we love because we feel like we’re looking at the way that things were in the beginning or like we’re hoping for change, or whatever the case may be. Then sometimes it’s just time to let it go. It’s too late. So a lot of people can relate to that because I feel like we’ve all been in a situation where we’ve stayed in a situation a little bit too long. Then we finally get that courage to let it go but then that person comes back and it’s like, I don’t know if that season has passed.
