Juliet Simms talks being a woman in a male dominated industry and what she would have with her on a deserted island

We had the opportunity to sit down with Juliet Simms and dive deep on her experiences in the music industry and how she came to find her sound.

Were there any obstacles that you faced transitioning from a band to a solo career?

Yes, quite a few and as is the case for anyone working their ass off for a dream. Those obstacles are a daily grind.

In a scene that is mainly male dominated, does the pressure ever get to you? If so, how do you handle it?

I’ll start this off by first saying I have many, many loyal supporters and fans who make me feel loved/appreciated and they always remain my main focus. The below is not meant to negate any of that or not acknowledge the people who give me daily positivity and support. But this is my truth and you ask so I feel it’s worth sharing.

Honestly, yes. I’m told on a constant basis that I’m not “hard” enough, as brutal as it sounds it’s a reality that I’m often not given a certain level of respect because, to put it bluntly, I don’t have a dick. Being that I’m a woman, people just assume I don’t do my share of the grunt work which is utter BS. If anything women have to work twice as hard. There is a definite social stigma that for women we are not allowed to be in a bad mood or voice our opinions or even exercise our strength without automatically being written off as a “bitch” but in the same context if men show similar behavior they are called “commanding” or “strong willed.” There’s also an apparent double standard where from my own personal experience I will be told I “sound like a dude” because of my raspy voice but then those same people turn around and say that I’m exhibiting too much femininity, it’s hard to see the logic there. People will voice their disapproval for female artists showing too much skin and in many cases fans will also point out your flaws or tell you that you’re “copying” other female artists simply because you’re both women and happen to be in music. I recently had a person telling me that I was copying a current female pop artist and said that this artist should “sue me” despite the obvious lack of any similarities musically. It’s stuff like this that helps build a culture where we can only assume an inherent disapproval of any other female having a moment in the spotlight besides the prerequisite pop royalty. It can definitely be frustrating because I’ve been doing this far longer than many of these artists and I am doing all I can to carve out my spot and find sustainable success.

Do you have any advice for your women who want to break into the rock scene?

It’s tough out here honestly. It’s not for the faint of heart and like they say there’s no crying in baseball. My best advice is to grow some thick skin if you dare to enter and be prepared to fight for your passion.

Has it been difficult to find your voice and your sound over the years?

Yes. It took me half my life to find my voice. You eventually mold into yourself after about the 500th song you’ve written. Like a pair of boots you’ve been wearing for years. Eventually it just feels like you’ve found your comfort and it’s easy. Now finding “my sound” was a whole other obstacle itself. Because I’m a woman (going back to Q 2.) I was told by my record execs for years “women don’t sell in rock you must do pop,” so that battle was fun. However, it’s exciting now because I’m finally working with a label and a producer who are allowing me to artistically express myself the way I’ve always wanted to.

Can you tell us a little bit about your journey in the music industry? What were some of the things you struggled with to get to where you are today?

In all honesty the stuff I spoke about previously here is really the best summation of my struggles within the industry.

What is one thing you would change about the music industry if you could?

HR department haha.

When you first started out did you think you would be where you are now? Or did you anticipate something completely different?

Well as a young kid I guess my answer would have been that I’d have made it “big” by this point in my life…but I was 9, a wildly ambitious dreamer and what the fuck did I know? I strive every single day to grow and succeed. The drive is always there.

Does both you and your husband being in the industry ever have an impact on your relationship? How do you handle the strain of constantly traveling?

No, and honestly we’re both professionals, we have a balance and our personal life is wonderful but our privacy is something that we value a lot. We are always there for one another but our careers are unique and we respect that. We’ve been through a whole shit pile of chaos in our life together and because we’ve conquered so much together and withstood so many challenges, it’s only brought us closer, made us more understanding, patient and impenetrable.

Have you ever felt like you had to succumb to peer pressure or conform to the “trends” of the industry in order to get to where you are, or have you always tried to stay true to yourself?

No, really I learned the hard way. Why do you think I did The Voice? The put out “Wild Child”? That was a long fight with the label. I didn’t want to release it. I certainly wasn’t in the right head space. I’ve been put through the ringer with record execs saying truly awful things to me about my appearance or style from the time I was a teenager and I think over time I just became numb to it and lost myself a bit. I think I got tired of fighting and felt I’d lose everything if I didn’t bend some. I’m happy I went through what I did, however, because looking back, it seems sometimes you need to lose yourself to truly find yourself. I’m stronger and have more certainty of who I am because of my weaknesses in the past.

If you had to be shipwrecked on a deserted island, but all your human needs, such as food and water, were taken care of, what two items would you have with you and why?

Taking this question literally, I would choose the following because fuck that: a phone and a motored life boat ‘see yaaaaa’.

We would like to give a big thank you to Juliet for taking the time to make this interview happen. Check out her new single “100 Little Deaths” below!

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