YOUNG SONGSTRESS SETS MUSIC SCENE ALIGHT WITH DEBUT ORIGINAL TRACK WRITTEN BY CHART-TOPPER CARLI J MYERS
Simone Toweel may be all of 16, but her voice and singing abilities will have you wondering whether Adele just released a new single.
Simone’s debut single is the perfect juxtaposition of retro and contemporary pop. Titled ‘Now You See Me’, it features Simone crooning over a groovy bassline and choppy disco strings with her instantly recognisable husky voice.
The young songbird has been singing since the age of three, when her family moved from Johannesburg to the North Coast of Kwa-Zulu Natal. She has more recently relocated to Cape Town, and her new song emulates some of the feelings she felt during this move.
“Moving from a little town to a big city – and to a new school in Grade 9 – was extremely daunting,” says Simone. “Having spent almost 12 years building friendships and cherishing them, to having to start new ones, my first thought was ‘What if I’m not seen?'”
The song resonates with this feeling and speaks to something that everyone has gone through at some stage of their life – a sense of just wanting to be seen and noticed by those around you and to be accepted as you are.
Co-written by Carli J Myers and Eli Doug Staiman, this catchy song was originally written in the style of a ballad. Producer duo Noah Booth and Alex Condliffe of Groove Machine in the UK then re-imagined it with a memorable beat and a twist to perfectly complement Simone’s vibrant voice. The track was mastered by Christian Wright from Abbey Road Studios, also in the UK, who has worked with the likes of Ed Sheeran and Mumford & Sons.
Watch the official lyric video for ‘Now You See Me’ here –
Carli J Myers is no stranger to the South African music scene, with chart-toppers and Top 10 hits like ‘Just Doing Me’, ‘Crazy’, ‘Authentically Yours’, and ‘Just Saying’ with Matthew Gold, to name a few. But while Carli has released a lot of music as a solo artist under her label Carli Myers Records, this is the first time she has taken a new artist under her wing.
“A really big part of the dream and the vision of my record label is to help young and aspiring artists achieve their dreams like I’ve been able to pursue and work towards mine,” Carli says. “It was so wonderful to work with Simone – she’s got so much to offer the world!”
As a mentor and vocal coach to Simone, Carli has jumpstarted what is sure to be an electrifying career. Simone first hit the public eye at the age of 10 with a viral YouTube cover of Adele’s ‘Hello’ – and ‘Now You See Me’ serves as the perfect culmination of the talent she has been crafting for so long.
Simone is set on sharing her positive spirit with others through her music, building once-in-a-lifetime moments along the way. This means you can expect to see much more of her in the near future, with live performances and new works in the pipeline already.