A gem from the afro-Caribbean diaspora hailing from the nation’s capital, Jessie Simmons has been singing since her mother forced her to join an all-girls singing group in church at the tender age of 4, and thank goodness she did. Props, to you mama Jessie!

Born and raised in Ottawa, the singer was part of the singing group until she was about 9 years old, taking vocal training and doing performances along the way. “That’s what really got me into singing with like, groups and mostly gospel artists around the city. In high school I swore I was a dancer, I didn’t think about singing at all for a little while… Then one day I decided to try out for the musical”, said Jessie.

Trying out for the school’s musical lead to an outpour of opportunities for the young artist, as the school board began placing her in different programs and eventually a competition where she won, “During my senior year, the school board created a music program for a full semester where you’re living the full artist life; you got to be in a creative space, record an album, and put on a show. At that point I realized that this was for me, and I was really grateful to come to that conclusion because I didn’t really know what I wanted to do… I’ve been doing this, and it didn’t really sink in until then”. After realizing that music is indeed her lane, DJ Rocksteady gave her her first gig outside of school, and from there Jessie Simmons was officially born.

Jessie has since made a lucrative name for herself in the city of Ottawa by performing at countless events and venues. She has also graced stages outside of her hometown, including in Toronto, Montreal, Haiti, The Dominican Republic, and as of recently Paris, France.

In the summer of 2023, Jessie released her debut album titled “Amoni”, which is the Haitian creole word for “Harmony”. When asked about the process of creating Amoni, Jessie said “The reason why I chose the title is because the past ten years have been a battle; you wanna make music, but life gets in the way, people giving you false promises, so you’re just constantly out here trying to prove yourself. For me to be where I’m at today I had to come to the conclusion that I had to really give myself grace and find peace within myself. I realized that if you really want to do this music thing, you have to do it yourself. Not everybody is gonna have the same drive, love and passion as you, so you just have to do it yourself”.

We felt this on a deeper level because it’s true, the road to success can be a lonely one, but thankfully Jessie found people who were on the same wavelength as her along the way. “I gotta give a big shout out to Bernie because she’s actually the one who helped me come up with the album name, and I wanted to stay with my Haitian roots. I’m really grateful that we chose that because the album is very personal, and people can really experience the fact that I found harmony within myself, my personal life, my music and my growth as an artist as well”, says Jessie. Bernie is an art director based in Montréal. The entire album encompasses her afro-Caribbean roots and really does give you a deeper look into Jessie’s personal story, if you pay close enough attention.

Every artist has a creative process in which they live by to make their magic come to life, some artists are more concise than others, while some go with the flow. For Jessie, it’s an amalgamation of both. “I’m still exploring my creative process, but now it’s like I’ll message the producer and tell them what I want it terms of vibe. Sometimes I get it right away, sometimes I don’t. I like to go to the studio with Jeff; I’ll record some melodies, he’ll do the same and then we’ll create something based off of that. I like working with people as well, my writing team is incredible, Erah and Doressa help me a lot”. Jeff Sanon, Erah and Doressa are all extremely talented artists based in the nation’s capital, and all contributed to the making of Amoni.

According to Jessie the album took about three years to create, and describes it as a “humbling” experience, “It’s one thing to release a single, it’s something else when you’re doing an album. It takes time, patience, you have to invest in what you like. I had the choice to buy a house or music, and I decided to go for music. I started this process in August 2020, and I felt like it was never happening because people kept making me wait, songs had to be re-done, and it was so discouraging because I felt like this album was never going to come out… I waited almost ten months for one song, and I see this person releasing music. Building a team was also a factor”. Talk about being left on read!

Jessie also touched on being a black woman in the industry and the lack of respect that comes with it, but thankfully she found her voice through her music. “The lack of respect is very evident, I really had to fight for my voice. They try to big up black women in music, but they don’t truly respect us. But it’s a huge accomplishment, I met such great people, and I made sure I documented it with vlogs and posting behind the scenes footage. It was also for me, to look back at my journey”. It definitely takes a village to create a masterpiece, and Jessie’s journey is a testament to that.

One thing about Jessie, is that she’s going to tell the truth. Her vulnerability is one of her staples, and if asked if she would have done anything differently in this process, she responded by saying “Yeah… one thing I’d do differently is not paying until I get my shit. I’m the type of person, if I ask you for the services it’s because the money is there. I expect the same energy. I’m not asking you to mix and master everything by like… tomorrow, but don’t make me wait 2 weeks. You didn’t wait that long for me. Also, another thing, and this might be a trauma response, but I’m a bit of a people pleaser and I said “yes” a lot, even if I didn’t like something. I did not sound good on one of the songs, and the mixing engineer was just not hearing me; I even offered them more money. I ended up just asking them to send me the stems, thanked them for their services and handed it over to Jeff to fix. It’s easier to find just one person to work on the entire project… I would have just stuck with one person”.

Amoni is filled with bangers and each song has its own meaning, but one of the songs that Jessie is most proud of off the album is “Daddy’s Little Girl”, and when asked why she responded by saying “I allowed myself to be super vulnerable on this track and it was very important for me because I’m a musician at heart, and my dad is also a musician and I got it from him. But to me, we don’t have a relationship, and I think because he sees that I don’t need him anymore, that he’s a bit delulu in trying to cultivate a relationship with me and I’m like “I’m good”, but again… that might be a trauma response. It’s hard. I didn’t know I had daddy issues until this song, but I’m so happy I did it.”

Jessie draws inspiration from artists like Beyoncé, Jazmine Sullivan, En Vogue, Rutshelle Guillaume, and her high school music teacher, for thankfully teaching her discipline because according to Jessie, she used to act up for no apparent reason. “My music teacher put me in check every single time, and I carry her lessons with me until this day”.

Prior to the release of “Amoni”, Jessie announced an album release party in her hometown of Ottawa which SOLD OUT. The city came out in numbers to support her, and it reminded Jessie of the mark she continues to leave, “I needed to stop underestimating who I am and what I’ve done in this city. I’m always grateful even if like 20 people show up, but the response was crazy… over 120 people RSVP’d. People I don’t even know were reposting my things, and I was like that’s crazy, you guys really f*ck with me”. And we do!

When reminiscing about her journey, Jessie refers to the story of Joseph in the bible, where it teaches us that when we’re patient and fix our focus on God and choose to rely on him, even the toughest situations can be made lighter. “For the last 20 years, I’ve been trying to do a lot and I wasn’t ready. God was trying to teach me that. I had to go through certain things to shape me as an artist today. It’s been quite the journey and I’m grateful.”

When asked what advice she has for any aspiring or upcoming artist, she said “Don’t settle. you need to know who you are in this business because it’s very easy to lose yourself trying to become something or someone you’re not… It almost happened to me and I had to remind myself that I’m someone’s child. And there is always room for improvement, keep investing in yourself! Like, I still take singing lessons. You think Beyoncé just woke up and did a whole show like THAT without rehearsing? It takes practice, investment, love, resilience. You have to want to do it. And lastly, don’t be afraid to seek the resources. Ask for help!”

Jessie Simmons’ journey is simply a testament of hard work and faith and she is continuously making her mark in the world of afro-Caribbean music while staying true to her Haitian roots, and uplifting others as she goes. At her sold-out album release show which took place last summer, she announced that she is officially signed to a label and is now mentoring other artists who are also on their own artistic journey. “Amoni” also won the award for “Album of the year” at the 6th edition of the Kilimanjaro Music Awards in Toronto, Ontario. Her cup has been overflowing and we’re rooting for Jessie! We hope that after reading this, you are too.

You can follow Jessie Simmons on social media, stream her music and listen debut album “Amoni” HERE.

Meet: Jessie Simmons

FREEGXRL MEDIA

Meet: Jessie Simmons

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FREEGXRL MEDIA