Simone Simons

Dutch mezzo-soprano singer and the lead vocalist of symphonic metal band Epica. Simone started playing flute for 2 years after joining music school at the age of 12. At the age of 14, she had one year of pop singing lessons. At age 15, she switched to classical singing after listening to Nightwish's Oceanborn, which remains her favourite. During a few months, Simons sang in a choir, and later ingressed into Epica, a band formed in 2002 by her then boyfriend Mark Jansen.

Epica performs a blend of progressive metal, gothic metal and symphonic metal. Simone Simons has expressed a preference for the group to be described as symphonic metal though the founder of the group Mark Jansen notes that they do not mind being called gothic metal. The music of Epica is aggressive, bombastic and excessive with some songs being “epic, grand and majestic” and others “more subdued and introspective.” The band is also known to have progressive tendencies while a gothic atmosphere and sentimentality is also present in their music.

n January 2008, it was announced on Epica's website that Simone was suffering from MRSA, a resistent bacterial infection. This forced Epica to cancel many of their shows. In February, her condition improved, but she had not completely recovered. In March, Epica toured with Amanda Somerville, replacing Simons for their USA tour until May 11, 2008, when Simone performed again at their show in Bibelot, Dordrecht. Being asked about her beauty as one of the factors that attracts attention to Epica, Simone said: "First of all the most important is the sound of the band, because beauty will fade one day, and I hope my voice won't [Laughs]... But, yeah, you have two aspects of the band - the music (the CD's) and then the live side of it (the show), and part of the show is also that it has to look nice, so I take good care of myself, I make sure that the fans have something to look at during the show.".