Philadelphia native J. Simone is on the rise as a female producer. Currently living in Atlanta she has the perfect opportunity to surround herself in a city that’s known also known for birthing producers and artists with unique sounds as well. J. Simone sat down with Rolling Out for an exclusive interview and this is what we learned:

At what age did you know what you wanted to do with your life? 
I was 13 when I realized I wanted to be a music producer. It’s so funny, as a kid I used to introduce myself to industry professionals as a producer who will be the first female producer to win a Grammy.

Who’s sound do you admire the most?
I really admire Timbaland and Pharrell’s styles because they created their own individual sounds and lane. They didn’t enter the industry trying to sound like everyone else. I really admire how they BELIEVED and TRUSTED their own sound enough to stay true to themselves. That takes a lot of courage.

Do you feel you are more challenged to be successful because you are a female producer?
I don’t feel as though I’m more challenged to be successful because I’m a female but I feel like I always have to come correct. I have to stay on my game. It’s unfortunate but as a female producer, I’m in a man’s world. My drums have to knock as hard as theirs, if not harder.

Have you been successful at selling tracks?
Yes, I’ve been successful at selling tracks to independent artists.

What was your first reaction when you sold your first beats/track?
When I sold my first beat it really hit me that I could actually do this. Technically, that’s when this whole producing thing went from a hobby to a career. I realized that I could really do this.

If you could work with with three artists, who would they be and why?
If I could work with three artists, I would go with Nitty Scott, Janelle Monae, and Jay Z. Nitty is a female MC doing her thing in New York. She’s really raw and honest. I just love artists who are brave enough to put themselves out there. When it comes to her sound, she goes in. She does her thing over crazy complex beats. She’s one to watch out for. Nitty is a star. Janelle Monae is just another one of those fearless artists who I truly admire. She doesn’t create songs but she creates experiences. I think that’s just so beautiful. It’s one thing to create a great song and another to create an experience. Her creativity is unmatched. Hov is the GOAT. He has truly mastered his art. I always kinda have a lost for words when talking about Jay. I mean everything about him is legendary, from his flow, his content, to his cadence. It would really be a dream come true to work with him.

You are a full time student at Georgia State University. Any career plan B or will your career be centered around the music industry? 
It’s very important for me to be a full time producer after graduation as my full time career. It’s my passion and the Lord has truly blessed me. He made it very clear to me at an early age that this is what I was put on this Earth to do. I have complete faith that as long as I continue to follow the path that he laid out for me and to live a life where love is at the forefront, everything will work out and be even greater than I can imagine. Things like this take patience. Although I’m a full time student at Georgia State University, music is my plan A and plan B. Plan B is to make plan A work.

How can people request to hear your music in order to purchase beats? Who should they contact? 
You know, in this industry, unfortunately, producers can’t just put music out there on a public website for the indies to choose from. To request to hear more music, just reach out to my management via email csr_music@yahoo.com.

Social media platforms: @j.simonesound on Instagram and Twitter.