Mint Simon
Photograph courtesy of Mint Simon.
Mint Simon (they/them), a musician, songwriter, and front-person of the Canadian indie-pop band Caveboy, recently embarked on an exciting solo project. In 2021, they’ve released two singles and accompanying music videos for their songs “Used for Love” and “Some of Everything.” Mint Simon has so much to celebrate with this new venture, and luckily it’s only the beginning.
By exploring a multitude of genres and wholly embracing their fluid identity, Mint Simon hopes to reach a wide audience, granting others the freedom to be unapologetically themselves. Read about Mint Simon’s musical identity, self-discovery, and hands-on creative involvement with their latest anthemic, celebratory single, “Some of Everything.”
So, my first question is: how would you identify yourself as a creative?
Well, musician, first and foremost.
I started out in theater school and as an actor. I always loved being on stage, but theater never really did it for me. I was a pretty shy kid and teenager. I always knew that I loved performing, but I didn't know exactly how I wanted to do it. Later in life, like in my early 20s, I started dabbling with writing music really privately. I was super shy to sing in front of people. For some reason, it was the scariest thing to me.
I started playing and auditioned for my band, which was almost 10 years ago, and I sort of figured it all out through there. Now, I can confidently say that I'm a musician, but it took some time to figure out.
What else prompted you to become a musician? Why do you like what you do?
What type of genre did you originally sing? Since you have a theater background, was it primarily belting out show tunes?
There was a lot of that. Yeah.
And then you merged into indie and pop. What genres are you exploring now? And what genres do you hope to explore in the future?
It was interesting, because I did start off with show tunes, and top 40/early 2000s pop. Then, I got really “indie cool kid.” I wanted to sound like Feist and all these really cool artists with intelligent artistic lyrics. I was trying to merge my love for pop music with that vibe. That's kind of what I was doing in my band.
With this solo project, I want to do anthemic pop. I want to make celebratory pop music that still feels edgy and alternative. I'm so inspired by the 90s and the 80s. I think there are always hints of that in everything I do. And with this new single [“Some of Everything”] I just put out, I'm exploring a genre I never have before. I've never had a saxophone, bongos, all sorts of interesting percussion, and piano in my music before. Anything is possible and you don't need to fit in one genre. You can do what feels right for the song as you make more music.
I watched the music video and love the concept behind “Some of Everything.” What is the ultimate message you hope listeners take from your newest single?
Tell me more about the overall process of creating the music video. Did you film during COVID-19? If so, was it stressful getting everyone together during this crazy time?
I imagine it feels so different performing behind a camera for a music video compared to on the stage. Do you have a preference, since you’ve been in both worlds for so long?
I love them both so differently. With the camera and music video, I can really go inside of myself and shut off the rest of the world. But on stage, the fuel and the fire energy from the crowd is something I've missed so much in the pandemic. I had to find other moments of joy.
What’s your ideal day-to-day creative process like, from songwriting to recording in the studio?
I’m an “in spurts” writer. I’ll get an idea and need to write right now. It'll go on for days where I write a bunch. Then I'll back off, give space, and do it again. With my main collaborator and producer, Isabel, we have such a good vibe together. Sometimes she'll send me something she's working on, and I'll write about that. It's like magic when we work together. It's really cool. We try to align as much as possible and set aside days to create and write together.
What would be your dream collaboration?
Robyn. What she did a few years ago with that album was such a celebration. Everybody was so on board with what she was doing and she created these incredible spaces with her confidence and songwriting. Her ability to be so truthful and show the pain in her lyrics...it’s so well done. It's been such an inspiration for me as a writer, trying to capture that emotion. Like, it’s okay that you want to dance while you're crying a little bit.
Totally. So, I’m getting a little deep here, but have you ever experienced any disrespect in your industry firsthand? If that was the case, how were you able to navigate that?
What do you envision for the future of this solo project?
I hope that it can reach pretty far and wide. I just want to do what I love for a living. I want to get back on stage, I want to tour, and I want to create judgment-free spaces and shows for people to come to where they can be themselves. Also, I hope to have a bigger platform to speak on things I feel are super important, be able to lift up other artists, and create room for more people in the industry.
What advice would you give to other aspiring musicians?
People always told me, “be yourself.” It’s very generic, and it's actually quite hard to do when you're young. I would say, try things. Allow yourself to explore and try out different genres, styles, and collaborations. Don’t rush. I got pretty locked into one type of music for a while. I'm exploring this new side of pop music a little later in life, and I don't mind. I'm happy to be the age that I am, but I think exploring more at a young age would be really beneficial, and not feeling like you need to have all the answers right away.
Yeah, I think evolution is the fun part. It’s documenting everything you’ve ever done, and you’re able to see your portfolio in front of your eyes. It’s a really neat journey and process. So, what is bringing you joy right now, after this insane year we all had?
We had a pretty rough winter here [in Montreal], so the fact that the weather's getting warmer now. I love being outside. I love nature, and going for runs and walks. I'm so grateful to be able to see people outside. Those simple things are really keeping me going right now. Some days, it's harder to find that joy. I definitely take days where I get off social media and spend the day looking outwardly and forward. I find that’s helped me balance work and life.
Yeah, that's super relatable. We definitely took the little things for granted before, like being able to get coffee with a friend. Doing something that simple again is honestly such a gift. So, let’s do some final speed round questions! What’s the last thing you watched?
Special on Netflix. I’m watching the second season right now. It’s really good.
I’m also really embarrassed, but I'm watching all of Keeping Up with the Kardashians and the spin-offs in the pandemic. I have a reality TV guilty pleasure that runs deep.
I feel that. What’s the last book you read?
I’m currently reading Less by Andrew Sean Greer. It’s about a man, finding himself, and figuring things out. It’s really great.
Finally, what’s one thing you would tell your younger self?
Get top surgery! It sounds intense, but don’t overthink it. Just do it!
I love that. So, that’s a wrap! Thank you so much for sharing everything with me. I’m really excited to see where the Mint Simon solo project goes.
Watch the music video for “Some of Everything” here, and stream Mint Simon’s latest singles, “Used for Love” and “Some of Everything” here and here.
