Simone on GIRL NOISE, Creating Angsty Music & Fostering a Supportive Space For Women
Written by Raquel Ruiz
All images courtesy of Angelina Parisa
On March 17th, 2026, I had the great pleasure of interviewing Simone, New York born and raised musician, activist and founder of the GIRL NOISE music festival. During our Zoom Call together, Simone and I chatted about GIRL NOISE, women of the 90s and why community is so important, now more than ever.
Raquel: GIRL NOISE is a music festival –“ For Girls By Girls”. It’s the second year you’re hosting and participating in this event. What’s the message behind the festival?
Simone: Our priority is community, and we really wanted to create a space where people felt seen and supported and felt like they could have a good time and be themselves. I think, naturally, it felt right to center Girl Noise around music, but it’s really for women in general and also for advocacy and art. We want to support women in any way we can, and create a space for people to enjoy themselves, have fun, and feel like they’re a part of something meaningful. Community and togetherness: I feel like there is a lack of that right now, which is really the driving force behind why I wanted to start something like this. There is this sort of need to come together!
R: Yeah, that’s so important, that in our current climate we have these positive spaces and communities for women. I’m so glad that GIRL NOISE is an event that continues to keep this message alive. What do you hope women will take away from this festival experience?
S: My main goal is that they leave the festival feeling hopeful, as I feel like there is so much reason to feel helpless right now. Especially since there is such a rise in isolation, I really want [to] encourage hope and change. It’s kind of hard to feel that these things are possible when we’re so wrapped up in our screens and our individual algorithms. In spaces where we can see community firsthand and come together and witness it, in front of our eyes, I feel like those are the most valuable moments where you can witness change. Yeah, I really want people to leave the event feeling more hopeful. Also, if people make friends or discover a new artist [at] GIRL NOISE, that’s one way they can gain something new or build new connections. Hopefully, that will lead to them being more involved and wanting to keep coming to more shows and spread the word to their friends.
R: I really love that! Having this festival by girls during Women’s History Month is so fitting and intentional. One of the Instagram posts from GIRL NOISE is captioned with“ We’re celebrating the generations of trailblazing artists that have paved the way for us to create GIRL NOISE.” Are there going to be any covers from iconic female musicians during the festival?
S: The main thing that was conveyed in that post is that so much of the reason why I started GIRL NOISE is that I took a lot of inspiration from women who came before us, who were starting these really incredible initiatives. Especially in the 90s, I was always so inspired by Lilith Fair, an all-women festival—all these iconic women coming together to support each other and lift each other up in a time when they really weren’t encouraged to come together in that way. There are initiatives like Riot grrl that were very similar in their desire to create community and create a space where people feel seen, so I always try to acknowledge how grateful I am that those things existed, because I really don’t think that we would be able to do things like this if it weren’t for them paving the way.
I always encourage artists to cover songs by their favorite female artists, though it’s totally optional. I personally like to cover songs. I have a really exciting one in mind. I don’t wanna spoil it, but the song really feels like girlhood to me and reminds me of my upbringing, and hopefully brings nostalgia and joy to the audience.
R: That sounds really exciting, ugh, I wish I could be there! Can you talk about the women who have inspired you in your career?
S: Yeah, definitely, I think Sarah McLachlan, who founded Lilith Fair, is such a guiding light to me. She really broke the mold and created a powerful legacy, and now she has a music school and continues her advocacy work, which is really inspiring to me. I’m incredibly inspired by Kathleen Hanna, who is kind of known as one of the pioneers of Riot grrl back in the 90s, and has created an incredible legacy as part of the feminist movement of the 90s, while also creating incredible music and art in general. Still to this day, she’s such a guiding light to me; she’s so creative and individual. That really inspires me. Any woman who does things that haven’t been done before or tries to defy norms in any way inspires me. There are so many women of the 90s that I’m constantly in awe of, like Fiona Apple, Liz Phair, the list goes on.
R: Would you say that Fiona Apple and Liz Phair are musicians that you model from, whether it’s their lyricism or aesthetic?
S: I think I’ve tried to take inspiration from different places. I try to find things that excite me and combine them or make them my own. I think there is so much angst in the women of the 90s that I find inspiring. Specifically from someone like Courtney Love through her fashion, her attitude. She’s such a badass, I feel like I always take inspiration from that. I love PJ Harvey, who does things that only they can do. I love artists that do that, like no one else could ever write a Fiona Apple song. No one could do what she does. I don’t try to make music like her, I try to follow that path and ask myself What can I do that is specific to me? What can I say that is specific to me?’I try to have conviction in my point of view and feel confident in that.
R: Someone You Remember is the name of your most recent EP! I love“ Emma” and“ Manhattan”, just absolutely obsessed with those songs.“ Manhattan” reminds me of“ I Hate Boston” by Renée Rapp. What’s your favorite song that you have written and produced? Has there been one song that you wrote that reminds you of something in the back of your head that you knew‘ I want it to sound like this! I have my vision!”
S: Yeah, I’m writing a lot of music right now that I’m so excited about. It feels like a shift in a new direction, as far as I feel the most myself in the music I’m making right now. I feel more expressive and individual than I have in the past. I feel like I’ve finally allowed myself just to make music that I love and not think about anything else, so that’s been really fun. I have a lot of new songs that I’m so proud of. There’s this song called“ Any Girl” that is on Someone You Remember. I remember recording that and really taking inspiration from women like Michelle Branch and Avril Lavigne, and really wanting to hit on that angst. I really wanted to tap into that early 2000s rock era that I love so much. That song – Any Girl – in particular, sounds closest to the music I’m making now.
R: Can you give a hint to your fans about your upcoming music? Give us three words that describe your upcoming songs or anything you’re working on.
S: I would say honest, nostalgic, and angry. I’m getting a little angrier these days, which I’ve really enjoyed exploring as an emotion.
R: If you were at a record store and only had enough money to buy one album, what would it be?
S: Probably something I don’t have already. I collect CDs – right now I’m listening to a lot of My Bloody Valentine, and they just removed their records from streaming services. So I definitely need to buy a My Bloody Valentine record because that’s the only way now, which I think is super cool and badass. I’m such a proponent of bringing back physical media, so I’m all in on that.
R: Yeah, I’m really trying to go analog in 2026. What’s the last message and nuggets of wisdom you want to give to your fans, as well as the people who are tuning into the GIRL NOISE festival?
S: What I’ve been really trying to convey through Girl Noise is how powerful art can be when you are using it to comment on the state of the world. I think there is a really big divide right now between people who believe art should be political versus the people who believe it shouldn’t be. I’m a big proponent of the fact that everything is political, and I think that one thing that has brought people together in this time is music. If there is a way to make a change or just discuss important issues happening through art or through music, that’s the way to do it. It’s a really important tool, I encourage it, and I want to bring it back. The further we are from it, the more complicit we all become and the more silent we become. What we’re missing right now is conversation and community. Silence is conformity, so we need to use our voices and talk about what’s going on.
R: I agree, definitely. I feel like our current generation is regressing into believing what’s happening right now, even in the music industry, is all we can have, and that this is all that’s out there. We should ask for more; we have a platform, and we should use it. I really enjoy what you are doing with the GIRL NOISE music festival. I wish I didn’t live so far away, because I would attend it. I love the way you handle your social media and everything. I can see this music festival going so far in the future! Your music is incredible. I’ve put it in multiple of my playlists on Spotify. It’s very addictive.
S: Yeah, I’ve been making music since I was twelve, so it’s a whole deep dive into my life. It’s crazy how things can live forever online. It’s such a journey, I’ve really grown through music; it’s wild to look back at it.
R: When you were young, were you just into singing, instruments, or was there something specific that made you wanna do music forever?
S: Yeah, it’s been a full circle moment. Actually, in a few days, it’ll be 10 years since I played my first open mic, which is insane. I was eleven, and I played two original songs that were some of the first songs that I’ve ever written. I always say that when I was younger, I really didn’t know how to express myself, and I had a really hard time with words. The second I found songwriting and music was the minute I learned how to tell people how I felt. I learned how to process my emotions, so I think that’s what drew me to music. I’d come home from school and not be able to explain how I was feeling, but then I would write a song about it and play it for my parents, and they would know what was going on in my life! It was an interesting way for me to learn about myself.
