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Jordyn Simone Talks Collaborating With Male Artists on Deluxe Version of EP ‘Remember When’

The R&B vocalist also chats with BET about the current wave of R&B and her gospel roots.

On her EP Remember When, Los Angeles singer Jordyn Simone dives deep into love and romance, exploring both sides of the story with a male perspective. Enlisting an impressive lineup of collaborators—including Lekan, Dende, Reggie Becton, TA Thomas, PHABO, and Joseph Solomon—Simone crafts a soulful, reflective journey through the highs and lows of relationships. With deluxe edition features from Ben Reilly and Gemaine, she brings an intimate and dynamic voice to the ever-evolving nature of love.

“I think it was just really important for me to touch bases on all those different stages of the relationship and make sure that I kept myself accountable,” Simone tells BET.com. “It honestly made a fun game out of it, too. I'm like, ‘Oh cool, I'm talking about this part of a relationship now. Now I'm on to this one next week’. It just kept things moving.”

Simone was formerly a “The Voice” contestant at 17 years old, being placed on Alicia Keys’ team in season fourteen before a devastating elimination. But following a brief hiatus and changing course of her sound, Simone reemerged in 2023 with sultry tracks like “Hate to Love” and “Do You Think About Me?” followed by three-song EP “No Demo Left Unheard.” On “Remember When,” Simone shares her platform with male counterparts, those whom she’s mingled with at the same studios, along with sharing producers and having managers who are friends.

“Everybody that's on the project, I'm mutual with, I'm a friend of, and I'm a fan of, more importantly. And so it was super important for me to lean into those relationships when I wanted to collaborate with people,” Simone says. “I was like, ‘I want to go with the male perspective because I already have this female perspective. These are artists that I love, that I listen to, that I'm passionate about.’

One “Remember When” guest that Simone didn’t need a reintroduction to was her friend, Reggie Becton, whom she pairs with on the sensual “Spin,” a record that captures the intoxication of casual flings.

“Getting into the studio with him was super natural, very, very friendly, homie vibes,” Simone says. “So making that record was also kind of funny because our dynamic is very brother and sister, but like this record is super sexy. I feel like it was easy to like to tap into that part of me with someone I'm already really close with.”

Simone effortlessly matches the energy of her collaborators, peeling back the layers of love and desire across “Remember When.” She navigates relationship complexities alongside TA Thomas on the hazy ballad “Grey,” indulges in the thrill of temptation with Lekan on “Don’t Wake Up,” and playfully warns Ben Reilly that she’s nothing but trouble on the deluxe track “Bad4U.” Each song captures a different facet of romance, making it deeply relatable for lovers and those embracing their single season. While Remember When pays homage to R&B legends of the past, Simone remains confident that the genre’s future is in good hands with today’s rising voices.

“I think that this project and getting all these features a part of it and all these collaborators a part of it kind of proves the united energy of the genre, the like the sonic wave of how we're kind of moving and how things are super innovative, but then also super nostalgic. There's just so much color to the current genre,” she says.

Simone wanted to debunk the ‘R&B is dead’ theory with “Remember When,” but she’s firmly rooted in her gospel origins. She gained a passion for storytelling through music in the church, and her father, a pastor, even raised her on crooners like Peabo Bryson and James Ingram.

“I always told myself when I released my first major studio album, I will have a gospel song on there just because of my attachment and my relationship to the genre, to the word.”

“Even when I go back to my parents’ church and I see all their church friends, they're like, ‘Oh girl, I listen to that project. She was a lot, but I kind of like it,’” Simone continues. “Like there's a playfulness to it that's been an absolute blessing to have their support while also recognizing that I am my own woman and I'm telling my own stories.”

Simone may one day release a gospel-driven project, but she aims to drop a solo album next with glossy, 2000s-influenced R&B material, akin to her favorite Brandy album, “Afrodisiac.” If the singer makes a follow-up collaborative album, she wants it to feature Tyla, Chxrry22, Hailey Knox and VITA.

“It could be fun if it's this ‘Waiting to Exhale’ type energy where like the entire point of it is built in sisterhood and built in bonds of loving women and like how this journey has been amazing. But also being realistic and saying, ‘It's hard to maintain friendships and romantic relationships,’” Simone says about the potential project.

While she considers all perspectives, what can’t be denied is that Simone is a true lover girl who’s honest about her relationship’s highs and lows on “Remember When.”

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