Parker Simon

After years of simmering in the background, Parker Simon's lifelong love of music is now boiling over to bring him to the forefront of the local music scene.  Having grown up in church, music has always been a part of Parker's life, as he began singing and playing piano at an early age. Eventually, Simon put music away as he decided to focus on college and career."I left music there (in church), because I didn't know what to do with it," he says when explaining that music and the church were always intertwined in his mind. That connection never went away, however, and as Simon puts it, "I put music on the back burner for so long, I finally realized that I'm just not happy without music in my life."Eventually, that epiphany drew him back to writing and performing once again. Now, it has become the muse that pulls him into the local - and soon, regional - spotlight.  When stripped back to simple piano arrangements, Simon's songs recall the melodies and structures of classic pop songwriters such as Elton John and Paul Simon. Aside from his gospel roots, however, Parker Simon's strongest influences prove to be the cornerstone pop stars of the 80's and early 90's: such icons as Michael Jackson, George Michael, Prince and even Madonna. As Simon's songwriting flourishes and his career prepares to launch, he remains as keenly aware of contemporary pop stars as those who paved the road before them. Drawing from the swagger of Akon and informed by Bruno Mars' intelligent intertwining of R&B and pop, Simon also studies and learns from the chameleon-like style and image consciousness of Lady GaGa, much like he has always followed her predecessor, Madonna. When incorporating his influences, Simon's songs draw from the strengths of each, infusing classic pop songwriting with a soulful urgency that ties back to his gospel roots to create a danceable, R&B/pop hybrid with electronic and hip hop elements that quickly draws comparisons to the likes of Bruno Mars and Jason Derulo. Simon's connection to the piano and ballad structures, however, ensures he will always retain the key characteristics that tie his core songwriting abilities back to iconic singer-songwriters like Billy Joel and Elton John, even when following his
dance and R&B sensibilities in a direction more closely associated with Usher and Drake. Parker Simon is now booking live performances and releasing his debut EP album "Blow it Up" now on Itunes.