Recording artist and songwriter Simona Shao just released her latest single “Vacant” and we’re not lying when we say its on been on repeat.
Featuring Shao’s sultry vocals atop a stripped back production, the song highlights her lyrical prowess and tells the story of falling in love with someone and letting down your guard.
Shao says, “I wanted to develop an ethereal atmosphere to the song so that when you’re listening, you can imagine yourself lying under the stars and getting lost in time and space. While I have not ventured into the alternative-pop space with any of my records yet, the writing of this track naturally led me in that direction and I am very happy with how it turned out – and I hope my listeners do too.”
After releasing several electronic collaborations this year, Simona Shao is excited for fans to hear “Vacant” and is looking forward to releasing more music in the new year. Celeb Secrets sat down with Shao to discuss her latest release and more.
Keep scrolling for our full Q&A and let us know if you’re loving “Vacant” by either leaving a reaction at the bottom of the post or by sliding into our DMs on Instagram at @celebsecrets.
You can connect with Simona by giving her a follow on Instagram at @simonashao.
Celeb Secrets: Hi Simona! Thanks for speaking with us again. The last time we spoke, you had just put out “The Only Thing I’ve Known.” What have you been up to since then?
Simona Shao: “It’s crazy to think that it has been a full year since ‘The Only Thing I’ve Known!’ Since then, I have worked on music with a ton of electronic artists like Doggo, Menna and AVELLO, and put out 4 records this year with them. It’s been such a rewarding experience collaborating with these talented producers and friends, and the musical process is always really exciting from start from finish. In the midst of it all, I also finalized my song ‘Vacant’ with my friend Joseph Lee (aka Jae Luna) as the last song to close out my 2024, which is really different from everything else I’ve put out but also, I think, the perfect way to end my year.”
CS: Tell us about your single “Vacant.” What does this song mean to you and what inspired it?
SS: “This song actually was written in the summer of 2018, when I rekindled a romance and knew it had the potential to totally change my life. I think this song is really about the fear of letting yourself become vulnerable because you know this person has the potential to really break your heart. An acoustic draft of the song sat on my SoundCloud for a while, but after rediscovering it five years later, I knew I had to give it the proper production it deserved, and so I brought my talented friend Joseph into the mix and we played around with some ideas influenced by Kacey Musgraves’ ‘Golden Hour’ and Lana Del Rey’s ‘Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd.’ I wanted to encapsulate a euphoric, wistful and moody atmosphere influenced by these albums, and so the result was an emotional indie / alt-pop record. Writing music is always an extension of my emotions, and so I can really feel everything I experienced again when I hear this song, just like a time machine.”
CS: You’ve been a part of some great collabs recently as well. Tell us a little bit about those. How do those releases differ from a song like “Vacant?”
SS: “I actually met Doggo this year at a show he played in LA, messaged him about working together, and the rest is history! I really love our track together because it’s the first time I had done vocals like that, and it put me out of my comfort zone to record. We have another track in the works where I sing, and so I’m very excited about releasing that one sometime in 2024 as well. Menna had messaged me back in 2021 about working together and we finally got to work in 2023. His music is so euphoric and reminds me of the EDM I listened to back in 2013-2015 when I started going to raves and festivals, and so I channeled those unforgettable memories into the two tracks we worked on together for his EP. Lastly, my track with AVELLO was also in the works since 2021, and we had connected over the internet too! He has been killing the game with releases and shows recently, and I was super happy to finally release our track together. I absolutely love electronic music, and so collaborating with producers like these is such a treat – they build out the production, I write the vocals, and the end product is a beautiful amalgamation of both our ideas and creativity, so it is definitely different from a release like ‘Vacant,’ but just as rewarding.”
CS: Do you have a preference of what genre of music you like working on?
SS: “Based on my own music taste and love for attending shows/festivals, I love working on electronic tracks and can see myself doing that for a long time. However, writing a song like ‘Vacant’ is extremely fulfilling too and is truly a deep dive into my life. It is written from the heart and encapsulates memories of mine that live with me forever. Exploring the sound I want to create from it is also a project in and of itself, and so having Joseph alongside me on the production journey was a blessing. I think we really were able to create the alternative-pop sound I was looking for and it is the first time I’ve ventured into that genre (and won’t be my last!).”
CS: What are you currently working on that fans can be looking forward to in 2024?
SS: “I have a multitude of electronic collaborations done or in the works, and I’m excited to work on some new sub-genres of EDM this year (clue: bass music). I have a remix of “Vacant” that is being worked on by an electronic producer friend as well, so I’m hoping to have this ready in early 2024 for my listeners! In 2022, ‘The Only Thing I’ve Known’ was in the R&B-pop realm, and in 2023, ‘Vacant’ is in the alt-pop realm, so I’m sure in 2024 I will continue to experiment with new sounds and genres for my self-releases – stay tuned.”
CS: Lastly, since we are Celeb Secrets, can you share a secret about your song “Vacant”?
SS: “The person I wrote this song about knows it’s about him!”
