Simone Gundy Shares Musical Theatre Experiences During Performance Studies Class Appearance
Singer-songwriter and actress Simone Gundy visited students, discussed her musical theatre career and performed two songs in a Performance Studies class on Nov. 3.
The Texas A&M School of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts co-presented a concert by the Houston artist at Grand Stafford Theater later that evening during First Friday in Downtown Bryan.
Gundy, a Fort Worth native who has lived in Houston for the last nine years, was a top 20 finalist on Season 11 of NBC’s “The Voice” in 2016 as a part of Adam Levine’s team. She has starred in lead roles in Houston’s Theatre Under the Stars productions of “Sister Act,” “Rent” and “Memphis.” Gundy spoke during the Music and the Human Experience class taught by Andrea Imhoff.
Dr. Kim Kattari, program director for Performance Studies, said she was glad students had the opportunity to hear about Gundy’s professional experiences from her time on “The Voice” to gigs in musical theatre.
“I was impressed by the thoughtfulness of the students’ questions and by Simone’s answers,” Kattari said. “It was great to hear from someone whose career has included multiple types of performance contexts, from the stage to the reality television screen. I think all the students were able to take something valuable away from the discussion, as Simone reminded us all to follow our dreams.”
Students asked Gundy about her musical theatre experience and what it’s like to pursue music as a full-time career. One student asked what her greatest achievement has been thus far.
“I get to do music full-time,” Gundy said. “For the past six years, I have not had a 9-to-5 regular job, and that is truly a success to me. I never wanted to have cameras in my face. The only thing I ever asked for was I wanted to be able to provide for my family and be comfortable and do what I love.”
Gundy is raising four children alongside her husband, James O’Neal, who is also a singer-songwriter. Her oldest son is in high school and wants to one day play in the National Football League. Gundy said she believes she has helped him see big dreams are achievable.
She shared that her son had an SAT prompt he was working on that said: “Do people generally go for the money in their career or do they go for what they love?” She asked him what his answer was, and he replied that people should go after what they love. If people only pursue money, at some point it will run out, and they won’t have any love for their choice of work, he told Gundy.
“I was beyond filled with joy,” she recalled. “Because I would like to think that I instilled that in him, to let him know that this isn’t a mainstream career, but you can do it. Maybe not everybody makes it to the NFL or on ‘The Voice,’ but I did it and he can do it.”
Gundy performed two songs during the class with keyboard accompaniment from Rob Hitchcock, general manager at Grand Stafford Theater. They played “Diamonds” by Rihanna and The Zutons’ “Valerie,” popularized by Amy Winehouse and Mark Ronson. She said her original song “Never More,” which she wrote with her husband, will be available to stream in January.
Though her time on “The Voice” was “a great experience,” Gundy said she wished she had shown more of her personality on camera. She said the short clips depicted her as shy and quiet, which she believes is not who she truly is.
As she continues her passion full-time, Gundy said musical theatre is where she thrives. She told the students that her dream is to be on Broadway. Following the lecture, she said she hopes students pursue their own dreams, even if they have doubts.
“The voice in your head that falls in love with your work, that is you,” she said. “Everything else is some defense mechanism we built up so we don’t feel bad when somebody doesn’t like our creations, and they are not met with the same enthusiasm that we would like them to be. I want them to know, don’t pick yourself apart.”
