Born gifted; the life and times of rising Reggae superstar, Simon Humble

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

I was shocked and surprised to be recognized at such a level so early in my career. It made me really appreciate what I was doing. I had so much more to learn. I told mom right away! She didn’t really know what a Juno award was, so when I told her, she called it a “Junior Award.”  Simon Humble (Juno Award Winner)

When Humble first told me this I had to chuckle a little. Jamaican parents have a way of completely destroying words, and this is why we love them so much. When he told me the story, there was a nostalgic tone to his voice. I soon learned why. This article will be written to honor Simon Humble’s best friend and biggest supporter, his mom.

Simon Humble (born Simon Johnathan Vassell) was born on July 2^nd in the United Kingdom. His parent immigrated to England first where they had him, and then they made the decision to move to Toronto, Ontario, Canada. His earlier years were spent in both Scarborough and Rexdale, and it was here that he acquired the name Humble from a group of elders. This is the perfect nickname for Simon, because even when I was interviewing him, I noticed how reserved he was in his speech.

Humble happens to be one of those people born gifted, and this was realized at an early age. When he was in grade three, he scored the highest percentage in his entire school on a musical aptitude test. Although it was evident that he was clearly a talent, Humble tells me that he didn’t really take music seriously. “Music didn’t become a focus until I began to write in my early 20’s. It was my mom who finally noticed people’s reaction to me, and she was impressed that I could sing and play.”

A very fortunate young lady (Shirley) was actually one of the first recipients of Humble’s then recognized incredible talent. “I wrote a song for a girl I was dating at the time. She liked the song. It was my first chance to write for a person. After that, I spent a couple years writing, perfecting my craft and playing locally.”

What some people don’t know is that Humble is a self-taught guitarist. It was either his superior guitar skills, or his linguistic ability that caught the attention of a local record label in Scarborough, and this was when his career took off! They made arrangements to write an album. In a year and a half (2007) he had completed his first album “Hard to See!” “I was really coming up in the Rasta Faith at the time. I was coming into myself as an artist and that year it showed.” His first single “The Other Side” was what first got him star recognition, and it was that song that earned him a Juno nomination for Best Reggae recording 2007 for project “Hard to See.”  He gained more distinction with the Award for Artist of the Year at the 2007 Reggae Achievement Awards.

News of this dignified, talented singer began to spread, and opportunities began to present themselves to Humble. He gained worldwide acclaim performing at music festivals and events in New York, Jamaica, Trinidad, Japan and Canada (Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Calgary). He has performed alongside renowned international artists like Gyptian, Junior Kelly and Tony Rebel. His star continued to rise when he earned a Juno Award for Best Reggae recording in 2009, for his sophomore project “Everything”

Despite the nickname Humble, Simon has no problem voicing his political opinions on matters close to his heart. “If you wanna be free – stand up for what you truly love.” is a quote posted on multiple social platforms in reference to his latest singles “Must Legalize.” In this song he addresses the irony behind a plant that was previously being used systematically to imprison and penalize people, now becoming, in his words “the hottest commodity that even the same system is cashing in on.”

True to human form, Humble has had to deal with some hardships, and one crushing moment for him was the loss of his mom on September 8^th, 2015. “She was my best friend. I was and still am most definitely a momma’s boy.” This was a trying moment for Humble, and his family took notice of it. His brother noticed that he was feeling really low, so he invited him to come and visit Alberta to clear his head and get into a space where he could channel all of his pain into his music. “The music scene is not as vibrant as it is in Toronto, but it was a great place to isolate myself and I have been able to produce enough material for two albums.

His self-produced EP is set to release this year, and he already has two songs that are now streaming: “Faye Girl,” and “Must Legalize.” The EP is set to release at the end of the month. “This EP is different. I have a lot of visuals to accompany the music, and it will be my first self-produced project.” Despite his heartache, Humble continues to perfect his craft and cement himself as a top reggae artist. He can be found on all the major social media platforms, and to see his work directly, you can go to his website https://humblemuzik.hearnow.com/.