Rising Stars: Meet Jonathan Simmons

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jonathan Simmons.

Hi Jonathan, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My story starts in a relatively small city called Camden, New Jersey. Camden is right across the bridge from one of America’s largest metropolitan areas, Philadelphia but Camden made a name for itself by winning the award of America’s Most Dangerous City in the past. But growing up and living in the city, that couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s a city full of perseverance, love and immense talent.

I was raised by my Grandparents, Vivienne and Preston since damn near birth and they made sure to keep me and my two older brothers out of the streets with after school programs and other extracurricular activities. In school, I excelled in Academics constantly making Honor Roll or Principals List but my real passion was the Arts.

Surprisingly, the public school system in Camden had a lot of options to choose from. One of my favorites was band. I started playing brass instruments in Elementary School for a little bit and transitioned over to Piano throughout High school and singing was always something I loved.

Both of my grandparents were actively involved in the church so by default, we had to be active in the church as well. It wasn’t all bad however because through church, I found my love of music. I sang in the choir as a tenor and loved it. Hearing the live piano or organ mixed with the drums and the harmonies of the other choir members gave me chills.

Outside of Church and School, I took my passion for music even further by writing and composing my own songs. I started back in 6th grade just playing around with my brothers but that soon progressed into an actual hobby of mine. By the time high school rolled around, I was writing full out songs filled with emotion, pain, and trauma. I fell in love with this expression of art. I was a relatively quiet kid growing up so this was an outlet for me to say all the things I could never say.

Because I was so shy and timid, I put me and my talents into a box. Sharing any of my talent with the world would’ve gave me a panic attack just at the thought. But after high school and my first semester at college, something changed… I no longer wanted to be in a box. I wanted to express myself and share my gifts with the world, whether they liked it or not.

I dropped out of University after my first full year and this is when I started to really find myself. My early Twenties were nothing short of a roller coaster ride to hell. Arrested, abused, battling depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts, it was all there. But that pain literally made me who I am today. I couldn’t be more thankful for those experiences.

I was blessed with an internship in Anaheim CA in 2018 with Disney. I was a hospitality major so professionally this was an amazing opportunity. But in the back of my head, my passion to create was priority number 1. While in Southern California, I started the brands, Jhsimmo and BlessJhons. Jhsimmo was my photography outlet for showing the world through my eyes and Bless JhonS was just a clever brand name for my stage name JhonS. I also networked with other creatives in possibly the best city to do so, Los Angeles. The plan was to move there after my internship was over and focus 100% on my artistic passions. However, life had other plans and I moved back to New Jersey/Philadelphia.

Fast Forward to 2021, and I made another big move to my new home, Orlando Florida. I had no expectations moving here but seven months in, and I couldn’t be happier. I have a stable career, a beautiful apartment, and most importantly all the resources I need to focus on my artistic passions.

I’m not sure where it’ll go from here but I’m optimistic and certain that the Universe will guide me in the right direction.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Absolutely not. Potholes upon potholes every step of the way but that’s the beauty of it all. Like I said, the experiences I went through from childhood until now literally shaped me into who I am today and I wouldn’t trade that for the world.

One of my biggest struggles was not having a strong support system. Without that, I never thought I was good enough to pursue anything.

I have a decent sized family but I never felt like I fit in. We were actually really close though up until my Grandma passed in 2016. She was the matriarch holding the family together and when she passed, that was one of the most traumatic moments in my life to date. If anybody supported me, it was her. She was my entire world.

But instead of giving up on life, I took that pain and promised to make her proud and honestly ever since 2016, my life has slowly been on the incline.

I started practicing spirituality and self-love during that time as well and I can’t even begin to tell you the impact that’s had on my life for the better. That support system I was looking for was inside of me the whole time. These days I’m definitely my biggest supporter and I love that.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I go by JhonS, self-proclaimed singer, songwriter, musician, and producer. My main focus is writing and composing R&B music under my stage name and brand, Blessjhons. Right now, I’m working on my debut single “Shots of Tequila” which should be out sometime early next year, 2022 and from there, the music and visuals will be coming out steadily.

I’m also the creator of the brand Jhsimmo which is my Photography brand where I show the world from my perspective. I’ve recently taken a step back from photography to focus more on music but Jhsimmo is currently going through a major rebrand starting next year, 2022. So stay tuned for that.

How do you think about happiness?
Wow, that’s a loaded question.

My happiness comes from being around genuine love from friends and family. Love that I don’t have to question or give second thought. My happiness also comes from creating. Bringing to life a thought or an idea and watching it transform into a beautiful work of art.

For the longest, I couldn’t figure out why my life was so dark and miserable but once I started practicing self-love and prioritizing my own happiness before anyone elses, my life changed for the better.

Contact Info:

• Email: jsimmonscontact@gmail.com
• Website: https://linktr.ee/blessjhons
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blessjhons/