Ahya Simone
Detroit
Working across myriad disciplines, Detroit-based multidisciplinary artist, performer, filmmaker and harpist Ahya Simone’s many pronged practice is bound by an exploration of black identity, aesthetic, and community building.
Simone's engagement with music stems from a childhood spent in the black church, where she learned to sing. In high school, she began to play the harp and became principal harpist for the Wayne State University wind symphony upon her graduation.
Simone is a featured artist for Showing up, Showing out, a film dedicated to Motown’s legacy and its future in collaboration with Carhartt, Dazed, and NTS Radio. Her unique artistry landed her a spot on Kelela’s Take Me a_part, the Remixes, and recognized as a 2018 Sundance/Knight foundation, 2017 Detroit Narrative Agency 2.0, and 2018 Kresge Artist Fellow. She is also creator, co-writer, and director of upcoming fictional web series, Femme Queen Chronicles, a story of four black trans women in Detroit. Initially exploring film through scoring local shorts, (Treasure: From Tragedy to Trans Justice Mapping a Detroit Story, 2015), she uses film and sound to explore ideas around identity, vulnerability, language, and existence.
Simone's engagement with music stems from a childhood spent in the black church, where she learned to sing. In high school, she began to play the harp and became principal harpist for the Wayne State University wind symphony upon her graduation.
Simone is a featured artist for Showing up, Showing out, a film dedicated to Motown’s legacy and its future in collaboration with Carhartt, Dazed, and NTS Radio. Her unique artistry landed her a spot on Kelela’s Take Me a_part, the Remixes, and recognized as a 2018 Sundance/Knight foundation, 2017 Detroit Narrative Agency 2.0, and 2018 Kresge Artist Fellow. She is also creator, co-writer, and director of upcoming fictional web series, Femme Queen Chronicles, a story of four black trans women in Detroit. Initially exploring film through scoring local shorts, (Treasure: From Tragedy to Trans Justice Mapping a Detroit Story, 2015), she uses film and sound to explore ideas around identity, vulnerability, language, and existence.
