{{Short description|Canadian singer and songwriter}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Simone Denny | birth_name = Simone Andrea Denny | occupation = Singer | education = | work_institutions = | parents = | spouse = | website = www.simonedenny.com | relatives = }} '''Simone Andrea Denny''' is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She is best known as a vocalist with the dance music groups, BKS, Love Inc. and Widelife, appearing most prominently on the hit dance singles "Broken Bones", "You're a Superstar", and "All Things (Just Keep Getting Better)".<ref name=warner>{{Cite news |last=Warner |first=Andrea |date=March 3, 2020 |title="Then and now: Simone Denny looks back on the 20th anniversary of Love Inc.'s debut" |work=CBC |url=https://www.cbc.ca/music/junos/features/then-and-now-simone-denny-looks-back-on-the-20th-anniversary-of-love-inc-s-debut-1.4833811}}</ref>

==Background== Born and raised in Toronto, her parents are of Guyanese heritage. She discovered her passion for music while competing in a talent show in grade six,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Beats |first=Canadian |title=Interview – Simone Denny {{!}} Canadian Beats Media |url=https://canadianbeats.ca/2014/05/23/interview-simone-denny/ |access-date=2023-02-27 |language=en-US}}</ref> later training as an opera singer but choosing instead to pursue pop music.<ref name=metroweekly>{{Cite web |last=Rule |first=Doug |date=June 9, 2004 |title=Simone Denny |url=https://www.metroweekly.com/2004/06/simone-denny/ |access-date=June 22, 2023 |website=Metro Weekly |language=en-US}}</ref> She quickly developed a following in local bands, landed the role of Mama in the Canadian production of ''Mama, I Want to Sing!'' opposite Deborah Cox,<ref name=metroweekly/> and performed as a backing vocalist for artists such as Maestro Fresh Wes<ref>Peter Howell, "Fresh-Wes makes formal request for unity". ''Toronto Star'', June 8, 1991.</ref> and Devon.<ref>Peter Howell, "Nostalgic Neil Young proves you can go home again". ''Toronto Star'', October 24, 1992.</ref>

After meeting DJ Chris Sheppard, she contributed as a guest vocalist to several songs by his band BKS, as well as the songs "Tonight It's Party Time" and "I Can't Take the Heartbreak" by Barry Harris and Rachid Wehbi's group Outta Control (a.k.a. Killer Bunnies).<ref name=metroweekly/>

==Love Inc.== In 1997, Sheppard and Brad Daymond formed Love Inc., in which Denny was a full member.<ref>Lenny Stoute, "Chris Sheppard comes back to the future". ''Toronto Star'', October 16, 1997.</ref> They released their self-titled debut album in 1998;<ref>Andrew Flynn, "Shep's club no longer exclusive: Renowned DJ wants to take his beats to the mainstream". ''Halifax Daily News'', September 11, 1998.</ref> the album spawned the chart hits "Broken Bones" and "You're a Superstar", with the former song winning the Juno Award for Dance Recording of the Year at the Juno Awards of 1999,<ref>Finnbarr O'Reilly, "Juno audience gasps as Dion says `it's time to stop': Diva wins 5 awards; Hip, Cuddy, Rascalz, Cox also honoured". ''National Post'', March 8, 1999.</ref> and became the first dance music album by Canadian artists ever to receive platinum certification for Canadian sales.<ref name=warner/>

Despite the band's initial success, the 2000 followup album ''Into the Night'' was more poorly received,<ref>Sandra Sperounes, "Love Inc. stale as a month-old bagel". ''Edmonton Journal'', August 6, 2000.</ref> performing poorly on the charts and containing only one noteworthy hit single,<ref name=leblanc>Larry LeBlanc, "BMG Canada Ventures 'Into the Night' With Radio-Friendly Dance Act Love Inc.". ''Billboard'', August 26, 2000.</ref> although the band did again win the Juno for Dance Recording of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2001,<ref>Andrew Flynn, "Nelly Furtado and Barenaked Ladies earn Juno haul". ''Moose Jaw Times-Herald'', March 5, 2001.</ref> and critics praised Denny's vocals as the best thing about an otherwise weak album.<ref>Nick Krewen, "Love Inc. salutes disco; Plus Stacey Earle, KRS-One, Molly Johnson, Carlos Del Junco". ''Waterloo Region Record'', September 7, 2000.</ref> In this era, Sheppard was also beginning to develop a reputation for egotism: in early 2001, Denny had to back out of a previously-unannounced surprise appearance as a special guest who would perform several live songs at one of Sheppard's DJ shows at a dance club in Regina, Saskatchewan. The club cancelled the show outright since it considered Denny to be the real star of the event, but Sheppard tried to use legal threats to force the club to pay him anyway.<ref>Gerry Krochak, "Quest for community radio getting closer". ''Regina Leader-Post'', February 15, 2001.</ref>

The band did not release any further recordings, and broke up after ''Into the Night'', with Denny attributing the breakup to Sheppard mistreating her because he felt like he was the true creative force behind the band even though Denny was generally considered its star.<ref name=warner/> Denny later noted that she had remained on friendlier terms with Daymond right up until his death in 2018.<ref name=warner/>

==Widelife and solo career== Denny then began collaborating with Widelife, performing on that band's singles "I Don't Want You" and "All Things (Just Keep Getting Better)", the latter of which was best known as the theme song to the original version of ''Queer Eye''.<ref name=metroweekly/>

In 2005, she released "Cliché", the first single on which she was directly credited as a solo performer. She subsequently appeared as a featured vocalist on several other dance singles before finally releasing her own full-length debut album, ''The Stereo Dynamite Sessions, Vol. 1'', in 2015.<ref>Ryan B. Patrick, "Simone Denny The Stereo Dynamite Sessions Vol. 1"]. ''Exclaim!'', October 19, 2015.</ref>

In 2020, Denny appeared on CBC Television's New Year's Eve special, performing "You're a Superstar" with Tyler Shaw.<ref>Craig Takeuchi, [https://www.straight.com/movies/vancouver-singer-tyler-shaw-xie-ming-heng-among-performers-for-cbcs-new-years-eve-countdown "Vancouver singer Tyler Shaw (葉銘恆) among performers for CBC's New Year's Eve countdown to 2021"]. ''The Georgia Straight'', December 29, 2020.</ref> She has also continued to perform live shows, notably as part of an Electric Circus reunion bill of dance acts from the 1990s and 2000s.<ref>Eva Wasney, [https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/2021/09/21/concertgoers-treated-to-entertaining-time-travelling "Concertgoers treated to entertaining time travelling"]. ''Winnipeg Free Press'', September 21, 2021.</ref>

In 2024, she released a country rendition of "You're a Superstar".<ref>Allie Gregory, [https://exclaim.ca/music/article/love-inc-s-simone-denny-reimagines-you-re-a-superstar-as-a-country-song "Love Inc.'s Simone Denny Reimagines "You're a Superstar" as a Country Song"]. ''Exclaim!'', August 12, 2024.</ref>

== Discography == '''Studio albums''' {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |- ! rowspan="2" style="width:14em;"| Title ! rowspan="2" style="width:18em;"| Details ! colspan="1"| Peak chart positions ! rowspan="2"| Certifications |- style="font-size:smaller;" ! style="width:45px;"| CAN<br><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.7928&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=jmkgoammhjbu71i430et8hh171|title=Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada|website=Collectionscanada.gc.ca|accessdate=5 June 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.7166&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=jmkgoammhjbu71i430et8hh171|title=Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada|website=Collectionscanada.gc.ca|accessdate=5 June 2017}}</ref> |- ! scope="row"| ''Love Inc.'' | * Release date: 1998 * Label: BMG Music Canada * Formats: CD | 33 | *MC: Platinum<ref name="MC">{{cite certification|region=Canada|artist=Love Inc.|access-date=June 11, 2023}}</ref> |- ! scope="row"| ''Into the Night'' | * Release date: August 29, 2000 * Label: BMG Music Canada * Formats: CD | 46 | |- ! scope="row"| ''The Stereo Dynamite Sessions, Vol. 1'' | * Release date: 2015 * Label: Stereo Dynamite/Universal Music * Formats: CD |— | |}

'''Singles''' {| class="wikitable" | rowspan="2" |'''Year''' | rowspan="2" |'''Single''' | colspan="6" |'''Peak chart positions''' | rowspan="2" |'''Album''' |- |'''CAN''' |'''CAN'''

'''Dance''' |'''AUS''' |'''NED''' |'''UK''' |'''US'''

'''Dance''' |- |1997 |"Broken Bones" |23 |1 |52 |— |8 |— | rowspan="4" |''Love Inc.'' |- | rowspan="2" |1998 |"You're a Superstar" |13 |1 |57 |23 |7 |22 |- |"Homeless" |21 |1 |— |— |— |— |- |1999 |"Who Do U Love" |18 |1 |— |— |— |— |- | rowspan="3" |2000 |"Come On (It's Only Love)" |— |— |— |— |— |— | rowspan="3" |''Into the Night'' |- |"Here Comes the Sunshine" |14 |1 |— |— |— |— |- |"Into the Night" |— |— |— |— |39 |— |- |- |2015 |"Cliché" |— |— |— |— |— |— |- |2024 |"Superstar (Country Version)" |— |— |— |— |— |— |- | colspan="9" |"—" denotes releases that did not chart |}

== References == {{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Denny, Simone}} Category:20th-century Black Canadian women singers Category:20th-century Canadian women singers Category:21st-century Black Canadian women singers Category:21st-century Canadian women singers Category:Canadian women pop singers Category:Canadian dance musicians Category:Canadian electronic musicians Category:Singers from Toronto Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Living people Category:Canadian contemporary R&B singers Category:Canadian people of Guyanese descent