An exclusive interview with multi-talented Simon Cobb

Today in our Hot Seat we have multi-talented Simon Cobb with us. He is a poet, clothes designer and parental rights activist. Let’s have a chat with him.

Question : First of all tell us about the start of your professional career?
Simon Cobb : I started my professional career about 10 years ago selling Kanye West related fashion (at a time no one else was really doing it) on eBay and it just grew and grew to the point where I started Menswear Exchange about 5 years ago. I’ve been running it ever since.

Question : Who or what inspired you to get into music industry?
Simon Cobb : I was actually creating a video for my upcoming ARLO Supply project and on the video I was creating a voiceover explaining the inspiration for the project, which is my son and from there I decided to write a poem instead as I found it more powerful and it kinda just stemmed from there as I realised I had an important story to tell separate from the label I was creating. I’m really passionate about music so it just seemed the most logical and powerful way to tell my story.

Question : Tell us about your upcoming release “My World Crashing Down To Earth”, is this the story you’re referencing?
Simon Cobb : Yes it is. So the name is a reference to my son (“my world”) and the way in which he came “crashing” into my life. So I detail my experiences of entrapment and how I came to terms with that, the bond that grew between my son and I and then the depression I experienced after being alienated from my son. The last song on my album is called “A Real Love Omnipresent” or “A.R.L.O.” for short and the message of the album Is that no matter what life throws at you real love will always shine through.

Question : Any particular track from the album that’s your favorite?
Simon Cobb : The album isn’t finished yet so I might be speaking prematurely but at the moment it’s the albums opener “Trap Doors”. The poem I’ve written at the end is just my favourite, I think the metaphors I use are really powerful and I suppose it was also the beginning of my journey to where I am now. Also the production on this track by my producer Phyzikal is next level.

Question : What kind of response you are expecting from the release?
Simon Cobb : I’m expecting a positive response. I’m a perfectionist and this album is my story so I’m not releasing it until I think it’s amazing. It’s a brand new genre we’re creating with “Trap Poetry” and I can only see people respecting the work we’re putting into it.

Question : What attracts you more, performing on stage or working in studios?
Simon Cobb : For now it’s just working on the music, I’ve not performed on stage yet. I’m still undecided on whether I will or not as I quite like the idea of remaining an enigma. I’m starting to recite my poetry at open mic nights though which is cool.

Question : Have you set some target to achieve as a music artist?
Simon Cobb : My target is to make people aware of the damage parental alienation can cause but also at the same time show those experiencing it that there can be a light at the end of the tunnel. My personal goal is to win a Grammy for best spoken word album.

Question : Are you currently working on any other project?
Simon Cobb : I’m working on a few other things but most relevant is my ARLO Supply project I mentioned earlier.

Question : Can you tell us any more about ARLO Supply?
Simon Cobb : So ARLO Supply like the album is very important to me. It’s named after and inspired by my son. The beauty of the ARLO project is that it’s not only going to serve as a living breathing scrapbook of my sons life but it’s also helped me to understand and capture the imagination of a child’s mind. Each ARLO piece will have it’s own story and all future designs will be a fusion of Arlo’s thoughts and my creative influences. I always say this but every child is creative by nature but yet so many adults lose it along the way so the point of the label is to nurture a child’s creativity and inspire more parents and adults to do the same.

Question : Are you active on social media? What’s the best way to follow you online?
Simon Cobb : I’m most active on Instagram and you can find me at: @simon.cobb.
My twitter is: @simoncobb
My Facebook page is: @simoncobbofficial