interview | lulu simon

Folk roots, lost friends, and growing up again – Lulu Simon finds peace in change with her new single ‘Summer Dog’. For singer and songwriter Lulu Simon, grief has a melody – and it sounds a lot like home. Known for her glittering synth-pop anthems, Simon now returns to her folk beginnings with ‘Summer Dog’, a heartfelt song about memory, loss, and moving forward. Written in the wake of her childhood pet’s death, the track captures both the weight of growing up and the lightness of letting go. Schön! speaks with Simon, currently on tour with indie favourite Aidan Bissett, about nostalgia, creative freedom, and the quiet universality of saying goodbye.

“I was in California, and my dog was in New York with my parents and younger brother,” Simon recalls from her hotel room in Baltimore, midway through a whirlwind tour across the US and Canada. “He was pretty old, and I knew he was going to die soon. He would just stare at the wall sometimes. In a way, I was anticipating getting the news.” The message eventually arrived, as a phone notification: “Bad news. Django died.”

The idea for ‘Summer Dog’ grew out of that moment. Simon began a thought experiment, imagining an alternate world in which she had never received that text. “If no one had told me he died, maybe I’d still think he was running around in the backyard,” she says softly. “My dog was the last of my childhood pets. I got him when I was eleven, so it really felt like something coming to an end, like time was passing me by.”

And indeed, the song carries that sense of loss. With its key verses written on the beach on Long Island, it balances melancholy with acceptance. “I write best when I’m walking or swimming,” Simon explains. “That’s how I wrote those lines: ‘All the summer people in their summer boats, they don’t know what I know, that forever is just a myth and frivolity is a gift.’ Ignorance is bliss, until it isn’t.”

Following her self-titled debut in 2019, 2020’s ‘Strangers’ and last year’s single ‘Feel Better’, Simon’s new release marks both a poetic and sonic shift. Folk-leaning and introspective, ‘Summer Dog’ feels much like homecoming. “I loved the idea of being a synth-pop princess – I love glitter,” she laughs. “But what comes naturally to me is a more stripped-back, folky kind of vibe. I’ve always written songs on guitar, and that’s where I feel most honest.”

That honesty now defines her writing. “When I was younger, I wrote from a really reactionary place – innocent, maybe even naïve. I wanted to be fun and poppy. But now I write with a different kind of self-awareness. I’m more observant. I’ve realised that even though I love pop music, it doesn’t come naturally to me. It takes too much work to turn it into something I want to hear, rather than something I need to say.” Simon didn’t overthink sharing the song with her family, including her father, renowned singer and songwriter, Paul Simon. “I finished it and sent it to my mom,” she says. “Then she asked, ‘Can I show your dad?’ and I said, of course – you always do.”

Performing ‘Summer Dog’ live, she admits, has been unexpectedly emotional. “I think everyone can relate to losing a pet,” she says. “Aidan’s fans are quite young, and I wasn’t sure how they’d respond. But it’s been touching to see people tearing up when I play it. Somebody’s dog has always just died. It’s such a quiet, universal feeling, and I think that’s wonderful.” Playing in front of such crowds has also deepened her sense of connection. “I’m an only girl with two brothers, so I’ve always seen girls as sisters until proven otherwise,” she smiles. “When I look out and see them, I feel like they’ve got me. It’s been really encouraging – I was worried how the sonic shift would be received, but people have embraced it.”

With more music on the horizon, ‘Summer Dog’ signals the start of a new creative chapter. “It’s the start of moving away from bubblegum pop,” Simon explains. “When I began, I wanted to be a synth-pop girly – I didn’t want to be boxed in as acoustic. But with this song, I’ve given myself permission to make whatever kind of music I want, without being beholden to any genre.” For Simon, the song ultimately became a meditation on acceptance. “When I was writing ‘Summer Dog’, I thought, okay, this is really sad – but also unstoppable. Change will happen, so either you let go or be dragged. Growing up means acknowledging that things are hard and uncomfortable, but you have to go on. Life happens with or without your permission, so you might as well go along with it.”

‘Summer Dog’ is out now.

photography. Courtesy of Lulu Simon
interview. Tom Czibolya