Meet Simon Andre Ajero | (p.k.a Hokage Simon) – Artist & Music Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Simon Andre Ajero and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Simon Andre, why did you pursue a creative career?
When I grew up, music was always being played in my household. Whether it was my pops putting me on to Fusion Jazz records in the living room or my older brothers slapping hyphy music in the car, It only made sense that one day I’d develop my own personality ingrained with both those styles. My dad always had different instruments at the house, so out of 5 boys, I was the only kid who wanted to try pursuing music seriously and make a career off it. From taking piano lessons as a kid to learning how to make beats in high school, It turned to traveling the country doing gigs with different artists and getting into studio sessions with creatives I’m personally inspired by. Long story short, the reason why I pursued a creative career was because I wanted to do for a living something that would make me always feel in my happiest form.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My name is Simon, and I go by the artist name: Hokage Simon.
I’m an Artist, Touring Musician, and Music Producer.

Sometimes I reflect on my journey and in hindsight still can’t believe all the stuff I’ve already accomplished. It’s easy to feel imposter syndrome as a creative, but celebrating all wins no matter how big or small is usually the remedy to fixing those feelings. I mean right now I’m just at home but to list a couple of accomplishments I’m proud of, I got my bachelor’s Degree in Audio Engineering. I was diagnosed with Stage 3 OsteoSarcoma, but this August I’ll be going on my 3rd year of remission. Next week from the moment I’m writing this, I’m going on tour with LaRussell as his Keyboard Player & MD as we open up for T-Pain’s 20+ show tour. Last week I got to work in the studio with one of my producer inspirations, Timbaland. Life has been very sporadic and insane at times, but I’ve been so grateful to have this journey that music has taken me through.

I hope someone can see my story one day and relate to it in some sort of way. When I was going through my battle with cancer, there were days when I didn’t think I’d even get to be around anymore. And now I get to be in rooms I never thought I’d get to be in. This life stuff doesn’t always make sense all of the time, and maybe that’s the fun part. The universe finds a way to make sure you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be, at that very moment.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If we’re talking about my hometown of Vallejo, there are a couple of food staples that I love. Buds Burger, Sacs Hotdog, and Momo’s Cafe are all staples out here. I also really love this place called 3-star restaurant in Vallejo, and they have these garlic sauce wings that I’d compete against any wings in the bay. As far as what we would do for a week? All of my friends are talented or creative of some sort, so knowing us we’d probably turn that week-long trip into a week-long studio camp. Doesn’t matter if we were in LA, or Vallejo, or spent a week in the desert, all it would take for us is to bring our laptops, some studio monitors, and a midi keyboard to keep us entertained for a week.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Jordan, Skyler, and My Parents deserve all the recognition for all the success I’ve currently and will potentially receive. My story has ups and downs like any other person in their life, and I’m grateful to have my own version of a support system guiding me through my individual struggles.

Website: https://hokagesimon.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hokagesimon/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HokageSimon

Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6khHZgajTqW6zMpXBH4O6R?si=1ueM25ZeTsW-znARuJBWVw

Image Credits
pictures shot by: @j.castae – @bgiggz – @_kikovalle –

(people featured. in the pictures: Too Short, P-LO, LaRussell, Timbaland, Michael Prince, etc )