Written, co-directed and self-produced by Nicole Simone and using her own songs as original soundtrack. On A List is a British-Canadian romantic dramedy about vulnerability and trust with a weird twist.
Nicole Simone, Canadian singer-songwriter, producer and actress based out of Toronto and Los Angeles, is introducing a fun and adventurous encounter with West End UK leading man James Darch in her new indie series, On a List. Nicole is well-known for her 218k following on social media. The Instagram verified creator, @LateJuly, has also showcased her musical sense over five EPs and many singles spanning a decade-long career. Nicole describes her music as orchestral pop. She has a haunting voice and unique style that draws on indie rock and cinematic energy. Her songs have been featured in the Canadian television series Out With Dad and film How To Plan an Orgy in a Small Town. Moreover leading casting member, James Darch has been a prominent theatre lead on the UK, London stage and has starred in Rocky Horror Show, Snow White (Richmond Theatre, London), Maggie May (Finborough Theatre) and many more.
On a List is about trying new things (and some awful ones) as a means of knowing if you can fall in love with someone. Olivia (played by Nicole Simone) feeling unsatisfied with the world, creates a list and is looking for someone to try it with. The story evolves into something deeper, starting with something as innocuous as getting drunk and quizzing each other, to opening up about past relationships, fears and general desire for happiness. Some secrets are revealed about Olivia and Harry and we see how they manage the depth of this. The drama then takes you on a series of challenges in the form of this list to undertake the hardest things couples go through. With a total of 8 episodes, episode one was released on November 11 and episode two aired on November 24 on YouTube. The schedule for the remaining episodes is bimonthly with the following dates for the upcoming episodes.
Episode 3 & 4 - December 9, December 30
Episode 5 & 6 - January 13, January 27
Episode 7 & 8 - February 10, February 24
Nicole’s original song “Echoes” (which forms the general theme of On a List) is about a break up, acknowledging what’s done is done and disappointments are permanent. “This song is Los Angeles in the rain for me driving through the hills. I abruptly left Los Angeles because of lockdown, broke up with the guy I was seeing there and just got off the plane and wrote this,” says Nicole Simone. Devin Hoare did back up vocals and trumpets on this song and it was produced by Guillermo Subauste. Her songs “Confetti” and “What’s Left” have been included in the soundtrack of the series.
Nicole has already started working on season two and describes it as an emotional rollercoaster ride to look forward to. The audience wants Olivia to do the things on her list, which will be an interesting take that explores Olivia more and finding out what it means to truly be vulnerable.
“The inspiration behind the story is something that happened to me and realizing the power of vulnerability. The intention is to show exactly what Olivia says, “the harder the task, the stronger the bond” and to try to prove that hypothesis by two people putting themselves out there. I think people get sick of dating and really get to the point where you want to cut to the chase, you want to know if the other person is going to be there when things get tough or weird or uncertain,” explains Nicole Simone on the inspiration and storyline of the series.
Her fifth EP Oceania is out this winter and will include about eight songs. The EP is about coming to terms with the past and being scattered throughout the world trying to find her place in everything. The music encompasses big drums, booming trumpets and a lot of imagery of LA and Toronto lakes. The theme for Oceania is water and she says it is mostly because she is a pisces. Nicole spent the majority of the past two years going coast to coast in an effort to find herself in places and other people, thus the name Oceania.
About Nicole Simone
Nicole Simone was born in Toronto, Ontario and she is first generation Canadian, as her father is from Sicily and her mother is of Irish descent. When Nicole was an infant her family moved to Tampa Bay, Florida and then to Del Mar, California where she spent most of her childhood with much of her extended family. She attended Solana Highlands Public School before attending Cardinal Carter Catholic High School in Aurora, Ontario. While in high school, she began teaching herself music and working after school at a local record store called Sound City. Through working at the record store, she became obsessed with Tom Waits, Jeff Buckley, Elliott Smith and Stephen Malkmus. When she was 17, she began working with the A&R team at Sony Music Canada. Nicole received her Bachelor's Degree in Sociology from York University and graduated from Seneca College Independent Music Production program.
Nicole began writing music and singing at the age of 12 after an accident at school where a TV fell on her head crushing her vocal box. She is a multi-instrumentalist, playing guitar, drums, and piano. Her debut EP as Late July, Side Swept, was released in 2010 and features the guitar, bass, and keyboard work of Adrian Ellis. From that EP, two singles were featured in the web series Out With Dad: Side Swept was in Season 1, Episode 4 and A Well Kept Secret was in Season 1, Episode 7. Her follow-up EP, Hospital Quiet, was released in 2011. The single What's Left was featured in Season 2, Episode 5 of the web series Out With Dad. The single Truth or Dare from her third EP, When the Curtain Falls, is on the soundtrack for the film How to Plan an Orgy in a Small Town. Her fourth EP, Marathon, was released in 2017. Throughout 2019-20, she has released a series of singles, including Confetti, Calling to the Moon, and Cloud and Crown to critical acclaim. These singles along with several upcoming releases will be included on her fifth EP, Oceania.
Nicole is the founder of Redemption Paws, a Canadian registered charity that helps re-home at-risk dogs affected by natural disasters and climate change. latejulyofficial.com.
About James Darch
James is a British actor, singer and West End leading man with an extensive résumé in theatre, film and television. He grew up on a working farm in the West of England before moving to London to pursue a career in acting. Since then he has gone on to tread the boards as a leading player in the West End and across the world. He currently shares his time between North America and the UK.
His extensive theatre experience spans from Rocky Horror Show (UK and Ireland Tour), Snow White (Richmond Theatre, London), Maggie May (Finborough Theatre), Cinderella (Churchill Theatre, London), Officer and a Gentleman (Leicester Curve and No. 1 UK Tour), Wicked (Apollo Victoria), Mamma Mia (Novello Theatre), Cool Rider (The Duchess), Kiss me, Kate (Royal Albert Hall, BBC Proms), White Christmas (West Yorkshire Playhouse), Cats (No. 1 UK Tour), Marguerite (Tabard Theatre), Guys and Dolls (Cadogan Hall, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra), Fresher the Musical (EdFringe).
He has received training in ArtsEd London (BA Hons in Acting), Anthony Mendel (AMAW) (Foundation course under Meredith McCredie), Trinity College of Music (FdA in Musical Theatre). As a singer James has studied under Mark Meylan for a number of years. jamesdarch.com.
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