Simone Angela Stacey was born in late November 1977. Graduated from Bowen State High School, Bowen, Queensland in 1994 before moving to Cairns, Queensland.[1][2][3] In 1999 she attended TAFE North: Cairns campus, studying an ATSIC-sponsored music course.[1][4] Her first job was working in a deli.[3]
In August 2001 Simone Stacey performed at a showcase at Sony Music Entertainment in Sydney, after which she signed with Sony along with fellow singer-songwriter, Naomi Wenitong. The pair had met while studying at TAFE North.[2] They formed a pop duo, Shakaya.[1]
Shakaya's debut single "Stop Calling Me" was released in January 2002,[5] it was co-written by Stacey, Wenitong and Reno Nicastro, their manager and producer.[3][6] The lyrics are based on the life experiences of Stacey, Wenitong and their friends.[1][3] It is the duo's highest charting single, reaching No. 5 on the ARIA Singles Chart.[6]
The group's debut self-titled album, released 5 October 2002, peaked at No. 5 on the ARIA Albums Chart.[7] Their second album, Are You Ready, released 5 March 2006, did not chart.[7]
Shakaya disbanded in 2006 when Wenitong formed a hip-hop group, The Last Kinection, with her brother Joel Wenitong and Jacob Turier, in Newcastle.[2][8] From 2006 to 2011 Stacey took a hiatus from the music industry and "worked a range of jobs, most recently helping people living with disabilities, but she never stopped thinking about music and continued to write songs in her spare time."[2]
By October 2011 Stacey had resumed her music career and was featured on "Are We There Yet?", a single by The Last Kinection.[2][8][9] In April 2013 she auditioned for Season 2 of The Voice. She chose Seal as her coach. Her blind audition was a cover version of Nat King Cole's "For Sentimental Reasons".[2][10] Stacey was eliminated in a Battle Round against Michelle Martinez.[2][11][12]
In May 2013 she released her single, "My Pledge", on her own label, Diamond Dove.[11] The lyrics deal with the blackbirding of her great grandfather and about honouring and respecting one's elders.[11][13] At the Deadly Awards 2013 Stacey was nominated for Single Release of the Year for "My Pledge", and for Female Artist of the Year.[14][15]
In April 2015 Stacey and Wenitong collaborated for a charity single providing cover versions of "Black Roses" (originally by Inner Circle) and "Long as I Can See the Light" (Creedence Clearwater Revival).[16] Proceeds were donated to community members affected by the Cairns child killings of the previous December.[16] As from January 2015 Stacey was as a child safety worker in Cairns.[17]
Stacey wrote the music for the Australian short film, On Stage,[18] which is due to premiere at the Sydney Film Festival on 10 June 2015.[19]
