Simone Sherise Battle (June 17, 1989 – September 5, 2014) was an American singer. She was a finalist on ''

The X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...

'' in 2011 and a member of the girl group G.R.L. from 2012 until her death in 2014. The group was best known for their singles "

Vacation A vacation (American English) or holiday (British English) is either a leave of absence from a regular job or an instance of leisure travel away from home. People often take a vacation during specific holiday observances or for specific fes ...

", " Ugly Heart" and "

Wild Wild Love "Wild Wild Love" is a song by American rapper Pitbull featuring American-Canadian-English girl group G.R.L. The song was released February 25, 2014, and serves as the lead single off of Pitbull's eighth studio album ''Globalization.'' It was w ...

" with

Pitbull Pit bull is a term used in the United States for a type of dog descended from bulldogs and terriers, while in other countries such as the United Kingdom the term is used as an abbreviation of the American Pit Bull Terrier breed. The term was f ...

. Following her death, the group dedicated their single "

Lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses m ...

" to Battle. Outside of her music work, she starred in several music videos and the film '' We the Party'' (2012) alongside

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...

Career

2006–2011: Career beginnings and ''The X Factor''

Battle made her television debut in 2006, having small roles on shows including ''

Zoey 101 ''Zoey 101'' is an American comedy drama television series created by Dan Schneider for Nickelodeon. It aired from January 9, 2005, to May 2, 2008. It focuses on the lives of Zoey Brooks ( Jamie Lynn Spears), her brother Dustin ( Paul Butcher), ...

'' and ''

Everybody Hates Chris ''Everybody Hates Chris'' is an American television semi-autobiographical sitcom that is inspired by the memories of the teenage years of comedian Chris Rock. The show is set from 1982 to 1987, although Rock himself was actually a teenager from ...

''. In 2008, Battle was featured as the main character in the

Mary Mary Mary Mary is a female American urban contemporary gospel duo composed of sisters Erica Atkins-Campbell (born April 29, 1972) and Trecina Atkins-Campbell (born May 1, 1974). Formed in 1998, Mary Mary was launched into mainstream recognition f ...

music video "

Get Up Get or GET may refer to: * Get (animal), the offspring of an animal * Get (divorce document), in Jewish religious law * GET (HTTP), a type of HTTP request * "Get" (song), by the Groggers * Georgia Time, used in the Republic of Georgia * Get AS, a ...

". Battle also appeared as a background dancer in the

Cali Swag District Cali Swag District was an American hip hop group from Inglewood, California, founded by former Death Row Records artist Big Wy and Dairold Potts. They are best known for their 2010 commercial debut single "Teach Me How to Dougie", which peaked a ...

music video "

Teach Me How to Dougie "Teach Me How to Dougie" is a song recorded by American hip hop group Cali Swag District. It was produced by Runway Star for Cali Swag District's debut studio album, '' The Kickback'' (2011). The song was written by Chanti Glee, Charon Childs, and ...

" in 2010. In 2011, Battle auditioned for the American singing competition ''

'' in front of judges

Simon Cowell Simon Phillip Cowell (; born 7 October 1959) is an English television personality, entrepreneur and record executive. He is the creator of '' The X Factor'' and ''Got Talent'' franchises which have been sold around the world. He has judged on ...

, Paula Abdul, Cheryl and L.A. Reid. Battle sang " When I Grow Up" by

The Pussycat Dolls The Pussycat Dolls were an American girl group and dance ensemble, founded in Los Angeles, California, by choreographer Robin Antin in 1995 as a burlesque troupe. At the suggestion of Jimmy Iovine, Antin decided to take the burlesque troupe ...

. After receiving three yeses from the judges, Battle had made it through to Bootcamp. She was mentored by Cowell after becoming one of the Top 32 finalists in the girls category. Battle chose to be part of the live shows with Melanie Amaro, Rachel Crow, Drew, and Tiah Tolliver. After making it to the top 17, Battle and Tolliver were eliminated from the girls category during the first week by Cowell. He had also noted Battle as being one of his favorite contestants that he has mentored. Battle's performances on ''The X Factor'' were:

2012–2014: Solo success, acting roles, and formation of G.R.L

In 2012, Battle starred opposite

Mandela Van Peebles Mandela Van Peebles (born June 4, 1994) is an American rapper, film and television actor and producer who has appeared in films such as '' We the Party'', ''Baadasssss!'', and '' Jigsaw'', and the television series ''Reginald the Vampire''. Per ...

, Moisés Arias, and

in her film debut '' We the Party''. The film received mixed to positive reviews from critics. We the Party was Battle's first and final full-length film. In 2012, Battle played Olivia in the short film ''Meanamorphosis''. The film was released on April 27, 2012.

Upon Steve Jones' announcement that she had been eliminated from the competition, Battle promoted the online release of her debut music video "He Likes Boys". In August 2012, Battle was initially part of

' proposed new lineup after their past members disbanded in 2010. Her addition to the group was announced during the opening of the Pussycat Dolls Dollhouse at the Keating Hotel in

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. Antin later announced in February 2013 that they would continue instead as the "next generation" of the Dolls as a group called G.R.L.

Death

Battle was found dead on September 5, 2014, at the age of 25. The cause of death was ruled as suicide. A spokesperson for Battle stated that she suffered from depression due to financial issues.

Tributes

Simone's death led to a wide amount of media coverage and responses from fellow entertainers, co-workers, fans, and friends on social media. Many of Battle's co-workers and fellow entertainers including

Robin Antin Robin Antin is an American actress, entrepreneur, dancer, choreographer and clothing designer. In 1995, she founded the modern burlesque troupe the Pussycat Dolls. By 2005, she diversified into various media including a pop recording group with i ...

, Nicole Scherzinger,

Cirkut Henry Russell Walter (born April 23, 1986), known professionally as Cirkut, is a Canadian record producer and songwriter. He has co-produced and co-written for Dr. Luke, Katy Perry, Becky G, Ava Max, Nicki Minaj, R. City, The Weeknd, Kesha, C ...

, Dr. Luke, Mel B, Cheryl, and fellow G.R.L. members Natasha Slayton, Emmalyn Estrada and

Lauren Bennett Lauren Diane Bennett (born 23 June 1989) is an English singer who is known for being a member of the girl group G.R.L. Bennett has also worked with the Paradiso Girls, CeeLo Green, Robin Antin, The Pussycat Dolls, and LMFAO. She was feature ...

paid tribute to Battle by writing about her on their social media. The hashtag #RIPSimone was commonly used in posts about her, which trended worldwide on

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

, as well as "Simone Battle".

Musical tributes

Battle's band G.R.L. released the single "

" as a tribute to Battle. The music video features clips and photos of Battle throughout her life.

Discography

Battle released four singles and one

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

as a solo artist and released one

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

, two singles (including one as a featured artist), two

promotional single A promotional recording, or promo, or plug copy, is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as ...

s, and three music videos with G.R.L.

Singles

Music videos

Covers

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Battle, Simone 1989 births 2014 deaths 21st-century American singers 20th-century African-American women singers African-American actresses The X Factor (American TV series) contestants American film actresses American television actresses Actresses from Los Angeles Female suicides Singers from Los Angeles Suicides by hanging in California 21st-century American actresses Participants in American reality television series 21st-century American women singers 2014 suicides G.R.L. members 21st-century African-American women singers