Simone Ashley recognises performing live is 'muscle she needs to exercise'

Simone Ashley knows her confidence in singing live will develop with practice.

The Bridgerton actress is a classically trained singer who grew up playing piano, and she recently revisited her musical roots with the six-track EP, Songs I Wrote in New York.

Simone made her live singing debut at Windsor Castle in June, performing for over 150 guests at Prince William's Earthshot Prize ceremony.

Reflecting on her first performance in an interview with ELLE, she shared, "It was an honour to meet Prince William. I wasn't nervous, which was a good sign. Although, the art of performing live is definitely a muscle I need to exercise, and my confidence will develop. He enjoyed it."

The Devil Wears Prada 2 star added that she and the Prince of Wales are "very excited" to visit Mumbai, India with Earthshot in November, when she will perform once again.

Elsewhere, Simone explained that she enjoys having more creative control over her music compared to her screen projects.

"What I love about making music is that it's my story, my life, my creative control," the 31-year-old said. "With movies, it's more about being the director, producer, writer and star. It is hard to have control and shape the future of a project and how it's going to look."

The Sex Education actress noted that she prefers to make music when she's busy because she's "more out of my head and creatively inspired", adding, "When there's a lot of adrenalin, that's when I tend to do better work."