She is the only child of musician and civil rights activist Nina Simone from her marriage to police officer Andrew Stroud.

[5] Later in life, Simone alleged that her mother was emotionally and physically abusive,[6] driving her to the point of contemplating suicide until finally going to New York to live with her father.

[7][8] As a young adult, Simone served in the United States Air Force for more than 10 years as an engineering assistant stationed at Davis Monthan in Tucson, Arizona, Osan Airbase in South Korea, and Rhein Main Air Base in Frankfurt, Germany.

Later that year, Simone performed the lead role of Mimi Marquez in Rent's first national tour, from November 1996 to April 1998.

Starting in 1998, Simone took a hiatus from the theatre, during which she toured and recorded two albums with the acid jazz band Liquid Soul as a featured vocalist.