Simona-Valentina and “Mirrors & Feathers” arrive at a curious moment in music history.
This Transylvanian-born, London-based artist has crafted something that demands your full attention. Her debut album feels like finding a handwritten letter in a digital mailbox.
The first sounds of this 12-track collection take you somewhere you did not expect to go right away.
Picture this: you are in a Victorian living room where the wallpaper keeps switching between flower patterns from Britain and folk patterns from Romania. That is Simona-Valentina’s sound area, and she owns it fully.
Her voice has the weight of someone who has really been through the things she talks about. She is from Victoria, a small town in the middle of Transylvania, so her work is truly real.
The title of the record perfectly describes its dual nature: the mirrors show inner truths, and the feathers stand for the freedom that comes from telling the truth.
The production choices here are fascinating. Working with Riccardo Poole on various instruments, Aki at Savo-Karelian Productions for mixing and mastering, and Tendai Pottinger for the visual elements, Simona-Valentina has assembled a team that understands her vision.
But here’s what makes it interesting: she recorded different tracks in completely different environments, from The Church Studios to her own bedroom setup in Enfield.
The fact that “Blue Tattoo” made it to the semi-finals of the 2019 International Songwriting Competition shows how good she is at writing tunes that stick without being too obvious.
It is clear from this song why Celine Dion was such an important figure in her childhood: it has the same emotional honesty but through a very different cultural lens.
The baroque pop-folk elements feel organic rather than forced. Think Tori Amos meeting Dolly Parton at a Romanian folk festival, with Joni Mitchell providing the roadmap.
However, Simona-Valentina is not following anyone. She is making something that feels both old and new, like finding a text from the Middle Ages written in modern English.
“Head Outta Washing Machine” has one of the most interesting names on the record, and the song lives up to that promise. The song seems to be about a memory from youth, which makes sense after hearing it.
There is something wonderfully silly about using household items as metaphors for escape, but it works because the feeling behind it is real.
The emotional progression of the record follows a rhythm that is more like real life than what people think will sell. Songs like “Thorns” and “Snowflakes Fall” make moody parts that give the more direct parts a chance to breathe.
“Out of Sea” incorporates actual wave sounds, which could have been gimmicky but instead feels like a natural extension of the song’s themes.
What strikes you most about “Mirrors & Feathers” is its refusal to conform to current trends. Simona-Valentina has created something that unfolds slowly. The operatic elements and church-like echoes she incorporates create a meditative quality that feels almost radical in 2025.
The influence of artists like Sia and Lana del Rey appears in subtle ways – not in direct imitation, but in the understanding that pop music can carry serious emotional weight.
“Dreams of Yesterday” uses sounds from an old jewellery box, creating an immediate sense of nostalgia that enhances rather than distracts from the songwriting.
The recording locations tell their own story. Moving from professional studios to home setups to her own purpose-built space in Enfield represents an artist taking increasing control of her creative process.
Each environment seems to have influenced the songs recorded there, creating a sonic autobiography of her artistic development.
“Butterfly”, “Unspoken Love”, and the other tracks recorded at The Church Studios carry a different energy than the later home recordings. It’s not better or worse, just different – like comparing watercolours to oil paintings.
The album’s 70s and 90s influences never feel nostalgic for nostalgia’s sake. Instead, they serve the songs, providing a framework for emotions that feel completely contemporary.
This is music for people who understand that the past and present exist simultaneously in our emotional lives.
“Mirrors & Feathers” succeeds because it refuses to explain itself too much. Simona-Valentina trusts her listeners to follow her through these 12 tracks without constant reassurance.
This debut album suggests an artist who has found her voice by embracing rather than hiding her complexities. Romanian heritage, British residence, classical influences, folk traditions, pop sensibilities – instead of choosing one identity, she’s created space for all of them to coexist.
The result is an album that rewards repeated listening while never feeling like homework. Each track reveals new details, but the overall experience remains emotionally coherent.
Simona-Valentina has created something rare: a debut that feels like the work of an artist who already knows exactly who she is.
