# Simon Collins
**Simon Collins** (born 1976) is a British-Canadian musician, drummer, singer, and producer, and the former lead vocalist and drummer of the progressive rock band Sound of Contact[1](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6670614832) • [2](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/simon-collins). He is the son of [Phil Collins](https://www.edgepedia.org/phil-collins), the drummer and singer of Genesis, and his own music blends progressive rock, pop, and electronica[1](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6670614832) • [3](https://www.last.fm/music/Simon%2BCollins). Across his career he has released four solo albums and two albums with two bands[4](https://simoncollinsmusic.com/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1976, Hammersmith, London, England; based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada[2](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/simon-collins) |
| Instruments and roles | Drums, piano, guitar, vocals; composer, singer, and producer[4](https://simoncollinsmusic.com/) |
| Solo albums | All of Who You Are (1999), Time for Truth, U-Catastrophe, Becoming Human (2020)[4](https://simoncollinsmusic.com/) • [1](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6670614832) |
| Debut sales | All of Who You Are, released on Warner Germany, sold 100,000 units[4](https://simoncollinsmusic.com/) |
| Sound of Contact | Co-founded with Dave Kerzner in 2009; debut album Dimensionaut released on Inside Out in spring 2013[5](https://simoncollinsmusic.com/sound-of-contact/) |
| Award | Best New Band at the prog rock awards, 2014[4](https://simoncollinsmusic.com/) |
| eMolecule | Duo with guitarist Kelly Nordstrom; debut album The Architect released 10 February 2023 on InsideOutMusic[6](https://progreport.com/emolecule-the-architect-album-review/) |
## Early musical life
Collins started playing drums at age 7, learning by practicing along with the albums he loved, and played in many stylistically diverse bands as a teenager[4](https://simoncollinsmusic.com/). In interviews he has described receiving a red Tama 4-piece kit from his father as a birthday gift and growing up on tour with [Genesis](https://www.edgepedia.org/genesis-band), which gave him an early introduction to progressive rock through the music of [Pink Floyd](https://www.edgepedia.org/pink-floyd), Yes, and similar bands[7](https://www.audioholics.com/music-reviews/sound-of-contact-interview) • [8](https://www.hotpress.com/music/simon-collins-i-grew-up-on-tour-with-genesis-so-i-had-a-very-early-introduction-to-progressive-rock-22839135). He taught himself piano in his early teens and began writing songs and lyrics shortly afterward[7](https://www.audioholics.com/music-reviews/sound-of-contact-interview).
His influences moved through progressive rock, then post-punk and grunge acts such as Nirvana, Alice in Chains, and [Jane's Addiction](https://www.edgepedia.org/janes-addiction), and eventually rave culture; he DJed psychedelic trance and other electronic subgenres, and electronica remains a consistent element in his productions[4](https://simoncollinsmusic.com/).
## Solo career
**Debut and early albums.** Collins's debut solo album, *All of Who You Are*, was released in 1999 on Warner Germany and sold 100,000 units; co-produced with the German production team Schalbau, it was an electro synth-pop record[4](https://simoncollinsmusic.com/). He then returned to Canada and recorded his second album, *Time for Truth*, which he produced and released independently on Lightyears Music, his own label; the album had a political slant based on the philosophy of truth[4](https://simoncollinsmusic.com/).
After *Time for Truth* he recorded a modernized cover of the Genesis song "Keep It Dark" as a tribute for the band's 40th anniversary, released as a free download; it was his first project with the keyboardist and producer Dave Kerzner[4](https://simoncollinsmusic.com/). He then signed with the boutique label Razor & Tie and co-produced his third solo album, *U-Catastrophe*, with producer Kevin Churko (known for work with [Ozzy Osbourne](https://www.edgepedia.org/ozzy-osbourne)) in Las Vegas[4](https://simoncollinsmusic.com/). The album includes "The Big Bang," a collaboration with his father in which the two play dueling tribal drums against progressive electronica[9](https://www.vaporwarehouse.com/blog/Sound-of-Contact-Dimensionaut-Album-Review). Reviewers described *U-Catastrophe* as melodic rock combining rock, prog, pop, and electronica[10](https://www.seaoftranquility.org/reviews.php?id=6809&op=showcontent).
**Becoming Human.** After a turbulent period that included the breakup of Sound of Contact, Collins reemerged in late 2020 with his fourth solo album, *Becoming Human*, his most personal album, born out of what he describes as tumultuous experiences and his efforts to become the person he was striving to be[8](https://www.hotpress.com/music/simon-collins-i-grew-up-on-tour-with-genesis-so-i-had-a-very-early-introduction-to-progressive-rock-22839135) • [11](https://simoncollinsmusic.com/my-music/). Built on an electronic soundscape, it was produced with Robbie Bronnimann[4](https://simoncollinsmusic.com/). The album received strong reviews and was described as one of the most lauded and experimental albums of his career[4](https://simoncollinsmusic.com/) • [8](https://www.hotpress.com/music/simon-collins-i-grew-up-on-tour-with-genesis-so-i-had-a-very-early-introduction-to-progressive-rock-22839135).
## Sound of Contact
In 2009, Collins, handling lead vocals, drums, and percussion, started Sound of Contact together with Dave Kerzner, who played keyboards and guitars; the four-piece group was rounded out by Kelly Nordstrom and Matt Dorsey, each covering guitars and bass.[5](https://simoncollinsmusic.com/sound-of-contact/) Before recording, Collins and [Nordstrom](https://www.edgepedia.org/nordstrom) researched cosmology, quantum physics, astrophysics, and astronomy, work that shaped the album's story[5](https://simoncollinsmusic.com/sound-of-contact/).
The band's debut album, *Dimensionaut*, was released on the Inside Out label in the spring of 2013[5](https://simoncollinsmusic.com/sound-of-contact/). It is a [concept album](https://www.edgepedia.org/concept-album) following a nameless human who, exasperated by humankind, journeys alone through time, space, and intergalactic travel, torn between continuing his solitary dimensional existence and returning to reality to reunite with his soulmate[5](https://simoncollinsmusic.com/sound-of-contact/). The album took three years to make, and reviewers noted its large-scale production, including the instrumental "Cosmic Distance Ladder" and the roughly 19-to-20-minute closing epic "Möbius Slip"[12](https://www.loudersound.com/reviews/sound-of-contact-dimensionaut) • [13](https://wavemakermagazine.wordpress.com/2013/06/05/review-sound-of-contact-dimensionaut-2013/). Guest contributors included Hannah Stobart on vocals and [John Wesley](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-wesley), the [Porcupine Tree](https://www.edgepedia.org/porcupine-tree) and Fish guitarist[13](https://wavemakermagazine.wordpress.com/2013/06/05/review-sound-of-contact-dimensionaut-2013/) • [12](https://www.loudersound.com/reviews/sound-of-contact-dimensionaut).
The band won Best New Band at the prog rock awards in 2014, and broke up afterward, with the members continuing on individual paths and in a different configuration[4](https://simoncollinsmusic.com/).
## eMolecule
After Sound of Contact split, Collins and Kelly Nordstrom, who had worked together on guitars for Collins's albums for roughly two decades, formed the modern progressive rock duo eMolecule[4](https://simoncollinsmusic.com/) • [8](https://www.hotpress.com/music/simon-collins-i-grew-up-on-tour-with-genesis-so-i-had-a-very-early-introduction-to-progressive-rock-22839135). Work on their debut album began during the COVID-19 pandemic at Collins's studio in Ireland, written and recorded both remotely and in occasional in-studio sessions[6](https://progreport.com/emolecule-the-architect-album-review/).
The result, *The Architect*, was released on 10 February 2023 on InsideOutMusic[6](https://progreport.com/emolecule-the-architect-album-review/). Collins describes it as a fictional concept album about a dictator and the last two weeks of his life, mixing prog metal, industrial, electronica, and prog rock and pop across 11 tracks[4](https://simoncollinsmusic.com/) • [6](https://progreport.com/emolecule-the-architect-album-review/).
## Style and family ties
Collins's music draws from both electronica and the progressive rock sound he was introduced to by his father[8](https://www.hotpress.com/music/simon-collins-i-grew-up-on-tour-with-genesis-so-i-had-a-very-early-introduction-to-progressive-rock-22839135). Reviewers have frequently compared his singing voice to Phil Collins's[12](https://www.loudersound.com/reviews/sound-of-contact-dimensionaut). Rather than avoiding the association, he has embraced it through Genesis covers, guest appearances from [Steve Hackett](https://www.edgepedia.org/steve-hackett), and the drum duet with his father on *U-Catastrophe*[12](https://www.loudersound.com/reviews/sound-of-contact-dimensionaut). He has also argued that progressive rock should keep evolving rather than replicate 1970s bands, saying the word progressive is in the name of the genre[8](https://www.hotpress.com/music/simon-collins-i-grew-up-on-tour-with-genesis-so-i-had-a-very-early-introduction-to-progressive-rock-22839135).
## References
1. [Simon Collins, Apple Snapshot](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6670614832)
2. [Simon Collins (born 1976), VALÉORINE](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/simon-collins)
3. [Simon Collins, Last.fm](https://www.last.fm/music/Simon%2BCollins)
4. [Simon Collins Music, official site](https://simoncollinsmusic.com/)
5. [Sound of Contact, Simon Collins Music](https://simoncollinsmusic.com/sound-of-contact/)
6. [eMolecule – The Architect (Album Review), The Prog Report](https://progreport.com/emolecule-the-architect-album-review/)
7. [Sound of Contact Progressive Rock Band Interview, Audioholics](https://www.audioholics.com/music-reviews/sound-of-contact-interview)
8. [Simon Collins: "I grew up on tour with Genesis", Hot Press](https://www.hotpress.com/music/simon-collins-i-grew-up-on-tour-with-genesis-so-i-had-a-very-early-introduction-to-progressive-rock-22839135)
9. [Sound of Contact – Dimensionaut Album Review, Vaporwarehouse](https://www.vaporwarehouse.com/blog/Sound-of-Contact-Dimensionaut-Album-Review)
10. [Review: Collins, Simon: U-Catastrophe, Sea of Tranquility](https://www.seaoftranquility.org/reviews.php?id=6809&op=showcontent)
11. [My Music, Simon Collins Music](https://simoncollinsmusic.com/my-music/)
12. [Sound Of Contact: Dimensionaut, Louder (Prog)](https://www.loudersound.com/reviews/sound-of-contact-dimensionaut)
13. [ALBUM REVIEW: Sound of Contact – Dimensionaut (2013), Wave Maker Magazine](https://wavemakermagazine.wordpress.com/2013/06/05/review-sound-of-contact-dimensionaut-2013/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Rock, metal, and popular-band musicians › Heavy metal*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license