Born in Karkiv, Ukraine, Simone came to the U.S. when she was one growing up in the suburbs of Massachusetts as the daughter of political refugees (her father refused recruitment by the KGB and was blacklisted for 'refusal to cooperate'). After graduating from arts school in Boston Simone moved to Austin, Texas where she started performing in public for the first time in the doorway of an abandoned bar near the corner of 6th and Congress. Simone quickly became known for her powerful performances and unusual arrangements, earning both national airplay and critical acclaim from the release of her first EP, Prettier in the Dark (2005), and her debut album, Placelessness (2007).

In 2008 Simone released her second album, Everyone Is Crying Out to Me, Beware, which covers a collection of songs by Siberian punk-folk singer, Yanka Dyagileva. Although the lyrics are all in Russian, the strained tone of her voice evokes heart-wrenching emotions from the listener while providing an inside view into Simone’s search through her own history. The album received critical acclaim from major national and international outlets including The New Yorker, BBC’s "The World," Billboard Magazine, Spin Magazine, New York Magazine, NPR, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal and Pitchfork among many others. On top of this, Simone was named one of the 'Top People of 2008' by USA Today’s Pop Candy and listed in the 'Top 12 Bands to See' at SXSW 2008 by Billboard Magazine.

Now living in Brooklyn, New York, Simone has release her third album Make Your Own Danger (2009) embracing pop characteristics into her indie sound and showing the music community her ability to write songs through her own eyes. Her mixtures of haunting, mystical and melodic vocals clearly express her lyrics with the utmost deliverance of emotional power. Simone’s style has been recognized by many artists and over the past five years she has toured the U.S., Europe and Russia, sharing the stage with Final Fantasy, Loney Dear, The Dodos, Fiery Furnaces, Castanets, Dead Meadow and Franz Ferdinand among others.

Aside from her songwriting and musical abilities, Alina Simone also uses the medium of writing to reflect on Russia, family and the tragic-comic struggle to make it in indie rock. Landing a deal with the prestigious publishing house Farrar, Straus and Giroux, her collection of essays on these topics are scheduled to be released in 2010.