A pen-tapping music star is taking the world by storm
“I wanna see you make it, kid.”
These were the words, spoken by a Lawrence High School geometry teacher, that inspired viral music sensation Lennie Simo to take his talent to the national stage.
By the time he was a teenager, Simo was already known around Lawrence for an unusual talent: creating catchy beats with nothing more than a pen and a classroom desk. It was an interest that he developed in middle school, when he and his friend Ronal started using everyday utensils to entertain teachers and peers.
His geometry teacher was one of the earliest people to recognize that this talent could be more than just a hobby.
“For some reason, his words stuck with me, and they’ve stuck with me ever since,” he says. “It really motivated me back then to never give up on that dream.”
With his encouragement, and with immense support from his mother and peers, Simo leaned further into his skills. His first big win came in 2011, when he and Ronal earned the top spot in their school talent show. It was a welcome peek into the success that would follow.
“The next day, everybody cheered for us in every class we went to, and we felt like celebrities. That really inspired me to keep going.”
By the time high school ended, Simo had his own small fanbase and regular gigs at open mics throughout Lawrence.
His next goal? A performance spot on “America’s Got Talent.”
Simo knew that getting picked for a show of this scale would be a challenge, and that he needed to hone his technical music knowledge in order to get there. That’s when he landed at NECC and enrolled in music production courses in 2018.
“NECC helped me out in a major way, and learning music production gave me a better understanding of music,” Simo says of his time on campus. “I
[continue to] apply that knowledge whenever I take my pen-tapping to a music studio and work with producers.”
Equipped with this newfound knowledge, Simo left NECC in 2019 and, just a few years later, recorded his first viral video in the most unassuming of places: a Methuen, MA tax office.
“The owner of JBS Corp, Alex Mercedes, has been a big supporter for many years,” he explains. “I was doing my tax return one day and ended up performing for everybody in the office. It happened to be a busy day, and Alex wanted me to put on a show for all the clients waiting their turn.”
Simo woke up the next morning, checked his phone, and was stunned. His tax office performance had blown up across social media, with reposts and reactions from the likes of Will Smith, Brad Pitt, Viola Davis, and Snoop Dogg. To date, the original video has been viewed more than 47 million times on TikTok.
He calls this moment “a huge breakthrough point” in his life. Since then, he hasn’t skipped a beat.
Simo now boasts over 3.8 million followers on Tik Tok and has appeared on a range of nationally broadcasted shows, including the “Jennifer Hudson Show,” “Good Morning America,” and yes – “America’s Got Talent.”
And, with an ever-growing fan base, he has no intention of slowing down. Today, Simo is focused on expanding his pool of musical collaborators. His list of existing partnerships is already impressive, with groups like Jabbawockeez and the advertising team behind Oura Ring in the mix, and there are more projects in the works. Other long-term dreams include a Round Stic pen brand deal (“They’re the best pens for pen tapping”), a clothing brand and – maybe one day – the Super Bowl. In his view, and given how far he’s come, no dream is too big.
“I want to tell people, through my art, that anything is possible in life,” he says.
In the meantime, Simo will continue to entertain millions through his unbeatable rhythms.
Follow @lenstrumental on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube to check out Lennie Simo’s work!
