Some 8-year-olds have sports trophies. But Aura V has a Grammy.
The third-grader made history last month when she and her father, Harold Simmons II — known professionally as children’s music artist Fyütch — won the Grammy for best children’s music album for their collaboration Harmony at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards.
“I was just like, ‘Is this actually happening?’” Aura says. “Oh my gosh — we just won a Grammy in front of a bunch of big artists.”
The win makes Aura the youngest Grammy winner in history. The father-daughter duo accepted the award in a Los Angeles ceremony. Aura says the moment still feels surreal.
“I’m the youngest individual anywhere in history,” she says. “It was a dream.”
A Musical Family Project
Simmons, who lives in Waldorf, Maryland, began his career in the classroom before transitioning to music. The album Harmony began with a single song commissioned by the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts. From there, the project grew into a full album exploring themes of empathy, community and understanding. Aura became involved almost by accident.
“I was actually the one who asked [my father],” she says. “I said, ‘Can we make some music together? I love the way you play the beat machine. Can I try?’”
That request eventually turned into father-daughter creative partnership.
“It’s really nice working with him,” Aura says. “He doesn’t get too hard on me. He lets me take breaks when I need to. But the thing about making an album is having fun and enjoying it.”
Life As a Grammy Winner
Despite the red carpets and award shows, Aura still lives a very normal life. She spends time between her father’s home in Waldorf and in Alexandria with her mother, Henna Billings, who is an early childhood educator and co-founder of Alexandria Schoolhouse.
Audra’s daily routine still revolves around school, homework and recess. “I like to read my books at school,” she says. “And at recess we play tag a lot because we have a big recess area.”
She also draws, plays violin in a youth orchestra, and experiments with music at home. Of course, things are a little different now that she has a Grammy.
“Everybody in the school knows me now,” she says. “It’s hard, but I kind of appreciate it. Everyone’s really supportive.”
A Surreal Trip
Aura’s whirlwind trip to Los Angeles included award shows, parties and celebrity sightings. She remembers being especially excited to see some of her favorite artists.
“I loved everybody’s outfits,” she says. “Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo, Olivia Dean — everybody.”
Her mom says the experience was overwhelming in the best possible way.
“I was kind of in denial at first,” says Billings. “Then when they actually won, I was screaming in the car like, ‘Whoa — this just happened.’”
A Creative Kid
Aura says the most challenging part of making the album was recording vocals.
“I had to record several versions of my voice,” she says. “Sometimes it wasn’t right. Other times it was like, ‘Wow, that’s a really great one — we should add that.’”
She enjoyed the creative process of rearranging and experimenting with songs. The young artist brings that same experimental mindset to other hobbies — including cooking.
“I cook a lot of eggs,” Aura says. “I tried garlic powder and onion powder and a bunch of things. But then I realized — just salt and pepper. Boom.”
What’s Next?
After a whirlwind year, Aura says she’s ready for a little downtime.
“Personally, I want to take a break,” she says. “But after the break I’ll probably make some private beats at home. Maybe I’ll put some on Spotify or something.”
She already has a few career ideas in mind.
“A violinist, a singer and a cook,” she says.
For now, though, she’s enjoying being a third grader — even if she’s the only one with a Grammy on the shelf.
Feature photo of Aura V and Fyütch courtesy Sam Popp
