Kym Sims: Too Blind to See It - Fame, Adoption & Taking Back Her Voice

Kym Sims initially hated “Too Blind to See It”. She didn’t feel it represented her voice—but audiences heard something that would turn it into a defining dance anthem of the early 90s.

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In this revealing conversation with Steve Blame, Kym remembers growing up on Chicago’s South Side, singing Motown songs into a hairbrush, and the parents who encouraged her dream. She recalls meeting the Gordy family through her uncle, entering Miss Black Chicago, and how Paul David Wilson opened the door to a successful career singing advertising jingles.

Then came Steve “Silk” Hurley, international success, and the extraordinary moment she heard her own song on the radio with her children. Kym discusses her sped-up vocals, the soulful side of her debut album, and the personal experience behind “Keep On Walkin’”, which she co-wrote and initially believed she was recording for herself before it became a hit for CeCe Peniston.

She pays an emotional tribute to Michael K. Williams, who danced for her before becoming an acclaimed actor, and celebrates the LGBTQ+ audiences who embraced her music.
Away from the spotlight, Kym speaks candidly about depression, alcohol and 17 years without drinking. She also shares the remarkable story of discovering as an adult that she was adopted—and learning that a girl she remembered from school was her biological sister.
Finally, Kym discusses recording new vocals for the Ridney and Richard Earnshaw rework of “Too Blind to See It”, taking greater control of her career, and the advice she would give her younger self: believe in yourself and understand the value of your voice.

Kym’s website: https://www.kymsims.com
Kym’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kym_sims.behind_the.diva_door/

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Chapters
00:00 Introducing Kym Sims
00:47 Welcome and revisiting her music
01:00 Childhood on Chicago’s South Side
01:32 Motown, representation and dreaming of singing
02:03 What young Kym was like
03:01 Her mother, harmonies and her first performances
03:55 Being seen and connecting with an audience
04:43 Growing up with supportive parents
05:32 Birthdays, Christmas and family memories
06:03 The dream her parents helped her pursue
07:47 Chicago’s music before her recording career
08:36 Uncle Claude and meeting the Gordy family
10:33 Singing Freda Payne’s Band of Gold
10:52 Miss Black Chicago and questions of representation
12:39 Paul David Wilson and her first jingle sessions
14:11 How jingles shaped her singing
14:58 Phrasing, earworms and making words memorable
16:05 From session work to wanting the spotlight
17:24 Fame, expression and reaching people
18:05 Balancing motherhood and a music career
18:57 Recording Too Blind to See It—and initially hating it
21:07 Recognising herself in the song’s message
21:43 When success changed her feelings about the record
23:46 Sped-up vocals and the soul version she preferred
24:39 Being celebrated in Europe and returning to America
25:51 Hearing her song on the radio with her children
26:55 How the hat became part of her identity
28:08 The ballads and the voice beyond the dance hits
30:15 Finding personal meaning in her songs
31:20 Take My Advice and looking back at the album
32:08 Keep On Walkin’: divorce, songwriting and CeCe Peniston
33:38 Writing as an emotional release
34:58 Supporting Pop the History Makers
35:29 The Fridge, club culture and European audiences
37:15 The love and support of the LGBTQ+ community
38:01 Remembering Michael K. Williams
41:04 What their connection meant to him
42:08 Finding artistic freedom and returning to music
43:47 Armada and taking control of Too Blind to See It
45:06 Hotel work, depression and a difficult chapter
46:33 Finding hope and 17 years without alcohol
47:40 Discovering as an adult that she was adopted
48:02 Childhood clues she remembered later
50:04 Seeking answers after her mother’s death
51:31 The letter that revealed her biological mother
52:24 Discovering her ancestry and meeting her birth family
53:23 The girl from school who was her sister
54:36 “I’m nobody’s secret”: setting a boundary
56:39 Meeting her paternal sister
57:12 What knowing the truth meant to her
58:08 The parents who gave her a life and an opportunity
59:18 French and Scottish heritage and success overseas
1:00:03 The Ridney and Richard Earnshaw rework
1:00:31 How her voice has changed
1:01:16 Recording new vocals while preserving the original
1:02:12 Taking ownership of her voice and career
1:03:18 Advice to the little girl with the hairbrush
1:04:29 Thanks and farewell