INTERVIEW W/ NOELLE KAY
Q: Tell us who you are and where are you from?
A: I am Noelle Kay. Also known as The BAP, The Black American Princess (of vocals) from the Boogie Down Bronx, NYC.
Q: How did your journey in music begin? Was there a specific moment that made you realize this was your path?
A: My musical journey began since birth! LOL
I’ve been singing my whole life but specifically when I was 7years old, in 2nd grade, my teacher Ms. Blount overheard me singing and that was all she wrote. She told my parents I would be singing “Wind Beneath My Wings” by Bette Midler for the Tuskegee Airman during a tribute to them. So it all started very early and very GRAND out the gate for me.
Being so young starting off on stage, I think I always knew this was for me. I’ve had a few pivotal moments, but my very first moment was when I was graduating from Middle School and we had to vote for the superlatives in the yearbook. Everyone chose me for best singer AND most likely to be famous, and I knew then it was in the cards for me. I had an audience I didn’t even know was paying that much attention to my future.
Q: What artists or sounds inspired you growing up?
A: Oh man, I’ve been inspired by so many eras and artists in their prime, I don’t know where to begin, but if I had to choose I would say BRANDY. She is one of the original B.A.P.S. In, 1997 she even played the first Black Cinderella and Whitney Houston being her God Mother (on and off the screen) only spoke volumes to her being called The Vocal Bible. I’ve also been inspired by male artists believe it or not. USHER, Oh my God, truly a time traveler in music. His versatility is my forte because I can never be boxed into one genre. I love crossing genres & collaborating. It’s the whipped cream on top to a lot of musical influences we see today. Usher has stayed relevant with the times while still managing toremain true to his sound and image.
Other musical influences: Toni Braxton, Jazmine Sullivan, SZA, Ne-Yo, Anita Baker, Danity Kane, Day 26. The list really can go on & on like Erykah Badu. *winks*
Q: How do you approach songwriting or creating music—do you start with lyrics, melody, or vibe? Do you have a favorite place, time, or ritual for creating music? What’s the most challenging part of the creative process for you, and how do
you overcome it?
A: I have learned a lot about myself in the past 3 years with how I create. My preference is to write to melodies and vibe to what’s orchestrated in the beats, but I find myself making my own sounds and instruments with my voice. I’ll blurt out lyrics and I always have to make sure I record everything because my brain will forget arrangements/lyrics if I don’t.
Anytime of the day if my mind is going I will allow it to create but a lot of times I write in my car, freestyle in the car. Some of my best work is in my car. My car has been my sanctuary for the last decade. It’s MY space where no one can disturb me and my muse.
The most challenging part of the creative process is when I get writer’s block OR if one of my producers says what I created isn’t the vision they had for the record. I’ve run into a lot of that lately being held to a writing standard or even being looked at to explore new language and writing styles to my songs. I’m still working through those records but I’ve gotten way better at restarting flows and coming up with something new multiple times. It’s hard when you love what you started with, but personally and mechanically, I’m
learning to let what doesn’t serve the record go.
Q: How do you define your sound, and how do you want listeners to feel whenthey hear your music? Which music genre or style outside of R&B do you connect with or pull inspiration from? Are there any experiences in your life that strongly shaped the music you
create today?
A: I’ll give it 3 words: Raw, Authentic & Unapologetic. I sing from my core and I don’t sound like anyone else. My lyrics and flows are exactly who I am even off the song and I strive to always maintain that authenticity anywhere I go or take my music. I want my listeners to feel fearless and empowered when they listen to my music. Music is my Religion and I don’t apologize for how I express my creativity because it’s God given. That’s who and what leads me on every record. My music is sort of like my own Gospel.
HIP-HOP. I’m a hip-hop baby! My parents made me out of love & hip-hop LOL. I can be that reality show all by myself! I was rapping Wu-Tang lyrics at 2 years old. Biggie is my favorite rapper and he had the ability to make commercial hip-hop. He was a pioneer to the hardcore raps made into melodic grooves with a fire r&b hook.
Yes, losing my Dad in 2014 shaped not only how I create but me creating period. I’ll never give up because of him, but I almost gave up due to losing him. He’s with me in spirit guiding me better than he could have being alive though. I know that sounds strange but my Dad was very protective over me and he still is but in the physical he could have been in the way being too sheltering. It was as if he wanted me to sing but because of the industry he didn’t. We call that an paradox right ? LOL. I released my 1st EP, “The Notebook” after his passing. I recorded it in the midst of losing him when I didn’t even know he wasn’t going to make it. I also think my training and being in professional rooms very early in life shaped how I was going to create music too. I have a very commercial sound. Some songs you would even say could play in stores, elevators. It’s giving cross
to the pop charts and I owe that to the learning structure of music and my extensive experience with American music culture. Hence me being The BAP.
Q: What has been a pivotal moment in your career so far? What are your goals for the next year musically and creatively? How do you want to impact the R&B community or music culture at large?
A: Wow. Where do I start? I guess one was losing my Dad. It changed my career because I no longer had this huge strong protector to stand behind me. I knew nothing of the business besides how to be professional and the intention to get paid eventually for my works. I’ve been through some hard lessons not knowing the business that I had to learn from. I would say second and most fulfilling is when I was found by Relay Influence through my social media this past year, and was offered to sing on Broadway as an official choir
member of the Michael Jackson Experience, the Broadway play. I was really on the Neil Simon stage singing my heart out and making a lasting impression on my peers and production. I’m still on a high from that day and I couldn’t believe they found me. It showed that I didn’t need all these thousands of followers and a blue check to be recognized, let alone be impactful musically.
I am dropping more and more music. I have so many singles and visuals I’m ready for my audience to see. I look forward to being apart of big festivals and I am working on something that connects my chef/food experience to my music so stay tuned for some musical food content and events coming soon.
I want the R&B community to be impacted by my voice in a way that shows creativity is not linear. Even with learning structure to music and having a commercial sound, not all my music fits that script and I want artists, talented artists to remain real and authentic to their style. Not letting the industry tell them who they are because when discovered, they loved who we were at that exact moment. We tend to lose ourselves and I think the slow & steady journey and the positive attitude I have with my music will speak to that. I also want to impact music culture as an independent artist who can break into the big leagues with her own written works. I do now tap into songwriters for my own work but 99% of my music I have written myself and that’s what I want to be known for. My style, my lane & my pen to paper turned hit records.
Q: If you could collaborate with any artist, living or passed, who would it be and why? How do you balance your music with other parts of your life? Outside of music, what’s something your fans might be surprised to know
about you?
A: I must name a living and a passed. It’s only right: Biggie, my favorite rapper and because he cultivated that hip-hop and r&b sound blended. He was rapping hardcore lyrics that sounded real smooth, then amplifying the trajectory of the record with r&b hooks that were catchy yet still soulful. Chris Brown, he’s another time traveler but he’s my age (age group) and he has unlimited timeless records. His name speaks for itself and that’s one of my goals; for us together on track would be an amazing duet.
Whew! This is a tough one because I’m just starting to really set boundaries for myself in my personal life where I do not get distracted by the things happening to me out of my control. I take care of my sick grandmother and for a lot of days me being so tired, I could push things back out of being stressed and emotionally charged but I’ve been pushing through lately. I am making deadlines and staying committed to what’s needed for my brand to get visibility. The key word is consistency so I make sure that 1. I get my rest, make all of my appointments (doctor, hair, nails, etc), 2. I try to consume the best things on earth so my body isn’t filled with fatigue & my mind isn’t clouded, and 3. I spend time with my village. Most if not all of my friends have nothing to do with music or the industry so I get my personal time to rejuvenate and re-center with my village that supports me as a person and not just as an artist.
This was pretty hard to answer because I’m an open book, especially on a song BUT I was in a hit and run accident a little over a year ago and it did a number on me. I drive really well and as I mentioned my car is my sanctuary. When Sparkle (my 1st car) got hit I was in shambles and because I almost lost my life I was so distraught. It felt like it was intentional. Like they were trying to take me out! I’m so grateful to be alive and you’re the first platform to ever know this. Some of my close family and friends don’t even know this, but piggybacking off of that, I am a conspiracy theorist and I labeled it that for your understanding but to me they aren’t truly theories. More so FACTS. Haha. I’m definitely in the known; very spiritual and from the outside looking in I think you would have to know my sign (big Aquarius) to think I was. I’m not the paranoid type. Very chill with these views but I really lock in with my third eye to not only my personal but the universe.
Q: What was your experience on the very first RNBPLYLST Live event?
IG: @thenoellekay
You make the world so much more beautiful. You are a star that has come to us to brighten our days with your beautiful voice
Thank you for taking the time to read the interview & speak empowerment over my journey!