On Thursdays Del sits down with artists on the FOTN radar and gets them to tell their origin stories. This week, Noonzy is in the hotseat and he brought Snickers cookies.
Hello Noonzy, how are you?
I’m good thank you!
Congratulations on the release of ‘Easy’, how does it feel?
Exciting times. I’ve been looking forward to sharing Easy with the world!
What’s the story behind the song?
When I originally wrote this song, I think I was in a pretty good place mentally. Not over-the-top ecstatic or anything—just happy. “I’m letting my body feel what it wants”
I wanted the song to capture a feeling of being content with the moment and not needing anything to be different.
Both the intro and the main hook reflect that idea in their own way. In the intro, there’s a sense of stillness, almost like a moment of pause where everything is allowed to exist without resistance.”Hang like a willow.”
The hook carries the same feeling, but in a more active way. It’s a call to let go of whatever you’ve been holding on to and allow yourself to move with the moment. “Only when you move.”
It’s part of your upcoming album, what’s your favourite track from it?
Hmm I guess this changes from time to time, depending on my mood. But if I have to chose now; I’d go for the opening track “Boy Could I”
You’re a singer songwriter from Antwerp, how did it all begin for you?
With a guitar and a need for validation.
What did you listen to growing up?
Muse => Queens Of The Stone Age => Radiohead
You worked with Bullion on this album what are three things you learned from him?
Trust is the basis of collaboration
Sticking to a daily routine and approaching it like a ‘9-to-5 job’ can actually benefit the creative process. Instead of draining yourself with endless hours in the studio, it encourages consistency and leaves room for ideas to develop over time.
Tragedy by Paul McCartney (Wings) was the missing piece in my life
You recorded the tracks in London, what were your favourite memories of that trip?
I loved cycling back and forth to the studio. Since I was going to be in London for a few weeks, I decided to buy myself a cheap bike on Facebook Marketplace.
It was the end of summer, so the weather was still nice, and those daily rides quickly became invaluable for the whole process. They made my stay in London feel much more like everyday life and a lot less like a work trip. Those rides also gave me some much-needed time to clear my head before and after a day in the studio.
Note: London should seriously invest in better cycling infrastructure 🙂
You say that the recording process had some happy accidents what was your favourite happy accident?
Boy Could I was originally a soft ballad written in 3/4. When we started working on the track, we wanted to add some percussion using a drum machine. However, when we couldn’t figure out how to get the drum machine out of 4/4 and into 3/4, we decided to embrace the limitation and continue with a 4/4 groove instead.
As a result, all of the vocal melodies—which had originally been written over a 3/4 instrumental—ended up sitting on top of a 4/4 arrangement. To me, that’s what gives the song its slightly unusual, direct energy. There’s a subtle tension between the vocal phrasing and the groove that I really love.
A similar thing actually happened with Easy 🙂
You have live dates in October how are preparations going for it?
Going well, we haven’t really started.
Which song are you looking forward to playing live the most?
If I had to pick one, I guess it would be Easy. Especially once people get to know the song, I think it’ll be a really fun one to play live.
What are you listening to at the moment?
James Blake – Make something up (on repeat)
What are you looking forward to doing in the next 12 months?
Receiving my first Grammy 😀
