Singer-songwriter Notelle has stepped out into her own spotlight as a solo artist after working behind the scenes as an independent featured vocalist and topliner. Since 2014, she has collaborated with DJs and producers worldwide, signed tracks to 10+ labels, and had 16 features. The Nashville-based singer has accumulated over 1.85 million streams on Spotify and 1.75 million on YouTube and 3+ million streams across all platforms.
Notelle felt it was time to have the freedom to explore her untapped creativity in production and her hard work has paid off in spades. She won 2018’s Hollywood Songwriting Contest and was a finalist at New Media Film Festival, American Songwriting Awards, and the ASCAP Writers Night Competition Series.
She defines her solo artistry as “heavy, messy pop” and is finding her voice with the help of producer Timothy Ryssemus of Altru Creative. Notelle drives her appreciation for the beauty of dark and painful things into her music with vocals and lyrics that penetrate deeply. In December 2018, Notelle released her debut single, “Power”, which is a compelling and gripping revelation on what it feels like “to fall in love with fire.”
Currently, Notelle will be playing a few shows coming up in January and February in Nashville as well as some local shows. It will be a busy 2019 for Notelle with four singles, a lot of feature vocalist and co-written topline tracks, and DJ collaborations all planned to come out this year.
I interviewed Notelle via email recently about her debut single, collaborations, work as a featured vocalist and topliner, songwriting awards, production process, and much more.
Can you guess Notelle’s superpower? Check out her video after the interview for her answer to our bonus question!
Congratulations on the release of your debut single, “Power.” The song is a “hard-hitting, thought-provoking expose on what it feels like “to fall in love with fire.” Can you expound on that?
Thank you so much! Of course, yeah. I’ve always been minorly obsessed with fire, how sultry it can be, the strength, the danger, the attraction, the pain it can induce – all of it. Some of us fall in love with people who hold that kind of power. It becomes consuming and passionate, and almost always in a bad way. It’s a scary place to be, you know? You’re vulnerable and then you look up and find that somehow someone else borderline controls you. Yet, you’re willing to tolerate the fire-like consumption because it’s all you want. That other horribly manipulative, powerful person is all that you want. The fire thing – it’s not a particularly unique metaphor, but it’s an accurate description of how I felt, how most people feel when they’re deep and dark in love like that.
What do you want the listener of “Power” to come away with?
Uh, two things I guess! One, I want them to get a sense of my sound and my vibe/ brand, or whatever they want to call it – just get a sense of who I am. It’s my first true solo release with a campaign, and I wanted to make some type of mark. I want them to know my work will be a little bit darker, either in the sound design or in the subject matter. I tend to explore heavier messages and heavier production because we all have darkness in us, and it needs a place to go or otherwise we’ll all go crazy.
The second thing is that I want my listeners to feel something with “Power”, to listen to the song and feel the disconnect between the provocative, sexual undertones matched with emotionally devastating aspects. Specifically, to everyone who listens to it and immediately relates – just know that at least one other person in the world understands the complexity of it – so you’re not alone in that.
Explain your production process.
Each of the songs I’ve worked on with my main producer, Timothy Ryssemus of Altru Creative, has had a different process. “Power” wasn’t the most straightforward. I believe I brought in the chords and the verses, and we went off of that. Laid down the progression, and then followed our ears from that point forward. We wrote and rewrote the chorus two or three times because the original direction wasn’t working. I guess it didn’t have the impact we were looking for. We ended up settling on a combination of the first couple of versions. All I know is that he nailed it, and when I perform it live with his tracks, it feels really really good.
Why did you work behind the scenes as an independent featured vocalist and topliner? What did you gain from the experience?
I’m not one for attention or performing. It’s something I’m having to get used to, honestly. I’ve always loved co-writing and the collaboration. It really teaches you to look at each song objectively. Writing for and with others has forced me to flex the writing muscle – to not be Notelle the “artist” but be Notelle the “writer”,
Building on the previous question, why have you decided to become a solo artist?
Uhh, honestly, I just really wanted the freedom to do whatever I wanted to do with a song. I love the toplining work, but sometimes I felt like there was an untapped well of creativity in me. I wanted to explore more in the production. As a featured vocalist or topliner, you really don’t participate in that aspect of the track, and that provides its own unique opportunities, but still, I wanted more. I’ve continued doing the collaborative stuff, because I don’t always want to be crying over my piano, alone, writing in the dark, cause that gets old as well, so it’s nice to have that balance.
You say you are developing your version of “heavy, messy pop”. Define what that is to you.
To be frank, I’m a mess. Don’t look in my car or my closet, or open up the “Sort Me” file on my desktop. I’m disorganized and emotional, I keep it to myself really, but it’s all up in my brain still. I’m the human equivalent of shoving everything under my bed till I have time to clean it up – which is hilarious because most people think I’m on top of my game. I’m not. “Heavy, messy pop” is really just how I feel when I’m writing. Feelings are difficult to sort through, and a lot of them are too heavy to deal with on my own, so I really just dump all mine out in my songs and hope that helps me figure it out. Consider each song one of those long rambling monologues in a play where the speaker works out his opinions in one breath by himself in front of the audience who helped him sort it all out without participating in the slightest – really just helping by listening. You know? Kind of like what I just did.
You have collaborated with DJs and producers around the world. Who did you collaborate with? How did those experiences influence or affect you as a singer/songwriter?
I’ve come across several collaborators that have given me some really amazing experiences. Jody Wisternoff of Way Out West with Anjunadeep gave me the opportunity to see one of my songs played live at a music festival on my birthday. That was wild! Elliot Berger (Telomic) was the first international DJ I met in person when I flew over to London. He’s become a great collaborator and, dare I say, friend, at this point. I think my collaborators have less influenced me and my own sound, but have helped me become a stronger collaborator and business women. Each DJ is essentially an entrepreneur and I’ve learned a lot about work ethic, creative marketing strategies and overall hustle from each one.
How did it feel to have won the 2018 Hollywood Songwriting Contest and been a finalist at the New Media Film Festival, the American Songwriting Awards, and the ASCAP Writers Night Competition?
I don’t know how I won those things, honestly, but I’m not gunna push for a recount. I think the coolest thing about winning competitions or receiving awards is the validation – a little shallow, maybe – and I know those titles or accreditations technically do not make my work more creative or more powerful than anyone else’s – but every single musician faces rejection daily. We hear the word “no” a hell of a lot more than we hear the word “yes”. Eventually, your self-motivation tank runs depressingly low, so having someone from the outside go, “Hey you! By the way, you’re not completely awful at your job, in fact, here’s an award to tell you we believe in you!” – sometimes that encouragement really helps. Anyone who says they don’t struggle with rejection is probably lying to your face. We all feel like we suck at some point, musician or not, so who doesn’t want someone cheering you on from time to time.
What made you decide you wanted to become a singer/songwriter?
Oh lord, I wish it was a decision! Maybe then, I would have decided to be an accountant like half the insanely smart and wonderful people in my family. I’d have a retirement plan, health benefits, some semblance of savings account. I don’t really feel like I ever made a choice to become a singer/songwriter, I feel like what happened was that I chose not to avoid it any longer. I think every artist I know just has it in their DNA. They live with this creative monster inside of them, and it feels like you’re going to die if you don’t let it out. I didn’t choose to let the monster in, I just chose to let it out.
In what way has producer Timothy Ryssemus of Altru Creative helped you find your voice?
Tim is one of those producers where he encourages his artists to take control. Some producers I’ve worked with have so many opinions and it’s stifling. He has an innate ability to push you when pushing is necessary, to step back when you need to step up and he knows when to let you know you’re being a control freak and are not trusting him to do his job. That last one is probably more specific to me cause I’m occasionally an obsessive perfectionist. Ultimately, I chose him because I knew he was cool with doing something weird. There’s no idea that’s too unorthodox for him. You want to write a folk song with a bass house drop in it? Yeah, he’s down. You want the third chorus to sound nothing like the first two? For sure, he’ll give that a try. He’s a unique and talented weirdo, and people like that are super inspiring. Those are my favorite kind of collaborators.
Why do you appreciate “the beauty of all things dark and painful” and incorporate this feeling into your music?
Oh man, I have no idea why I’m so attracted to the macabre, but I’ve always loved movie scores – Thomas Newman, Hans Zimmer – so I know I’m deeply moved by things emotional and cinematic. Things so dark and beautiful that they pull at your soul. I guess that’s the point of a movie score, though, to support the emotion in the scene. It can just be so ridiculously powerful. I think my interest in the creepy painful stuff really stems from the fact that I’m a light-hearted person in day to day life. I prefer laughter, but that doesn’t mean that everything is bright and shiny inside of me. My family is like that, too, and I think my life long love affair with dark things is the equal and opposite pairing to that. It probably gives me a healthy outlet for digging into the unhappy pieces of me. I like to explore the dark because I am, on the surface, genuinely light. I am, on the surface, genuinely light, because I have the ability to explore the dark. You know what I mean? I’m not sure if that makes sense, but it’s my only guess at an explanation.
How do you think women can be better supported in the indie music industry?
I think the music industry can be a bit binary sometimes. There’s for sure an undercurrent of thinking that some roles are better played by men, while others are better suited for women, and I think that’s ludicrous across the board. There is no reason for women OR men to feel obligated to fill a certain role or be deterred from another just because of their gender. I don’t think there’s any secret to supporting another human. I mean, generally, just don’t be a judgemental prick. Show up to shows and events with friendly faces, reach out in person or on socials with encouraging words, be a decent human being. The women who are stepping out in pursuits of more male-dominated positions probably feel a little intimidated. I mean, don’t we all feel a little intimidated, sometimes? Everything about life can be difficult, most definitely in the music industry. Knowing there’s a group of other brave, like-minded chicks behind you, cheering you on, makes it a little less daunting.
What advice do you have for women who are actively or thinking about pursuing a career in music?
I feel relatively unqualified to give advice, but if I had to – it would be this. Stay humble. I mean, everything you’ve done, you didn’t do it all on your own. There is always someone to genuinely thank and be appreciative of – so do it. My other piece of advice? If you’re the smartest, most talented person at the table, find yourself a different table because you’re never gunna grow surrounded by people who don’t challenge you.
Last piece? You got this. Hit me up on Instagram if you need a pep talk – I rely on people for encouragement all the time so if you need a little, I’m down to pay that support forward.
What are your tour/show plans for 2019?
I already have two or three Nashville shows booked in January and February. For the most part next year, unless opportunities come up to change it, I’ll most likely be focusing on local shows. Since performing live solo is a new thing for me, I want to really work on that before I tour. However, I’m not saying “no” to anything.
What other projects besides your second single are you working on for 2019?
I should have at least four more singles coming out next year, so I’m excited to keep pushing those. Other than that, I’ve been collaborating with a bunch of new amazing local artists. I have a lot of feature vocalist or co-written topline tracks coming out. I get to work with one of my best friends and frequent co-writer, Brittany Cannarozzi, or Luma, and we have some great collaborations with DJs coming out next year. She’s insanely talented so check her out – @hernameisluma. Everything I’m involved in, I try and share it on my socials, so be sure to follow me (@notellemusic across platforms).
Thank you, Notelle, for the opportunity to interview you.
No, thank you! This was amazing. I appreciate it!
Video – Bonus Question
Notelle, what is your superpower and how do you use it in your music?
Follow Notelle on social media:
Twitter: @notellemusic
Instagram:@notellemusic
Facebook: notellemusic
Website: www.notellemusic.com
You can purchase and/or stream “Power” HERE.
Official video – “Power”