Thank you very much for your time! Before we introduce your new release to our readers – what kind of drink would you recommend to sip on while they listen to your new music?
Anything bubbly, coke, lemonade, champagne – pick your fighter! If you’re listening to my latest single Body, it’s got to be something with an unexpected kick like a cinnamon whiskey.
Please give us an update about – new single, new album, tour dates, new videos?!
My most recent single ‘Body’ just came out with a music video! Very proud of this song and video. I’m working on a lot of music at the moment, and have been for some time, so I’ve got a lot planned for the next year or so that I’m looking forward to sharing more about on my social media. Best place to keep up to date with that is my Instagram @isla.noon !
We live in times of many conspiracy theories. Which, harmless, theory would you wish were true? (For example Dinos living inside Earth or E.T. living in a home in California)
Probably Bigfoot. I love the idea that there is still so much of the world that we don’t know about, it’s fun to have some mystery.
What fashion style or brand would best describe your music?
My personal style leans a little more grungy but musically it could be the brand Ganni? Minimal in some ways but then very maximal and dramatic in others – and with a Scandinavian influence! I like the contrast. Ganni tend to do quite oversized collars which I wear a lot on stage, and I think the bold colours are quite reflective of my music.
Tell us more about your songs! Topics! Message!?
I explore a lot of topics, most recently relationships, self-reflection and psychology. I love to take a concept and wrap it in a metaphor – this is the case with my song ‘I Need To Go Home’. ‘Body’ explores the relationship with self and wrestling with social noise around body image and sexualisation. I don’t have a particular agenda with the topics I write about, only that it comes from a very genuine place for me.
Beside music, do you have any other special talents?
I’ve always done a lot of writing. When I was younger I used to enter poetry competitions and do creative writing. That has really naturally worked into my songwriting, but I will sometimes still just write without putting it to music. My high school English teacher was intent on convincing me to go into English literature instead of music when I left school, but I don’t think it became clear to me until later that I’ve always channelled my love for English into my music through songwriting anyway.
Name 5 things we all should know about you as an artist?!
One of my favourite things about music is scale – I love to create a sensation of large spaces and mystery. I think that’s why I love synthesisers so much, they can feel so expansive and moody.
Almost every song starts with me sitting on the floor at home, just playing a guitar or keyboard. As a fan of other artists, I love to find out the setting that their writing happens in, and that’s mine.
When I write it’s very visual. I often have an image or set of colours in my head that are coming up alongside the song.
Most of the time I style myself! I also wear second-hand and vintage 90% of the time and get a lot of joy out of sourcing pieces to wear for shows or videos.
I’m very intentional with everything I do in my music, down to visuals and things that are in social media posts. I love the whole project of it.
How did you learn to sing/ to write/ to play??
The earliest memory I have of writing a song is when I was 8 or 9, but I don’t really know what lead me to start doing it other than just loving music and listening to a lot of it as a kid. I I started guitar lessons around 10 because I was very interested in writing songs with an instrument. It wasn’t until I auditioned for my school musical a few months after that that one of the teachers told me I could sing. As a teenager I started singing lessons, and quickly became obsessed with singing. I joke now that I’m pretty nerdy about vocal technique, particularly since studying it at university.
A question you’d like to answer, but never been asked in an interview before?! + Answer pls
I recently performed at the APRA AMCOS Silver Scroll Awards in New Zealand, which is our songwriting award show. I wasn’t allowed to talk about the performance at all in the lead up as the performances are a surprise, but I’ve been dying to talk about it! Producer Maude Minnie Morris and I had the honour of reimagining the song ‘Layla’ by Unknown Mortal Orchestra as a pop song, and performing in an arena venue which is the largest I’ve ever played in. We included so many little tricks throughout the arrangement, with our drummer Swap even weaving in a drum fill referencing another Unknown Mortal Orchestra song that had previously won the Silver Scroll Award. It was an unforgettable experience and I’m so grateful for the opportunity.
Your Instagram: @isla.noon