Indie-synth pop creative person Novi just released a new single, "Pinnacle Downwardly Honey," and has big plans for the upcoming leap of 2021, such as putting out her new EP, performing for virtual festivals, and even collaborating with Tyler Blackburn, the star of Pretty Little Liars. I sat downwards to talk with her about her journey in L.A., musical inspirations, childhood upbringing, initial goal to work in one-act, and her take on networking in the industry subsequently unexpectedly coming together a music producer off of Craigslist.

HS: Hi Novi! Thanks for beingness hither. How would yous introduce yourself to readers who aren't familiar with your work?
Due north: Yeah, of course! I'm a singer-songwriter, I grew upwardly in Oregon, and I went out and moved to L.A. out of high school and was in that location for about 13 years before my recent move back to Oregon (because of the pandemic!). I'm constantly evolving, trying to figure out my audio and what I want to communicate to the world. And I guess my biggest "merits to fame" is that I've gotten my songs on a lot of popular Television set shows, only I haven't really gotten that i big interruption yet, y'all know, song-wise. So, if you lot haven't heard of me, it's because of that!


HS: So you go past Novi; what is the artistic significance backside that name? What fabricated you choose it?
N: Well, many years agone, information technology kind of was like the "affair" to have sort of like a phase proper name, yous know? So I was ever trying to figure out what that would be. My last name is Neuman, and in Latin, that means "new man" – homo novus. And so we were kind of similar, "Oh, Novi is cool!" Short for "new," basically!

HS: Every musical artist has a get-go — I mean, we all have to first somewhere! Your origins in the music industry are particularly unique because y'all met a music producer off of Craigslist selling a lookout! How did that interaction shape your perception of networking and creating connections unexpectedly, and how did you finish upwards growing from that signal? Describe your journeying equally an artist from the bottom to the top!
North: I always knew I wanted to be in the entertainment business. I just knew as a little daughter that I wanted to be on stage. I remember 1 time my brother was in a pianoforte recital, and everyone stood upward and clapped for him afterwards, and I but tugged on my female parent'due south sleeve and was like, "Mom! I want to go up and bow for everyone," equally, like, a three-year-old. So, I just went upwards on stage and only bowed! It's just so giddy, simply I grew upward doing theater and I loved that. And I was always the chubby girl throughout high school, so I would never get the atomic number 82 roles; I would always get the comedic ones. I just fell in love with making people express mirth and being on phase, so I moved to 50.A. to go into sketch comedy — I really wanted to be on a sitcom! I still take that called-for desire inside me, merely somehow it turned into more of a musical route. You know for high school, every senior had to do a project that showed what yous wanted to do in life. People would exercise science experiments or paint a painting, but I did a comprehend of a Norah Jones vocal equally mine. That was the only existent recording I had of myself and a few other little things, but information technology came in handy later on.


I met the Craigslist guy who was part of this band that was mainly famous in Canada, called B4-iv. I played him that exact demo, and he told me he wanted to assistance me because he actually liked my vocalism, and so that'south really when things changed for me. He introduced me to Lee Miles (a crazy man, this one!), who'southward produced every single one of my songs that have been featured on TV. We got along so well because I loved his crazy! He believed in me, considering I had this journal where I would write downwards my thoughts and poems, and he just loved that. We would pick out lilliputian parts from that journal and and then create total songs from those ideas.


Inside a few months of that, I got a placement on Ane Tree Hill, which, at the time, was really huge. I recently watched the episode where one of my songs was featured; it was an amazing moment to run across my vocal montage in this actually emotional scene. I feel like if I had been a little more than prepared at that moment, I could've garnered a lot more success. Social media wasn't really a thing at that fourth dimension, so my song wasn't really "out there" if you lot know what I mean. But I think seeing the next solar day that someone had uploaded it and getting hundreds of thousands of views, and I felt like I didn't really reap the benefits of information technology considering I accept never experienced this. So from then on, I told myself I got to make sure my songs were "out there" and that I had a place where people can go to hear them.


It'south kind of been a roller coaster ride figuring out what is my true passion and how can I best represent my true purpose behind the music. I feel like in that location are many means that I like to express that; music is one, but and then there's besides acting and theater. Every day is definitely similar a pick: y'all have to choose what it is that nigh sets your soul on fire. You simply have to proceed doing things along that line until something works. I think I'thousand still on that journeying!

HS: What/who are some of your creative inspirations when making music? How have they impacted whatever song lyrics that you've written or musical styles that you've adopted?
N: I'grand influenced basically every solar day, yous know? There're and then many artists out there doing amazing things, I but go downward my release radar on Spotify and I just become so inspired! I mean, it is so saturated information technology can be a lilliputian overwhelming, just I try not to let that arrive the manner of me doing my affair. But, it is insane how much talent at that place is! My favorite band right now is this project chosen Elephant Heart, and they do what I similar to call this crazy electronic spiritual music. It'due south so worldly — they employ different samples that they accept from their travels from all over the world, and they create these epic songs. I go on walks every twenty-four hour period, and I listen to all of their songs, and I just get and then elevated. They make y'all feel something… most as if you can gustation it.


Also, even early on, I was really into Imogen Heap. She's a producer and she does these really cool electronic vocals. I was inspired past her creativity in the beginning stages of my career, and so I dearest doing stuff with electronic vocals. She was doing stuff similar that way before anyone else was, and I call back thinking that was really absurd. But god, there're and so many people that I loved when I began, similar Florence Welch from Florence & the Auto. I saw her live a few times in L.A, and I was but so out of my torso watching her, like moved to the core! I wanted to only dance on that stage like a freaking fairy angel, like she did. And so yes, I want my music to touch on people in a mode that moves them, whether that's through happiness or nostalgia.

HS: Tell me more than most whatever hidden meanings or messages you may have in your new song "Top Down Honey." It'due south a love alphabetic character to the euphoria one feels when with the right person, but there was one lyric that really stood out to me, which is: "You tin alter your life, you can live it well." What bespeak in your life did you realize this? Can you trace it to a specific moment or portion of your life?
Due north: I've had a lot of large shifts in my life, only I will say that 1 of the biggest ones is actually recently when I decided to move back hither to Oregon from 50.A. I guess I had this idea that you had to be in L.A. to follow your dreams, and I had that stuck in my mind for a really long time. But when I came dorsum to Oregon, I felt like there was an innate connexion to the great outdoors that I accept sort of cached away for a while that came rushing back to me. There's just and then much space here, and I feel like in L.A. it's easy to simply get caught in your bubble. And then I've actually enjoyed being here because I can really come out of my bubble, and it really gives me perspective on what's important for me to put out into the world. It'south less intense and more than peaceful. In a weird style, I feel similar I'm going through such a large shift, and I think a lot of people are, too; everyone'south kind of going inwards and actually figuring out what is meaningful to them correct at present! Anybody deserves to observe some liberty and some happiness, so for me, this song is nearly taking that large step, striking the road, and changing my environment to meliorate arrange who I am as a human being. With how intense everything is in the world, it'south merely actually good to do things that take your mind off of it a little chip sometimes, and only let yourself go. That'south the feeling that I wanted to present with this song.

HS: Guide me through the process of creating "Top Downward Dearest." What were some memorable moments in writing this vocal to life?
N: Funny enough, I had the rhythmic beat out of the vocal in my inbox for a couple of years. I remember writing some ideas to information technology a long time ago and always merely really liking the track. One 24-hour interval, ane of my producers was coming to Oregon to stay for a week, and we were just going to practice a bunch of music. So, in preparation for him coming, normally I'll have a runway — whether it'due south a pop or synth track, and so I'll write a song to the tune. So I was doing that, and I only establish this track again, the "Top Down Honey" one, and just connected with it again. Then my producer helped me bring the whole idea to life and really build it with those synths he put in. I guess information technology'southward only a actually easy-listening vocal, and I've been connecting more than with that vibe in this last year.

HS: Were there any drafts of the song before establishing a concluding piece?
Due north: I had basically written this song probably two or iii split times! The start i was non even this vocal at all, and then my producer came and we wrote the bridge — which was sort of an reconsideration, to be totally honest. I just improvised it! A lot of what nosotros do is improvisation, then that'south i thing that I feel really strongly nearly in my own abilities. I could get in and sing, sometimes a whole vocal, without even writing a lyric beforehand.

HS: You had the incredible opportunity of working with Pretty Little Liars role player, Tyler Blackburn, on the songs "Can't Love Me" and "Long Day." What was the creative process like behind the nascency of those two singles, and what drew you lot to this specific collaboration?
N: Tyler and I take been best friends since our early twenties, and nosotros used to sing songs together earlier either of the states were even in the manufacture. Nosotros would drive around and sing Gavin DeGraw and stuff like that! He was e'er someone that I knew I had a connectedness with, like this best friend connection, soul brother if yous will! Even before he went off and became massive and did so well with his shows, we always wanted to make music together. And so with "Long Day," my producer Lee and I wrote that song in Oregon actually on a trip, and I remember playing it for Tyler in the automobile after lunch. Tyler was like "I like this!" Then I was like, "Do you lot want to, similar, sing on it?" And he just came over and sang on it, it was that simple! Only with "Tin can't Dear Me," a version of it was put out past some other band a long time agone called "Information technology's Alive." I duetted on that version, it was more of a, like, difficult-rock version. Years later on, I always had that song at the back of my mind, and I wanted to put the vocal out the way I wanted to do information technology. Then, I don't remember exactly why, simply we had Tyler sing on it only because we felt like it! Then he ended up bringing it on fix i twenty-four hours and played it for the showrunner of his new show, CW's Roswell, and she was just like, "I want to put this in the show!"

HS: In addition to Pretty Little Liars, yous've also been featured on other Telly shows, such as Netflix'southward The Punisher and Jessica Jones, MTV'southward Fakin' Information technology, and CW'southward Charmed. Practice yous encounter yourself working on similar soundtrack projects sometime in the future, and if so, what other cinematic works would you similar to exist a office of?
Due north: I'm telling yous my ultimate goal right now is to get some more of these going! Unfortunately, it'due south not something that I get to choose. I accept a licensing agent, and he works with all the Boob tube shows and stuff. He basically tries to pitch my music to their shows, and then it'south non similar I'm calling the shots in this area. If I were, I would be doing lots of information technology! I've been focusing a lot of my efforts on creating songs that would work really well for Telly shows and now more specifically, advertisements. You know the songs that play for the new iPhone or Samsung or automobile commercials, that'due south really where y'all can brand the most money. So if I'yard trying to make the most coin, I would write a lot of songs for advertisements. But I'1000 working with one guy a couple of times a week and all we're doing is writing songs for TV and ads. I go really shut to getting a lot of things, and I'm certain the side by side one is right effectually the corner. Ideally, I'd love to get a theme song for a Telly series or even a big movie trilogy!

HS: What is the biggest lesson yous've learned whilst navigating the music industry, and what communication would yous give to not simply your younger cocky, simply others dreaming of a similar career path?
One of the biggest lessons I've learned is that you have to go with your intuition, considering at that place's been a couple of songs of mine where no 1 believed in, and yet those were the songs that ended up being featured on shows or making me some money. There was this i song called "Honey Hype," which was on Charmed and The Punisher, and people were like, "Oh, that'southward non it. That's not the motion." Merely I only knew, though, that there was something about information technology that was cool. And it did end upwardly, out of the blue, getting some cool things. And so, I just feel like as an creative person, yous know better well-nigh your piece of work than anyone else. At the end of the day, it's your integrity on the line. Sometimes there's room for feedback, but other times you actually just accept to get with your gut. It's the same thing with "Can't Dearest Me" — I just knew I had to remake that vocal, and information technology worked! To think it was merely a random idea, too… and so always go with your intuition guys. Mind to that!


Likewise, to my younger self, I would like to say that information technology all adds up and that persistence pays off. The matter is, I feel like, at dissimilar times when I was younger, I was in situations where I really could have flourished, but instead I chose to screw off, you know? I retrieve times when I was in a writing session, instead of finishing a song I would go to the mall or petty things like that. First of all, information technology's a long game; there'southward no overnight thing. That happens very rarely, merely in my mind, it's an accumulation of all of the energy you put into information technology for your whole life. The harder you work and the more purposeful work yous do at a young historic period volition only assist in the long run. Permit things flow into your world. Call back that what y'all call up, happens. And what you accept to say and offer is worthwhile.

HS: Overall, what can fans look forward to from Novi in the future? Do you accept anything you'd like to say to those reading?
As before long every bit next month, I accept some other single coming out and a music video, which we had a lot of fun creating. Then, in January, I'g dropping a couple of songs to complete my EP and more music videos. Nosotros're also doing a bunch more than live performances; nosotros're shooting a very cool live performance video of all of my songs for virtual festivals until we tin can go play alive again. Eventually, I do desire to do a record that's kind of comical, because that's just so much of who I am! I'm also actually excited because Tyler and I are planning another collaboration for next spring.


Overall, for me, my biggest matter is that I ever have to be creating a new outlet because otherwise, I'g only non as happy as a person, to be honest. So I'm excited, because in January when my EP comes out, I'll already exist plugging in the adjacent body of work on the Novi Projection. I think I take some more ideas on what I'one thousand going to practise there — I'one thousand not going to say for sure, but whatever it is, it will be very total of new things!

Brand sure to stream more of Novi's music here! You tin can also check out her Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Michelle Seucan is a poet and journalist living in New York City. She is a author, a dancer, and a dreamer. Her goal in life is to change the world with words.