Noah Andrade

If you have a craving to sample a wide spectrum of music, Sound Session – Providence’s premiere weeklong summer music festival – is the place to go. With music ranging from gospel to rock, reggae to jazz, folk to world beats, and more, the offerings are endless. Every summer fans and musicians converging to the Creative Capital are bound to discover something they like from the diversity of musical exhibitions at Sound Session.

This year, one presenter is sure to captivate audiences of all ages and musical tastes. At just 10 years old, skilled guitarist Noah Andrade is already making a name for himself in the local scene. Born in Providence to Cape Verdean parents, Andrade writes and composes his own music and is releasing his first self-titled debut CD on July 5th. And although the young prodigy has never even set foot on the islands, Andrade’s formative compositions bear strong ties to the sounds of the Funaná genre of Cape Verde, reminiscent of the beats that his folks play mostly at home. First-time listeners should be advised: Andrade’s persona and music are spellbinding.

City News met up with Noah and his father Joe at the Black Rep for a quick chat with one of Providence’s newest and most soulful rising star.

Where did your talent for guitar playing come from?
Noah: I got my talent for guitar playing from this Cape Verdean artist named Mayra Andrade. I saw a picture of her and then I started to wanna’ learn guitar.

How did you learn how to play so well at such a young age?
Noah: I learned how to play from my music teachers.

How long have you been playing?
Noah: I’ve been playing for 3 years.

Who or what inspires you musically?
Noah: I just like hearing the music now. Once a song catches my interest I just go on the internet and look for the chords. Sometimes I play by ear and I’m learning how to read music right now.

Joe, we know that Providence is home to a strong Cape Verdean community. Give us some background on the roots music of Cape Verde. And how, if at all, this has influenced Noah’s musical stylings?
Joe (dad): Actually it has a lot of influence on his music. The artist he mentioned, Mayra Andrade, her song that she sang and that Noah heard a lot is called “Regasu” and it was composed by a Cape Verdean musician who passed away a few years ago, Orlan Pantera. Most of the music he played was basically the roots of Cape Verdean music, like the Funaná and the Batuque – music that is traditional to the interior to one of our islands called Santiago. That was very rootsy. It was music that was outlawed when we were colonized by Portugal. It was during a time when we weren’t allowed to play drums because the Portuguese thought that the drum was a way that the slaves sent signals. Our music became a way of expressing what we were going through with the hardships and the social issues we were faced with.

Does Cape Verdean music influence what you play or write about?
Noah: Most of the time. I hear it a lot at home. Some of my first compositions sounded a lot like Funaná.

What are some of the things you do to prepare before a performance?
Noah: I practice a lot but sometimes I need reminders to practice, otherwise I’d be doing something else. And so I need my dad to push me through it.

How did Noah get into the music scene?
Joe (dad): I’ve done some promotions here in RI and here at Black Rep for different Cape Verdean functions. So a few times when we’ve had a large Cape Verdean artist coming, we’ve needed an opening act. A lot of the guys I know saw the talent in Noah and they ask if he’d be able to perform an opening act. So that’s how he got his start.

What’s it like for you to perform before a crowd?
Noah: It’s very scary because you see all these people that are taller than me and older. I’m surrounded by people who are older than me.

But you’ve already accomplished so much as a musician – writing and composing your own music, releasing a debut CD, performing at places many adult musicians could only dream about. What’s left for you to do when you get older? What do you want to be when you grow up?
Noah: Aside from being a musician, I want to be a chef.

A chef? Where does that come from?
Noah: Because I used to hang out in my aunt’s house and I cook with her.

Is there a connection to the music and the food?
Noah: My dad can cook!

Joe, your son is obviously gifted. Do you think he was born with this talent or is it something he was taught to be discipline about?
Joe (dad): The talent is there but the discipline I think has to be worked at. He comes home from school and could play video games all day long. That’s why he has to be reminded that he needs a half hour a day with the music. But I think the challenge is that I think a lot of kids have the talent in them, we just have to, as parents, take a pause and listen to them and see what interests them and then guide them the right way.

How do you think this will impact his future?
Joe (dad): My wife and I we do our best to make sure he stays humble. We don’t want this to be something that goes too much to his head. We want him to know that education is first and music is something he does. We taught him that music is something that makes the world smile and if he can make someone in the world smile then that’s a huge accomplishment.

So far, what are you most proud of?
Noah: To me, it’s releasing my first CD. All the work that I had to put into it I’m most proud of. It’s coming out July 5th

Joe (dad): I’m most proud of the fact that he stuck through it. There were times when it got really difficult. But also going back and forth in the studio and realizing that it wasn’t done well, he could do it better. So I’m proud that our whole family was able to get through this and do it well.

What do you like most about playing on a home stage at Providence Sound Session?
Noah: It’s like seeing a bigger crowd than most places that I perform at.

Now that school’s out, what are your plans for the summer?
Noah: To perform as much as I can and to get the word out about the CD.

What do you want other kids your age to know about pursuing their dreams and talents?
Noah: If you have a dream, go for it. And if you have a talent, then push it.

Joe (dad): Parents need to give their kids effort and drive. If you see your child is good at something, give them the same motivation or push that you would to get them to brush their teeth in the morning! If they have a talent, motivate them, but also make sure that they maintain their childhood as well.

Noah is performing at SoundSession on July 11th at the Block Party on Westminster Street, which begins at 7:00 p.m. Catch him also at Waterfire on July 25th at the Sovereign Plaza Ballroom. For more, visit him at www.myspace.com/noahandrade. For a full SoundSession lineup, go to www.providencesoundession.com.
- Providence Mayor's Office

Noah's presence is intense. He enters the stage and prepares for his performance. The audience welcomes him with loud cheers and clapping. He then graces the audience with what appears to be a nervous smile. Once the room is quiet, he picks up the guitar, sits down, and makes himself comfortable. At this precise moment, there is a complete transformation. The seemingly nervous young boy transforms into a bigger than life figure with every note that is played on the guitar. If one closes his or her eyes, one would think that a mature, professionally trained guitarist is carrying the tune. The audience is amazed and an “aw” is felt throughout the room. This was my first “Noah Andrade concert experience”.

While most 10 year olds are only concerned with sports or the latest video games, Noah Andrade awaits the release of his self-titled debut album. Born in the United States to Cape Verdean parents, Eliana and Joseph, Noah’s cultural roots have been part of his family’s daily life. Cape Verdean music, in particular, both traditional and contemporary has always been played in the home. As a toddler on his way to kindergarten, Noah would attentively listen to the songs played in the car by his parents. His love for music developed at the tender age of 6, when he heard the serene voice of Cape Verdean international sensation, Mayra Andrade and saw her playing the guitar. Mayra’s song, regasu, would become the theme song for Noah’s ride to school. His choice of the guitar as his favorite instrument, Noah mentioned, was because it was, “the only instrument that caught my interest”. Today, Noah is a respected guitarist, known and praised by Cape Verdean communities in the United States, Cape Verde, Europe and other corners of the world. He has been noticed by and received much praise from the mainstream community, which has led to a respectable fan base.

At a glance, Noah appears to be a quiet youngster. Behind the silence, however, is a talented and intelligent artist. Although, at times he may be nervous, Noah mentions he has gotten, “used to performing in front of lots of people”. Within a few years, Noah has accomplished musically what most artists only dream of doing upon years of work in the music business. He has been the opening act for Cape Verde’s finest musicians such as Ferro Gaita, Grace Evora, Kim Alves, and Ze Rui Depina. He has performed in major cultural cities in the U.S. such as New York (Central Park), Boston, and Providence. Most recently, Noah headlined at Providence Sound Session festivals. In an interview with FORCV, we asked Noah what famous artist would he like to play with and why. Noah answered, “…Bob Marley. I chose him because I love his songs and what he writes about”.

Noah’s much anticipated debut project is a well-crafted mix of traditional and contemporary Cape Verdean sounds with a touch of African and Rhythm & Blues. This project is also guided by Cape Verde’s most sought after musical talents, Kim Alves, Djim Job, and Klaudio Ramos. With an appropriate release date of July 5th (Cape Verde’s Independence Day), this album is a compilation of popular compositions by Orlando Pantera, Katchas, Kalu Monteiro, Manu Lima, and Armando Zeferino Soares as well as three of Noah’s original compositions. One will also hear the talents of Grace Evora, To Alves, Johnny Fonseca, Nadia, newcomer Jacqui DaGraca and Nigerian singer, KuKu.

With all his accomplishments at such a young age, Noah Andrade is still a regular young boy. His favorite subjects in school are history and math and in his spare time, Noah likes to play video games. He gets in trouble with his mom if he does not finish his chores and often quarrels with his little sister, Athena. In addition to music, Noah apparently loves cooking. When asked what he wants to be when he grows up, Noah said, “a chef”. He serves as an inspiration to both the younger and older generations. It is never too early or too late to follow one’s dreams. With family support, hard work and discipline, regardless of one’s age, success can be a sure thing. Noah’s advice to his peers who want to learn how to play a musical instrument is to, “put effort into music. Talk to their parents about it and give it 100 percent. Music makes the world happy”.

As Noah celebrates the release of his debut album, we also celebrate Cape Verde’s Independence Day. Noah embodies the vision of our revolutionary forefathers and foremothers at the dawn of independence: the urgent need for all Cape Verdean youth to be free to artistically express themselves. - Dr. TERZA LIMA-NEVES - forcv.com