Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
This one should trip you out. With a voice similar in style to a whispery Jon B--and about as distinct an introduction--comes Noly. He's opened for Ginuwine & Sole and performed for Tyrese. Forget that he's opened for Ginuwine & Sole and performed for Tyrese. Forget that he's Filipino--the guy is dope and can blow with the best of them. He's not your typical Filipino talent-night crooner. Something about his style and music leaps past ethnicity and he's got 12 tracks to prove that he's got soul. - Joel Marasigan
This past Thanksgiving R&B singer Noly had a lot to be thankful for. After years of performing in high school hip-hop groups and singing acts, he was finally able to release his very own solo album. And yet something was still troubling the young performer’s mind: homesickness.
Originally a native of San Diego, Noly recently moved to the San Francisco Bay Area to be closer with his record label. Although the Bay offers much promise to the young aspiring artist, Noly cannot forget the place where his infatuation with performance arts first began. A natural performer at heart, Noly says that his love for the stage began in his days at Mira Mesa High School
“I had always been a dancer,” he says “But it wasn’t until just after high school (that) I hooked up with some friends of mine and they started a singing group; it just went from there.”
Since then, Noly’s love for performing has only grown stronger with each day. Wherever he goes, he is constantly writing and composing songs. An Aspiring singer with an ardent passion for music, he says, “I do a lot of writing. It’s easier to sing songs that you write yourself because it’s about you.”
The lyrics in each of Noly’s songs reflect a different aspect of his personal life. Whether it’s struggles he faced growing up, or his recent gripes about a romantic relationship, he reveals a little bit of his soul to his listeners with each track. But regardless of his talent or genuine sincerity, breaking into the music industry has not been easy for the young Filipino singer.
Over the years, Noly has encountered several difficulties with major recording labels who refuse to sign him simply because he is Asian.
“One of the primary things I hear from industry representatives is, ‘Wow, you sound really good, and you sound black, but you’re not. And since you’re not black, we don’t know how to market you.’”
Finding a local recording company was also another obstacle in Noly’s career. Although Asians possess pretty prominent roles in the San Diego community, there is still little opportunity available for Asian music artists.
According to Noly, “In San Diego, or Southern California in general, there isn’t a desire to start singing groups or become singers in the Asian community.”
In September, Kamikaze Records, a bay Area-based record label, was the first to release Noly’s debut album, entitled “eclecticurbanlow.” It features him performing a variety of songs which blend different elements of R&B, jazz & hip-hop,
Because he wrote nine of the twelve tracks on the album himself, “eclecticurbanflow” has become the soundtrack to Noly’s life. Through his harmonious combination of smooth beats, soulful vocals and honest lyrics, listeners are able to really establish a connection with the man behind it all.
Although he lives in the Bay Area, he’s clear where his loyalty still lies. When asked whom he will be cheering for at the next Raiders-Chargers game, he instantly replied,”I gotta stick with my Chargers on this one.”
- Deanna Chew
Introducing singer/ songwriter Noly, and his solid first outing, so full of soul that it seems to have a life of it’s own. Eclectic? Sure. Urban? Definitely. Flow? As smooth as can be. Hey, is that really Elle Hamm rapping on “The Rain”? Watch out! - Ellen Nguyen
Discography
Noly-eclecticurbanflow
Gotta Move On
Reasons
I'll Make The Time
I Love
Fine, Fine, Fine
Oh Baby Please (feat. Rinabeth)
The Rain (feat. Elle Hamm)
It's Me
Handle Your Business
Right Here (feat. Nio)
Systematic Woman
What You Won't Do For Love
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
R&B singer/ songwriter Noly is someone that you might not be too familiar with now, but a name you should definitely pay attention to. His smooth vocals, combined with some of today's hottest production, create a style that is uncommon among most young artists. He draws his inspiration from musical legends such as Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder to current artists like Luther Vandross and Maxwell.
A native of Southern California, Noly has been singing and performing since the time he could pick up a microphone. His experiences participating in choir and playing the saxophone in his high school band laid out a concrete foundation for his talent to shine in the many unforeseen opportunities to come. Additionally, with extensive hip-hop dance performances throughout his adolescent years, singing seemed like the natural transition. Getting together with a couple of his close friends, they began performing up and down the West Coast, receiving rave reviews on their w ay to becoming one of the most sought-after R&B groups in California. This eventually led to upcoming shows with national acts such as Tyrese, Ginuwine, and Sole. These experiences helped to shape and refine Noly's performance skills and have made him a virtual veteran of the stage. He now utilizes this experience in his solo exploits to create an explosive, energetic, attention-encompassing stage performance.
When not on stage, you can find Noly writing songs and poetry revealing his passion for life. "I try as much as possible to draw from personal experience because when you manufacture your material it sounds just that way...manufactured. It's like trying to teach something you know nothing about," he says. In fact, Noly wrote nine of the twelve tracks on his debut release "eclecticurbanflow".
As expressed in his song "Reasons", Noly shares his experience with having to grow up at an early age due to the fact that he lost his mom and lived without his dad. As a result, his older sister was left with the responsibility of having to raise Noly.
Noly's song, "I Love", is featured on the Operation Ground Hero compilation, which is a benefit/tribute album for the heroes of NYC. "I feel honored to even be asked to participate: For one, to be on the same album with some of the most talented people I've ever met, and for another, because this is for such a good cause. I hope that people view my song, "I Love", as a warm reminder of a lost loved one".
What to expect from "eclecticurbanflow"? Audiences will get to experience the eclectic style and music in the album. In his words, "I am an artist and a musician. There are good and bad artists in this industry, and I believe that talent doesn't know nationality; soul doesn't know nationality. All that matters is that the music is good."
By bringing together the essential elements of classic and contemporary R&B, Noly will be impacting the nation with a musical style that will not only catch your ear but also touch your soul.
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