Music
Press
Import Tuner Magazine
January & February 2003
ECLECTICURBANFLOW/Noly
Kamikaze Records
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 - Import Tuner magazine/website
Asia (the Journal of Culture & Commerce)
Dec. 13, 2002 Vol. 1 Issue 4
‘Noly: Too Asian for rhythm & blues”
By Deanna Chew
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.”
- Asia (the Journal of Culture & Commerce)
Yolk Magazine
November/December 2002
Volume 9 Number 6
Noly (Kamikaze)
Eclecticurbanflow
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
- Yolk Magazine
Discography
Eclecticurbanflow (Kamikaze Records 2003)
Photos
Bio
It started with a mixtape I got in the 5th grade. I was introduced to LL Cool J, Whodini, Whistle, New Edition, & Troop among others. From then on I was hooked. Urban music became a huge part of my life. I later became involved in dance crews, tagging, and secretively singing. At first, my dream was to be a backup dancer for a major performer. Little did I know I had something different waiting in store.
I'm a senior in high school chillin' at the basketball courts watching my girlfriend at drill team practice. I'm singing a little something under my breath not knowing that my buddy just overheard me. He asks me to join this singing group he's in. After that day, my life changed forever.
Since then I've performed up and down the west coast. Ive done shows for and with some of urban music's best acts from Diana Ross to Tyrese, Jazz (Dru Hill) to Ginuwine. Eventually, I got signed and even released a CD of my own. I was introduced to the music industry with all its ups and downs and loved every minute of it. But suddenly, the music I loved was being turned into a circus act / fashion show. And after a few years, the downs started to outnumber the ups so I took a break from music.
One day my best friend & I are kickin' it, talking about starting up an R&B/Soul band and how dope that would be. It took some time, but we finally got a band together. This band was the reason I got back to where I belong...up on the stage behind a microphone. I'm glad they did, too, because it felt so good to be back. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and in time, so did the band. But these talented musicians did something special before we parted ways. They reminded me why I began singing in the first place, by focusing on what really mattered: the music.
So here I am again, back on my own. Im in the studio preparing to record another album. Except this time things are a little different. I know enough now to avoid those downs that pushed me away from music back then and Ive experienced enough ups to keep me motivated. It looks like it's time to put to use everything I've learned from all the shows, all the rehearsals, all the studio time, and all the time I spent listening to that mixtape I got back in the 5th grade.
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