Getting To Know Isla Noon

Aotearoa/New Zealand artist Isla Noon has shared her new single, Body. We asked her to tell us about herself:

I am… an artist from Auckland, New Zealand, making pop music somewhere in the vein of alternative/indie.  With a lot of synths and big guitars. I’m a writer first, so lyrics are front and centre.

2023 has so far been… empowering. I started the year with the goal to take brave steps. I’ve pushed myself in so many ways and I’m really proud of the music that’s coming out of it. I’ve also said yes to opportunities that kind of scared me. Those choices have led to a lot of personal growth and unexpected but amazing changes in my life this year.

My latest single ‘Body’ is… dramatic –  moody synth verses to explosive choruses.  I’ve been referring to the song as a “reclamation of self”. I find it a really powerful one to perform and it’s a consistent favourite in my live set too. I feel pretty lucky to have worked with an amazing team on the music video, which we shot at Kingseat Hospital, an old psychiatric hospital in Auckland. The whole experience of making this song and video feel a little but like a fever dream. I love it so much.

Home is… Auckland, NZ. I was born in Cape Town, South Africa and spent my teenage years living between Auckland and Australia’s Sunshine Coast. Whenever I fly into Auckland and I see the Sky Tower in the distance, I get this total sense of home. That’s how I know, I guess!

I spend too much time…  in op shops and antique stores. I love clothing and finding vintage pieces behind obscure little shop fronts.

I’ve never…  released anything as vulnerable as ‘Body’ before. My music is always very personal, but I’ve been pretty crafty with metaphors.  Body is just kind of like BOOM, here I am. Lyrically it’s very raw. To the point where when I first wrote it, I didn’t think I would ever share it with anyone. Now I look at it like another one of those ‘brave steps’ that’s really, really paid off.

…

Body is out now.