An Interview with Noem Estel
Written by Erin Norton
All images courtesy of @sgbmakingthings and @margobethphotography
Meet Noem Estel, an up and coming singer-songwriter originally from Orlando, but now based in Brooklyn. DWG had the honor of chatting with her about her upcoming single“ Fools Guilt,” a potential EP, creative commitment, and her biggest musical inspirations!
E: First of all, it’s really nice to meet you!
N: It’s good to meet you too! Are you currently based in LA?
E: Not currently. I was in Boston, but now I’m in Vermont. Where are you based right now?
N: I’m in Brooklyn currently, but I grew up in Orlando.
E: Speaking of growing up, what do you remember listening to while growing up?
N: I listened to Adele, Sia, and Rhianna the most in middle school. I honestly didn’t have a Spotify account then, so I just had their three albums. Those were on repeat when I was younger. I was very much a belter. Anything that I could screlt, I wanted it.
E: I love that! Did you have an iPod Touch, Nano, or something like that?
N: I did! You know what’s so funny? I visited home last week, and I found my iPod Shuffle.
E: I also had the iPod Shuffle!
N: Even before that, I had this weird-ass MP3 player. All I played was Justin Bieber.
E: How do you feel about the new album? Have you listened yet?
N: Yeah! Honestly, I had mixed feelings. But, I love the R&B inspiration and the collab with Dijon.
E: I feel that. Anything with R&B, I’m there with my spoon eating it up. What color was your Shuffle?
N: Oh, it was pink, please.
E: In a similar vein, who are some of your musical inspirations?
N: Definitely Ravyn Lenae, SZA, Amber Mark, Erykah Badu. I also love Steve Lacy. I’ve been listening to him forever. Anything that’s pop with some R&B influence. I really love that.
E: I can totally hear that coming through in the snippets of your upcoming single! That is certainly the vibe that is coming across.
N: Yes, this song is a little more pop-y than some other things that I’ve written, but I’m digging it.
E: Yay! This is so awesome! Also, who would you say are some of your style icons?
N: Anything Bratz Dolls. Literally 2000s Bratz Dolls are who I aspire to be. They were the“ It Girls.” I really just want to be anything Bratz Doll, early 2000s, Lizzy McGuire.
E: I feel lucky that the people around me are heavily influenced by early 2000s fashion, because really… We kind of peaked then.
N: Yes! Plus, while growing up, we would think,“ oh, she’s so pretty, I want to be her when I grow up.” So, now that I’m grown up: I’m her.
E: You are her! That is the best mantra!
N: Well, yes!
E: When did you first realize you wanted to make music?
N: I have always wanted to make music, but I didn’t really face that desire because I didn’t think I was capable. I let my life be determined by“ the script,” you know? Last year, I moved to New York in February. I had already started to tap into my creativity a little bit more, but moving to Brooklyn really propelled me forward. There was a point where I started a masters program and it was right around the time when I started learning how to produce music. At the same time I was tapping into these lectures, all I wanted to do was produce music. I thought,“ what am I doing?” I clearly knew what I wanted to do. I knew where I wanted to be instead of these lectures. I didn’t want to just do something for the sake of a degree. So, I full sent it last August. It’s only been a year of fully committing to music, but I’ve been writing music since early last year. It hasn’t been that long, but I’ve been a musician for a long time.
E: I’m curious, do you play any instruments? Do you produce your own music?
N: I am working on the production stuff. I have an EP coming out later and there’s one song on it that will definitely be produced by me. But I am also not afraid of collaborating with other producers while I’m honing my own skills. I don’t want to slow my process down. I also play guitar. I play bass as well. I grew up playing violin and was in choir. That’s where a lot of my musical background comes from.
E: You’ve got a great foundation!
N: I’m happy third grade me decided to get into voices!
E: What drives you to create music? It sounds like it comes from a need of creative expression.
N: It’s definitely creative expression. It’s also tied to me in a spiritual sense. In committing to this journey, I realized that everything is mindset and that what you believe is true. I had a lot of limiting beliefs I had to uncover. I think a lot of people get stuck in that mindset. It’s really easy to internalize what you’ve been through—growing up, what people have said to you, or just your own mind. Once you strip that down and become yourself—your authentic, childlike self—you can do anything. My goal is to inspire others to do what they want to do, authentically. It can really take people places they would've never imagined if they take the leap. I want people to follow their dreams.
“It’s really easy to internalize what you’ve been through — growing up, what people have said to you, or just your own mind. Once you strip that down and become yourself —your authentic, childlike self — you can do anything.”
E: Exactly! Like get out of“ the script.”
N: Yes, for sure. It definitely takes a second.
E: When you are creating and you get stuck, like writer's block, how do you get out of it? What inspires you?
N: For what inspires me, I tend to get the most inspiration when I have emotional highs and lows. I’m the type of girl that is writing when I’m sobbing.
E: Me too!
N: I really try to pull from my experiences. Whether that’s relationship stuff, spirituality, internal growth, I pull from it all. As for writer's block or creative blocks, I don’t try to force it. I think the best stuff I come up with just comes to me. However, I do know that growth comes from consistency. I sit down as much as I can and open myself up to the inspiration. Sometimes I don’t feel like it, but then I sit down and inspiration hits! But after 20, 30 minutes if I’m really not feeling it, I’m not going to force it. At least I invited the inspiration to come in, but maybe she didn’t want to knock on my door today.
E: That is such good advice. As a writer, that is such a good point. It’s about being present and allowing that inspiration to come to you. But if it doesn’t, it’s okay. It’s human.
N: It’s such a balance. That’s something I used to struggle with because I was such a high achiever growing up. I really based my value on productivity. I would believe that if I wasn’t sitting down and [working], I was failing. But that’s not it. I think so much growth can happen even through rest and stillness. When the pressure is released, there is more room for inspiration to come in.
E: That’s so right. I was also curious, this is a less serious question, but do you have a go-to karaoke song?
N:“ Thinking About You” by Frank Ocean. A classic. It’s a cult classic.
E: Everyone in the karaoke bar will know that song and they’ll be into it.
N: It’s also fun to sing!
E: Do you have a warm up song?
N: As a choir girlie, I actually start with lip trills and scales. Then I’ll move to more Erykah Badu. My voice fits well in her songs and I just love what she writes about. She is one of my favorites.“ Bag Lady” is one of my go-to warm up songs.
E: I also saw on your Instagram you did a cover of“ Green Eyes” by her as well?
N: Yes, I did!
E: That’s one of my favorite songs by her and you did such an amazing job!
N: Thank you! I need to cover more songs of hers and post them because I just love her music. That was the first song that introduced me to her discography and it’s been nonstop since then.
E: But of course! How are you feeling leading up to the release of your first single,“ Fools Guilt”?!
N: It’s so exciting and surreal. I am so grateful for how all of this has come along. Once I fully committed to making music last August, I didn’t expect things to move this quickly. I think I underestimated myself! But given this is my first release, I am nervous. I’m just letting it be what it’s meant to be and enjoying the process along the way.
E: I’m sure that this whole process benefited from your commitment. It sounds like it was genuinely meant to be.
N: I’m very much a“ If I want something, I’m going to get it” type person. The second that I make that decision, I’m not changing my mind. Once I decided to drop my masters, it felt like I knew what I was doing. It’s exciting to see everything come to fruition a year later.
E: This is so exciting! Wait, what’s your sign?
N: I’m a Leo!
E: Yes! Was it just your birthday?!
N: Yeah! Two Sundays ago.
E: Happy belated!
N: Thank you!
E: You also made a music video for“ Fools Guilt,” right? What was that like?
N: It was so surprising. It wasn’t even something I was expecting to happen. It felt very aligned and divine. It wasn’t at all planned. I need to shout her out, my friend S.G. just came to me one day and was like,“ hey, do you want to do a music video?” She knew I was making music on the down low, but no one had heard what I was making yet. It was very much chicken scratch at the time. She told me,“ I believe in you. When you want something you get it done.” I knew that it was the same for her as well. We put faith and trust into each other.
S.G. is a producer and creative director. We met a while back, but we had our first meeting in December when we decided we wanted to do this. It took months of planning and creating a vision. I was picking an artist name and deciding what I wanted to represent as an artist. Then we got more practical with it. We created a budget and a team. All of that pre-production made everything so smooth on the day of; I did not anticipate this at all! I started making music in August. Then in December, S.G. asked if I wanted to do this, but I had nothing to show for it. The next day, I started creating the demo for“ Fools Guilt.” It’s all very exciting. I think the music video is going to be very beautiful!
Styling credits: @_thefranchescacedano and @zariahrosemua
E: It makes me feel so happy that all of this is in the palm of your hand.
N: It’s so unexpected! Especially given the scale we’re taking it to. We have a real set and dancers! I am super grateful. I love S.G., I wouldn’t be able to do this without her. Honestly, it makes me freak out. For future stuff, the bar is going to be set so high. But someone said to me the bar is high because you’re only meant to do greater things.
E: I feel like I’m talking to a motivational speaker!
N: I’m so happy you say that! Inspiring people, that’s what I’m here to do. It’s my purpose.
E: Can you tell us a favorite lyric from“ Fools Guilt?”
N: Literally the first line:“ Warping my reality to fit your mind.” I think it’s the perfect way to describe feeling gaslit or manipulated. Even what it feels like to compromise yourself. This song was meant romantically, but it applies anywhere. Compromising for friends, parents, for anyone.
E: You already mentioned that we could expect an EP from you in the future? Obviously, it seems like you’re planning on more too!?
N: This is just the beginning. I’m taking it a day at a time. I’m only just learning to trust the process and to let things unfold when they’re meant to. I do have another single that I hope to release around early October or the end of September. I’m hoping to release the EP by the end of this year. Cross your fingers!
E: And my fingers are crossed! That was my last question, but do you have any other words of wisdom?
N: I just want to inspire others to go after what they are meant for. If you are truly aligned with your dreams and your vision, they will work out. Things happen a lot easier than you could imagine. You don’t have to fight to make it happen. Through divine alignment, I’ve started this process and I feel like I finally know myself. So many blessings have come my way!
