The Vamps Issue 9

specifically her Grandmother on her mother’s
side. “At the time in 2020, I wasn’t mentally
there or capable of showing up for many of the
people I love due to my complete self-isolation.
We didn’t get to see each other for about
six months because of COVID.” Pausing for
a moment before continuing, she explains, “I
also feel like, as a granddaughter, I could have
picked up the phone more and done many
things differently.” Having spoken about her
struggles with drugs with Rolling Stone, Noah
expresses more of the emotional side when
addressing recovery and how she sometimes
feels unhappy when facing memories. “When
I woke up from everything, later in 2020/ early
2021, my mind was much clearer from coming
off the pills; I was so unhappy with how I
had communicated with everybody. So this
time, I really wanted to do things the right way.
I wanted to say my goodbyes and have that
quality time I knew I’d never get back,” she explains.
“I’m so grateful and happy that I could
consciously make that decision for myself this
time.”
Having experienced and witnessed the difficulties
of relying on substances, I think it is somewhat
understandable. The End of Everything
singer clearly knows where her feelings lie
from the problems she’s experienced. “The
shame and guilt that I feel is something I work
on daily from the mistakes I’ve made throughout
that period, or even just in my life.” As she
moves towards one of the most significant moments
in her life, the release of her debut album,
Noah dissects the moments of grief she feels
at this moment in time and the new perspective
she intends to take. “I’m going through a
period right now where I’m feeling a lot of grief,
guilt, and shame from some of the mistakes
I’ve made in the past,” I question what she’s just
said, noting that it’s ok to feel everything under
the sun even if others don’t, “I was also very
young. And I’m still very young. I’m only 22. So
I like seeing it, as I’ll probably make many more
mistakes. And that’s ok.”
For Noah, the release of The Hardest Part has
been a long time in the making. It’s an album that
speaks so openly about her experiences with
mental health, Something she’s been so honest
about, poignantly addressing these parts of life
with fans online. As an album, it’s incredibly well
thought through from every instrument, melody
and lyric that delves so deeply into the life
she’s experienced.
“I wrote many songs about a lot of what I’ve lost
in my past. In some of the songs like ‘I Burned LA
Down,’ “My Side of the Bed,” and “Noah (Stand
still)’, I was able to write from a clear space that
I’d entered from coming off of drugs. While the
other half where I was in this alternative state
of mind and a pretty toxic relationship,” it’s a
relationship she’s written about throughout the
album with some of the songs in her pocket
since being signed to her label from 16 years
old. It seems she’s lived a lot of life since her debut
single, with an album that you can only assume
had some role in helping her heal. “I wrote
a lot of new material that helped me heal. But I
would say the most healing part would be the
production side of it with Mike Crossey and PJ
Hart”. Spending the best part of 2 years writing
with PJ Hart and Mike Crossey has been a key
space in which Noah has been able to heal. It’s
apparent its been a safe space where she felt
inspired to create and record organic music.
Its styling, you can tell, has come from both her,
Mike, and PJ Hart. And a routine she’s craved,
having left behind a difficult yet crucial year, as
she moves towards a new life following sobriety.
“I had a hard time finding balance and figuring
out what my new life would look like without
that. So feeling purposeful, working towards an
end goal, which is making music for me to be
able to share who I am with the world, has been
my drive towards healing.”
Healing has been a big part of the process, as
Noah lights up in front of my eyes, explaining a
little more about the production behind her debut
album. “It was just an enjoyable experience
overall. I have never been so involved withi production.
I got to experiment with my own musicianship
and find what gravitates to me.” It’s
Something she’s passionate about, from every
instrument, as she tells me about her favourite,
the pedal steel, aiding her in creating the mu-