Start Listening To: Noam

San Francisco-born, London-based songwriter Noam talks ‘Kiss from the Sun’, finding a musical “third space” between cultures, and learning to embrace the beauty of being in-between.

For Noam, being caught between places has gradually become its own creative space. Originally from San Francisco and now based in London, the singer-songwriter draws on the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern music she grew up around alongside the dreamy indie sounds she discovered for herself, creating music that reflects the complicated experience of belonging to more than one place at once.

That feeling sits at the heart of her latest single, ‘Kiss from the Sun’. Written while facing uncertainty over the end of her UK visa and what that could mean for the life and relationships she had built in London, the track turns anxiety about an uncertain future into something warm and bittersweet. Working closely with producer Federico Dal Maso, Noam brings oud and 12-string guitar into a hazy, vintage-inspired arrangement that feels suspended somewhere between nostalgia and the present.

We caught up with Noam to talk about ‘Kiss from the Sun’, finding beauty in impermanence, building a musical “third space” between cultures, and why a little imperfection can make a recording feel more human.

For those unfamiliar with your music, can you tell us who you are, where you’re from and about the music you make?

I’m Noam, I’m a singer/songwriter from San Francisco now based in London, and I make dreamy indie music with Mediterranean / Middle Eastern influences.

‘Kiss from the Sun’ came from the uncertainty of your visa coming to an end and not knowing how permanent your life in London might be. At what point did you realise that feeling could become a song?

I think I just write the most when something is bothering me, I guess it’s kind of my way of sorting out my thoughts so I can understand them better. So I can’t really remember a moment of realization, it was more just a long term need to deal with it in some way and then it evolved from there.

You’ve described having this sense that your relationships and connection to London were suddenly “suspended”. Did that uncertainty change the way you experienced the city day-to-day?

Yes for sure it did. I think it’s really pushed me to go for things full force and take advantage of the setup I have here in London while I still have it. For example, instead of waiting to get booked for another gig, I organized one myself, and am now doing another one - so yeah that push has actually been really great.

There’s an interesting contradiction at the heart of ‘Kiss from the Sun’: knowing something might disappear makes you anxious about losing it, but can also make you appreciate it more. Did writing the song actually help you become more present?

You know what, it kind of did. I think probably sitting down and spending so much time on the lyrics and figuring out what it is I actually want to say, mainly to myself, probably led to me internalizing it somewhat.

You bring oud andstring guitar into the dreamy indie sound of ‘Kiss from the Sun’, and elsewhere use instruments like kemence and darbuka. When did you first start bringing those sounds into your own songwriting?

Only in the past two years, when I started this current project. I was thinking a lot about identity at the time, what it means to me, what it means in general and exploring that through music. I grew up with a lot of middle eastern and mediterranean music playing at home, so when I combined that with my Indie music influences it just felt right, so I ran with it.

You’ve spoken about creating a “third space” between the different cultures and places that have shaped you. What does that third space look or sound like to you?

Musically I think it sounds like putting together the music I was listening to at home as a kid and the music I discovered myself outside of that, growing up in the US. I think I'm still figuring out for myself exactly what that sounds like, but it does feel like I'm getting closer!! And visually if I had to put it into words: dusk and fairy lights, sitting on a plastic chair on the beach in front of the Mediterranean sea with my feet in the sand and a pile of collected seashells.

Do you ever feel pressure to make the different musical traditions you draw from fit neatly together, or is allowing them to sit slightly awkwardly alongside one another part of what makes the music yours?

I think it depends on the song. There are songs where the awkwardness is part of what I'm trying to express and others where I want things to be more in harmony. But generally I think mixing cultures can be a bit awkward at times, so I like that it’s reflecting that on some level.

You made ‘Kiss from the Sun’ with Federico Dal Maso and have described the process as deeply collaborative. What did Federico bring to the song that you might not have arrived at on your own?

Wow, a lot. We spent a lot of time talking through my references - Shelter by Alice Phoebe Lou, Charm by Clairo, everything by Kit Sebastian - and he’s really incredible at stepping into my vision with me and translating it into a full band arrangement. He arranged everything from the oud part which we sent to Adam Tal (who also threw in a 12 string guitar part just because he’s cool like that) and then recorded the guitar, bass, and keys himself (perks of working with a producer who also has a career as a performing jazz musician). He’s someone that puts a lot of unique style into everything he does, so it’s really fun to see how he interprets my initial ideas and then we play with it together from there. He also mixed and mastered the track!!

You both share an appreciation for vintage recordings and live instrumentation. What is it about the imperfections or character of older recordings that appeals to you?

I think sometimes when things are too perfect you lose the personality of it. I love when you can tell something is hand made, I’ve always loved vintage clothes, things that have taken time and effort to make and therefore last long enough to have a history. I’ve always been attracted to that in music as well, and I think when something isn’t recorded live it can sometimes make it harder for the personality and the feeling to come through genuinely. I also just love the warmth and grain from the tape and slightly detuning effect, maybe because it makes it a little imperfect.

Has living in London changed the music you make, either through the artists and communities you’ve encountered here or simply through the experience of being away from somewhere else?

Yes for sure. I think the fact that I moved to a ‘neutral’ place, that I wasn’t connected to, and especially having to constantly answer the question of ‘where I’m from’, moved me to start exploring that ‘third space’ musically. I think being in London specifically has also inspired me a lot, there are so many artists bringing different cultural influences from all over the world into what they do and it’s just so sick, it’s one of the things I love most about being here.

‘Kiss from the Sun’ is ultimately about trying to enjoy something without knowing how long you’ll have it. Is that idea of impermanence something you see yourself exploring further in the music you’re making now?

For sure, yes. I’ve had quite a few people tell me that they feel my songs always have something nostalgic or bittersweet about them, and I think maybe it is because being from more than one place means that wherever I am I'm always missing someone. So yeah, I think it’s always going to be somewhat of a theme in my music.

What do you love right now?

The album SIM SIM SIM by Bala Desejo.

What do you hate right now?

AI music.

Name an album you’re still listening to from when you were younger and why it’s still important to you?

Tidal by Fiona Apple. I kind of re-discovered her when I was in uni, and realized I already knew a lot of her songs from my dad, but I was too young to really understand what she was on about. And then at 19 I listened to that album and it just clicked and I was obsessed.

When someone hears your music for the first time, what do you hope sticks with them?

I hope they feel that it can be a cool thing to be kind of ‘in-between’. Growing up I always felt it was a negative thing to not fully belong to one place or another but making this music has really changed that. I hope they can feel the nostalgia and the confusion in the music, but equally the celebration of finding beauty in it.