Exclusive Interview with Viennese duo "ELIS NOA"

Viennese duo ELIS NOA consists of Aaron and Elisa, who both live in Vienna. The two got to know each other during their joint studies at the jazz department of the Vienna Music University. The sound of ELIS NOA ranges from pop to contemporary RnB to future soul. Inspired by the works of Emilie Nicolas, Jacob Banks, Jordan Rakei, Frank Ocean, Jazmine Sullivan and Oliver Malcolm, ELIS NOA’s own sound has parallels to Billie Eilish, Lana Del Rey, Jordan Rakei and Jacob Banks. Together, ELIS NOA have released two EPs: “High EP” and “Love Letters”, as well as their successful debut LP “What Do You Desire?” (2020).

The new album “I Was Just About To Leave” is a concept album, a story of letting go.The album follows the releases of “Mad About You”, “Weights” “I Don’t Like It Here” and “Make Me Think Of You” which were all released over the last few months and in preparation for the album. In total, ELIS NOA have achieved over 1.4 million plays on various platforms and have been supported by well- known international media such as Tonspion, NBHAP, Glamglare, Music Export and Everything Is Noise, as well as Deutschlandfunkkultur, FM4 and Oe1.

With “I Was Just About To Leave”, the two musicians let their audience dive deep inside and invite them to find connections to their own stories and feelings. Letting go is not an easy or linear mission, which is why the duo takes time to musically explore each step of the process, walking through the journey of healing with each song, describing moments of resistance and pain to acceptance and ease. ELIS NOA’s music is soulful, honest, raw and unembellished. It doesn’t leave you cold, it’ll make you sit up and pay attention. Musically, the duo’s sound is layered with gentle brushes of elegant tones and rolling beats that add unexpected depth to the experience. Check out the exclusive interview below:

1. Can you tell us a bit about where you all come from and how it all got started?

ELIS NOA: We meet on the very first week of our joint studies at the jazz department of the university of music in Vienna. We wanted to use the same studio room for practising but then ended up chatting about music, our hopes for the future. We quickly became best friends.

2. Did you guys have any formal training or are you self-taught?

ELIS NOA: Yeah, we both finished our degree at the jazz uni.

3. Who were your first and strongest musical influences and why the name ‘ELIS NOA’?

ELIS NOA: I listened to a lot of soul music like (Aretha, Etta, Ray among many others) in my childhood, I was amazed by their vocal abilities and their brilliance, I felt the depth of their lyrics. Aaron grew up listening to the Jazz legends, like Miles Davis and John Coltrane but also lots of Michael Jackson and Beatles. Id say we are both heavily influences by American classics and legends.

4. What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?

ELIS NOA: I would describe the music as vibey, intense, honest, raw maybe. There is an emphasis on the lyrics, we definitely try to tell a story and build the arrangement and production around that. We often get messages from listeners on how the lyrics resonate with their personal story, those are always highly appreciated moments.

5. For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and music maker, and the transition towards your own style, which is known as POP?

ELIS NOA: We both had quite a traditional jazz training and didn’t really learn how to write or produce a pop song at our school. We experimented a lot to find out how we were able to make music together that sounded like an honest expression of ourselves.

6. What’s your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles – and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative and entertainment?

ELIS NOA: I don’t think it is possible to completely detach your art from the world and its happenings as we are strongly influenced by the world around us, politically, culturally and socially. An example would be the (very needed) open approach to mental health issues that is now unfolding in our culture. It is theme and content of two of our songs from the new album: “Make me think of you” and “Focus”.

8. Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song? Do you usually start with a tune, a beat, or a narrative in your head? And do you collaborate with others in this process?

ELIS NOA: When we work, the process of songwriting and production is very intertwined, we are both musicians, trying for form a piece of music out of a thought, a feeling and conversation or an experience. There really is no formula on how we work as it is always different. At times I come to the studio with a song sketch, a chords progression or a hook and Aaron takes that idea and works on a baseline or drums. Sometimes there is a sample that we like or recorded on a phone that develops into a song. What’s clear is that we dont fit into the cliche of the female singer who writes lyrics and the male musician/producer who does all the technical work behind it.

9. What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?

ELIS NOA: I dont think there is one thing in particular. The first Austria lockdown during Covid in Spring 2020 happend right before our first album came out. We had to cancel everything and rethink pretty much all plans. So we decided to just go back into the studio and wrote the second album which is coming next week. The last two years have been definitely challenging mentally, personally and for the project, so now we re happy to be releasing this peace of work and heart to an audience that is eager to hear an honest album about challenges of life, the process of letting go of things that dont move you anymore and how we can grow and develop through such experiences.

10. On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?

ELIS NOA: Every time we get a personal message from somebody who has been particularly touched by a song. Or the joy of hearing a finished song after so many weeks and hours in the studio. We are so hyped to be going on tour, that ll be filled with memorable moments.