View source for Lau Noah

{{citation style|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name              = Lau Noah
| image             = Lau-Noah-.png
| caption           = Lau Noah at the Royal Albert Hall
| birth_date        = {{Birth date and age|1994|2|11}}
| birth_place       = [[Reus]], [[Spain]]
| genre             = [[Folk music|Folk]], [[Classical music|Classical]], [[Songwriter]], [[Jazz]], [[Spanish folklore]]
| occupation        = Musician, composer
| instrument        = Guitar, Vocals, Piano
| years_active      = 2014–present
| website           = https://www.launoahmusic.com
}}
''' Lau Noah ''' (born February 11, 1994) is a Spanish self taught [[multi-instrumentalist]] and composer. Noah has received international recognition for her way of playing guitar and singing in virtuosic [[counterpoint]], with the [[Recording Academy]] describing her as "a musical polymath"<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Global Spin: Lau Noah Acknowledges Her Weaknesses In This Acoustic Performance Of "Lesser Men Would Call It Love" {{!}} GRAMMY.com |url=https://grammy.com/news/lau-noah-lesser-men-would-call-it-love-performance-video-global-spin |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=grammy.com}}</ref> She became the first Catalan artist to ever perform on [[NPR]] [[Tiny Desk Concert]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Lau Noah Tiny Desk Concert |website=[[NPR]] |url=https://www.npr.org/2019/02/08/692656041/lau-noah-tiny-desk-concert}}</ref> Her first LP<ref>{{cite web |title=Lau Noah presents A Dos |url=https://shorefire.com/releases/entry/lau-noah-releases-new-albuma-dos}}</ref> contains collaborations with artists such as [[Jacob Collier]], [[Jorge Drexler]], [[Chris Thile]], [[Cécile McLorin Salvant]], and many others.
== Biography ==
{{Cleanup reorganize |section |date=May 2024}}
Lau Noah was born in [[Reus]], [[Catalonia]], to a family of teachers. Even though she took music lessons as a kid, she quit as a pre-teen and continued to teach herself to write songs on voice and piano. She cites the soundtracks of [[Disney]] movies as a major influence on her music at that time. In her adolescence she played the organ at church and performed her songs in several small cities in Catalonia.
When she was 17 years old she moved to a musicians commune on a mountain overlooking the city of [[Barcelona]], where she was exposed to [[jazz]] music for the first time. She recorded a never released demo entitled Wolves (2013) which was her introduction to recording and producing, collaborating with drummer [[Jorge Rossy]].
At 19 years old, Noah moved to [[New York City|New York]] with $100 in her pocket after finding a nanny job through an online website. She worked several jobs while performing monthly in local NYC venues like [[The Bitter End]] and [[Rockwood Music Hall]]. In February 2016 while in [[Montréal]] she discovered the guitar.
Over the next years Noah would start posting videos on [[Facebook]], of herself playing her songs on guitar, catching the attention of celebrated underground musicians like pianist [[Larry Goldings]], who put together a soirée in his Los Angeles home for her to perform, inviting [[Maroon 5]]'s [[Jesse Carmichael]], famed producer [[Blake Mills]] and other influential artists. This would grant Lau a reputation among underground musicians.
In February 2019 Lau performed a solo set for [[NPR]]'s [[Tiny Desk Concert]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Lau Noah Tiny Desk Concert |website=[[NPR]] |url=https://www.npr.org/2019/02/08/692656041/lau-noah-tiny-desk-concert}}</ref> making her the first Catalan artist to ever perform in the prestigious series. ''[[Billboard Magazine]]'' wrote about the performance: "Lau Noah enchants music lovers one song at a time."<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Lau Noah on Billboard Magazine |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/latin/lau-noah-npr-tiny-desk-concert-video-8497788/}}</ref> [[Bob Boilen]], the creator of the series said: "There's a magical aura that surrounds Lau Noah. She writes these thought-provoking song-stories that captured my heart."<ref>{{cite web |title=Bob Boilen on Lau Noah |website=[[NPR]] |url=https://www.npr.org/2019/02/08/692656041/lau-noah-tiny-desk-concert}}</ref>
Later that year Noah played piano and guitar for the TV show ''[[Little Voice (TV series)|Little Voice]]'' created by [[Sara Bareilles]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Little Voice Apple TV |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Voice_(TV_series)}}</ref>{{Circular reference|date=March 2024}}
During the [[COVID pandemic]] of 2020, Lau garnered the attention of music superstars like Jacob Collier, [[Gavin Degraw]], [[Phoebe Bridgers]] and [[Moses Sumney]] among others, thanks to the videos she posted on Instagram performing her songs.
Lau self released her first EP, entitled ''3'', in June 2021. It was a compilation of original songs on guitar and voice.
In July 2021 Noah was invited to perform with Jacob Collier at the [[Blue Note]] in NYC. Later that year, Noah performed a successful solo tour in [[Spain]], [[France]], [[Germany]] and [[Switzerland]]. In 2022 Lau performed alongside pop star [[Gavin Degraw]] in [[Bethel Woods]], the grounds of the legendary [[Woodstock festival]] of 1969.
Lau went on tour with [[Macarthur Grant]] awardee [[Chris Thile]] in the fall of 2022 opening his shows in Europe, and in early 2023 opened for Americana superband [[Nickel Creek]] in the UK.<ref>{{cite web |title=Nickel Creek + Lau Noah |url=https://unionchapel.org.uk/whats-on/nickel-creek-lau-noah}}</ref>
On May 19, 2023, Noah released the first single of her album, featuring [[Jacob Collier]]. The song called "If a tree falls in love with a river" amassed over 400.000 streams on [[Spotify]] the first week after release.
In the fall of 2023 she opened for [[Ben Folds]] in the UK,<ref>{{cite web |title=Lau Noah on tour with Ben Folds |url=https://bristolbeacon.org/whats-on/ben-folds-lau-noah/}}</ref> performing at the [[Royal Albert Hall]] and other legendary venues, receiving standing ovations and making audiences of around 5000 people sing in perfect two-part harmony. When the tour was suddenly cancelled due to Folds health issues, Noah took to [[social media]] and turned to her fans, who helped put a headliner tour together in three days, spanning over 10 dates in several locations in [[Ireland]], Germany, [[France]], the [[Netherlands]] and Spain.
[[File:Lau Noah at the RAH.jpg|thumb|Lau Noah turns the audience into a choir]]
Noah released her first LP, ''A DOS''<ref>{{cite web |title=Lau Noah album release |url=https://shorefire.com/releases/entry/lau-noah-releases-new-albuma-dos}}</ref> on January 12 of 2024 to much praise, featuring Grammy winning Latin star [[Gaby Moreno]], virtuoso mandolinist [[Chris Thile]], [[Goya awards]] winner [[Sílvia Pérez Cruz]], Pop sensation [[Jacob Collier]], prominent flamenco singer Ángeles Toledano, [[ECM Records|ECM]] favorite [[Shai Maestro]], [[Academy Award]] recipient [[Jorge Drexler]], [[Eurovision]] winner [[Salvador Sobral]] and [[Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz]] first prize [[Cécile McLorin Salvant]].
Throughout January and February 2024 Noah was on the cover of ''[[Performer Magazine]]''<ref>{{cite web |title=Lau Noah Cover Story |url=https://performermag.com/new-music-and-video/interviews-and-features/cover-story-lau-noah-discusses-her-unique-acoustic-style/}}</ref> and was featured in several music publications and podcasts including NPR's New Sounds,<ref>{{cite web |title=Lau Noah New Sounds NPR |url=https://www.newsounds.org/story/unique-songcraft-catalan-singer-and-guitarist-lau-noah/}}</ref> [[WBGO]]'s Third Story podcast<ref>{{cite web |title=WBGO Lau Noah |url=https://www.wbgo.org/podcast/the-third-story/2024-01-10/lau-noah-songs-for-two}}</ref> and [[Recording Academy]]'s Global Spin.<ref>{{cite web |title=Lau Noah Grammy.com |url=https://www.grammy.com/news/lau-noah-lesser-men-would-call-it-love-performance-video-global-spin}}</ref>Album of the Year, the user run music review website gave Noah's duet with Collier a 100% rating,<ref>{{cite web |title= Album of the year review Lau Noah |url=https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/cbuhrermusic/album/718929-if-a-tree-falls-in-love-with-a-river/}}</ref> and the full record a rating of 86%.
In March 2024 Noah became a finalist in the [[American Songwriter]] song contest.<ref>{{cite web |title=Lau Noah finalist of American Songwriter | date=8 March 2024 |url=https://americansongwriter.com/american-songwriter-2023-song-contest-finalists-announced/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=2023+Song+Contest+Finalists+Announcement&utm_campaign=2023+Song+Contest+-+Semi-Finalists+Announcement+2+26+24+%28Copy%29}}</ref>
Award winning [[Jamie Cullum]] spoke about Lau's record and played it on his [[BBC]] radio show in March of 2024.<ref>{{cite web |title=Jamie Cullum talks about Lau Noah |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001wqw9}}</ref>
Lau Noah has given several conferences about creativity in [[Ivy League]] universities<ref>{{cite web |title=Lau Noah at Brown University |url=https://events.brown.edu/music/event/255686-brown-jazz-talk-with-lau-noah}}</ref> ( [[Brown University]] 2023) and music festivals and conservatories worldwide ( Cork international guitar festival 2019, Connecticut Guitar festival 2018, St Louis Classical guitar conservatory 2020, Escuela Superior de Musica creativa de Madrid 2020, Taller de Musics de Barcelona 2024)
== Discography ==
* ''3 - Lau Noah'' (2021)
* ''A Dos - Lau Noah'' (2024)
==References==
{{Reflist}}
== External links ==
* {{Official website|http://www.launoahmusic.com}}
* {{Instagram|launoah57}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Noah, Lau}}
[[Category:1994 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Spanish composers]]
[[Category:Spanish songwriters]]