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Photo: Stefanie Moser

Only six months after the release of his debut EP Nice, R&B/neo-soul singer goodboy noah is back with the release of his sophomore EP, Cool.  The Toronto native, LA-based artist known for his tongue-in-cheek and earworm melodies has gifted us with a perfect collection of tracks just in time for the holidays.

Singles "Backseat," "Hit N' Run," "Attitude," and "Buggin," were released prior to today and the final tracks "Treasure" and "Long Night" wrap up the six track EP, beautifully. We sat down with goodboy noah to talk about not only his EP but also his first festival announcement, music influences, and DIY music videos.

Ones to Watch: Congrats on the release of your sophomore EP! I'm a fan (obviously) but for those who are new here, how would you describe your music and sound without using any genres?

goodboy noah: Thanks! Hmmm, I guess the words I'd use to describe it are fun, organic, bouncy, cheeky, smooth, and soulful.

If you had to choose, what's your favorite track off the EP and why?

I think my favorite song is probably "Attitude," just because it reminds me of the 2000's R&B I would listen to growing up. I love the guitar and bassline, and we wrote and recorded the song during a writing camp. It's one of those songs that was made quickly and easily.

Did the writing process change at all from your debut EP Nice to Cool?

It changed a lot, just because of COVID. Nice was written during the second half of 2020, so a lot of the collaborative writing process was virtual, and a lot of the recording I would do on my own in my bedroom. With Cool, I was able to do a lot of that in person with my friends Micah Gordon and Dan Henig, since we worked on that this year. Also, I think we discovered more of the sound I want to have moving forward with this EP. And making it together in the same room definitely helped with that. Everything seems more real and organic to me.

I love the retro vibe you've carried throughout your previous EP and this one. Is that going to continue as goodboy noah's statement style or are you planning on switching things up on us?

I definitely love the retro sound. I think it just happens naturally with me because of my main R&B influences growing up. I love bouncy R&B with real instruments and stacked vocals, which people automatically associate with the 2000's. I think I want to lean into that even more going forward. Use more real instruments and drum samples, so that everything sounds timeless.

Who or what influenced you while working on Cool?

I get a lot of influence from the artists I listened to growing up, like I mentioned before. That was a lot of Usher, Lauryn Hill, Ne-yo, Mary J. Blige, Nate Dogg, etc. So it always comes from them mixed with the artists I'm listening to currently like Silk Sonic, Ari Lennox, Kehlani, Free Nationals, and Remi Wolf.

Your music videos are my favorite, they feel very DIY yet professional. Can you walk us through what the process looks like? How involved are you in creating them?

Oh, they are extremely DIY haha. I'm lucky to have friends and collaborators with great camera gear, so we can go out and shoot what we want. I come up with the concepts for the videos with Dan and the rest of my team, and we just go out and shoot them. We do most of the editing ourselves too. I definitely like to lean into the silly, quirky stuff in the videos. My favorite video from the EP is probably "Hit N' Run." The mermaid absolutely stole the show in my opinion.

If you could tour with anyone, who would it be?

Off the top of my head I'd say Teddy Swims, Ari Lennox, and Kehlani. I think their music is unbelievable, and they also seem like a fun time.

What song are you most excited to perform live?

I can wait to perform "Treasure," which is off the new EP. The first verse has this kind of lazy rapping section that I've never done live, so I'm excited to try that out.

You announced your first ever festival spot for Treefort Music Fest in March, how does that feel?

I'm really excited for that! I've never played a festival or been to Idaho, so I can't wait. Gonna be great to perform and meet everyone who comes out and to see the other acts.

What's next for goodboy noah?

I'm just gonna keep it moving with more music starting back up in 2022. You can expect a lottt more music, and I think it's getting better and better. Also, I have some exciting features and collabs for next year, so I can’t wait.