Krists Indrišonoks (born 27 February 1995), better known as Chris Noah, is a Latvian singer and songwriter. Known for blending indie elements with contemporary pop, Noah has been nominated for multiple awards, including the prestigious Latvian Music Recording Awards for best pop album of year and best song of the year.
Chris Noah | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Chris Noah performing in 2019 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Krists Indrišonoks |
| Also known as | Chris Noah (Sometimes spelled Kriss Noa in Latvia) |
| Born | 27 February 1995 Riga, Latvia |
| Genres | Indie, Pop, pop rock |
| Occupations |
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| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 2015–present |
| Labels | Sony Music Entertainment |
Chris Noah is currently the only Latvian singer[1] signed with Sony Music and has performed at international festivals like Reeperbahn and Tallinn Music Week. Early in his career he released only English-language songs, but in 2023, he began releasing singles in his native language of Latvian as well. His EPs include What about Tomorrow? (2017), Distance (2020) and Red Light (2022). He released his first full-length album Atvadas nav skumjas, ja zinām, ka drīz tiksimies in October 2024.
Early life
editNoah was born in Riga, Latvia. Both of his parents are musical: his father, Valdis Indrišonoks[1] is a professional guitarist and songwriter and his mother is a music teacher.[2] Noah studied guitar and graduated from a music school as a child, but his interest in music re-ignited when he was 17-years-old as an emotional outlet; previously he wanted to be a hockey or basketball player.[2][3]
Career
edit2015–2019: Early work
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In 2015, Chris Noah released his first single "Had It All". In 2016, he released his second single "You" which became one of the most played songs in Latvia and earned a 2017 AKKA/LAA Copyright Infinity Award for its use on television, public and commercial radio channels.[4] He released his debut EP What About Tomorrow? in 2017, which was nominated for the Best Debut award at the 2018 Latvian Music Recording Awards (also known as the Zelta Mikrofons (lit. 'Golden Microphones').[5] He performed at the 2017 Reeperbahn music festival, saying "I also want to prove myself outside of Latvia's borders and I am especially happy that one of the first foreign stages are precisely the Reeperbahn Campus Festival".[6]
2020–present: Rise in popularity
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In 2020, he signed with Made in Baltics (Sony Music Entertainment) to release his second EP Distance just a week after the 2020 COVID Pandemic hit and closed public spaces in Latvia. The title track "Distance" is "how social media allows us to follow each other without actually communicating. It is kind of sad, but common, especially in the process of moving on and being in a perpetual battle with yourself".[7] The pandemic forced the cancellation of his 2020 concerts, so he released a deluxe version of Distance which included new tracks written in the meantime.[8] The single "This Is The Night" from the deluxe version reached the top of radio Star FM and Estonian Raadio 2 and lead to two performances at the 2020 Tallinn Music Week.[8][9] The album Distance was nominated for Best Pop Music Album at the 2021 Latvian Music Recording Awards.[8]
In 2022 Noah signed with Sony Entertainment Finland to release his next EP Red Light.[10] He said his writing process for the album came from realizing "for the first time that 'not feeling love' isn't just a made-up concept or an excuse to get out of a relationship you no longer want to be in. This realization was the core of my writing process, which I approached from various angles: uncertainty, doubt, jealousy, and regret. The title track 'Red Light' is about the disappearance of illusions".[10] The album would be nominated for Best Pop Album and the single "Sunboy" for Best Song at the 2023 Latvian Music Recording Awards.[11]
In 2023, he co-wrote "Stay" which was performed by Lithuanian singer Monika Linkytė at the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, finishing in 11th place.[12] He also announced his first sold-out solo concert,[1] after having played numerous music festivals in his career.[13] He released his first single "Cik tālu vēl?" (lit. 'How far yet?') in his native Latvian language.[13] Inspired by 80s rock music, Noah admits, "The song didn't come together as smoothly as I hoped—it was a challenge. I thought writing lyrics in Latvian would be easier".[13] He wanted to convey something personal and real while avoiding clichés, adding he would continue to write more songs in Latvian.[13] "Cik tālu vēl?" (lit. 'How far yet?') was nominated for Top Radio Hit at the 2024 Latvian Music Recording Awards.[14]
In March 2024, He released his second Latvian language single "Nomodā" (lit. 'Awake') and announced the release of an upcoming album inspired by the sounds of the 80s.[15] He joined top Latvian singer Dons as a backing singer during his Eurovision Song Contest 2024 performances;[16] Noah previously was the opening act for Dons at his 2022 Sigulda Castle Ruins concert[17] and opened again for his 2024 Laiks (lit. 'Time') concert at the Daugava Stadium. In July 2024, he announced a solo concert at the prestigious Palladium Riga taking place 7 November 2024 and released his third Latvian language single "Desmitiem Reižu" (lit. 'Dozens of Times'), which reached the top of Latvian music charts.[18][19]
In October 2024, Noah released his first full length album Atvadas nav skumjas, ja zinām, ka drīz tiksimies (lit. 'Goodbye is not sad if we know we'll meet soon'), which is entirely in Latvian besides one English song.[20] He describes the album as "This full-length album definitely starts a new phase in my music. I tried to feel and connect two worlds - musically, I drew parallels with pop music from the last century, while I constructed the texts on topics that are relevant to me right now. Each song is a very real story about real people and feelings".[20] He also released "Kādreiz" (lit. 'Once up a time') as the first single.[20]
Musical style
editChris Noah's musical style blends indie rock with contemporary pop influences, often characterized by emotional lyrics, guitar-driven melodies, and a polished, atmospheric sound. His music draws on elements of 80s pop-rock nostalgia, incorporating synth textures, catchy hooks, and reflective lyricism. Noah began his career releasing extended plays, stating that a debut album only happens once and he has waited until he developed a musical style that suits his ambitions, saying, "an artist needs a certain fan base to listen to it, just like a band or an artist needs to be confident in their sound and genre frameworks".[21]
Noah was inspired by the musical tastes of his father, Valdis Indrišonoks, who is a professional musician; these influences include U2, Eric Clapton, and the Beatles.[21] Growing up in his musical household, he also gained a lot of experiences of how the writing process and being able to surround himself with experienced musicians early in his career, which music critics notice about his live performances.[21][1] Sandris Vanzovics, the music reviewer for Neatkarīgā Rīta Avīze notes that Noah's experienced backing musicians creates a sound that makes Chris Noah seem like a musician straight out of the Western music scene; he has gained popularity outside of Latvia with his English language songs, especially in Estonia,[1] however music critic Uldis Rudak said he has never cared for his music until he begin to sing in Latvian with his first single "Cik tālu vēl?" (lit. 'How far yet?').[22] When talking about the difference between writing in English and Latvian, he said these influences play a role in how he create melodies, phrase them and put them together, with English being more sonorous.[21]
Discography
editAlbums
edit| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Atvadas nav skumjas, ja zinām, ka drīz tiksimies |
|
Extended plays
edit| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| What About Tomorrow? |
|
| Distance |
|
| Distance (deluxe) |
|
| Red Light |
|
Singles
edit| Title | Year | Album or EP |
|---|---|---|
| "Had it all" | 2015 | |
| "You" | 2016 | |
| "Spark" | 2017 | What about Tomorrow? |
| "River" | 2018 | |
| "Fall Through" | ||
| "Inside out" | 2019 | |
| "The Line" | 2020 | Distance |
| "This Is The Night" | Distance (Deluxe edition) | |
| "Sunboy" | 2022 | Red Light |
| "Only Yours" | Red Light | |
| "Take A Minute" | 2023 | |
| "Cik Tālu vēl?" | Atvadas nav skumjas, ja zinām, ka drīz tiksimies | |
| "Nomodā" | 2024 | Atvadas nav skumjas, ja zinām, ka drīz tiksimies |
| "Desmitiem Reižu" | Atvadas nav skumjas, ja zinām, ka drīz tiksimies | |
| "Kādreiz" | Atvadas nav skumjas, ja zinām, ka drīz tiksimies |
Awards
editThe Annual Latvian Music Recording Awards (equivalent to the Grammy awards) presents the Zelta Mikrofons (lit. 'Golden Microphones') awards to the best music recordings of all genres from the previous year, which are evaluated by a professional jury.[23] Latvijas Radio presents the annual Muzikālās Banka (lit. 'Musical Bank') award to the most valuable pop and rock song, which is selected based on audience votes and evaluation by a professional jury.[24]
| Year | Nominated work | Category | Award | Result | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | "You" | AKKA/LAA Copyright Infinity Award | Won | [4] | ||
| 2018 | What About Tomorrow? | Best Debut | Latvian Music Recording Awards | Nominated | [5] | |
| 2021 | Distance | Best Pop Album | Latvian Music Recording Awards | Nominated | [8] | |
| 2023 | Red Light | Best Pop Album | Latvian Music Recording Awards | Nominated | [11] | |
| "Sunboy" | Song of the Year | Latvian Music Recording Awards | Nominated | |||
| "Cik tālu vēl?" (lit. 'How far yet?') | Most Valuable Song | Muzikālā banka (lit. 'Musical Bank') | 9th place | [25] | ||
| 2024 | Top Radio Hit | Latvian Music Recording Awards | Nominated | [14] |
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "Chris Noah fenomens – pašmāju puisis ar Rietumu piesitienu". nra.lv (in Latvian). Retrieved 4 September 2024.
- ^ a b "CHRIS NOAH (LV)". Norden Festival. Archived from the original on 14 April 2024. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
- ^ "KULTŪRAS APVIENĪBA :: JAUNUMI". KULTŪRAS APVIENĪBA (in Latvian). Retrieved 4 September 2024.
- ^ a b LSM.lv Kultūras redakcija (27 November 2017). "«Autortiesību bezgalības balvu 2017» saņems 20 autori". LSM.lv (in Latvian). Archived from the original on 5 September 2024. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
- ^ a b "Paziņoti mūzikas ierakstu gada balvas Zelta Mikrofons nominanti". Diena / Diena (in Latvian). 18 January 2018. Archived from the original on 5 September 2024. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
- ^ "Latviju Reeperbahn Campus Festival pārstāvēs Elizabete Balčus un Chris Noah". Diena / Diena (in Latvian). 22 September 2017. Archived from the original on 5 September 2024. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
- ^ "In Conversation With #111". When The Horn Blows. 12 November 2020. Archived from the original on 17 November 2020. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Uz balvu Zelta Mikrofons kategorijā Popmūzikas albums pretendē Dons, Aija Andrejeva, Chris Noah, MARTA un grupa Triānas Parks". Zelta Mikrofons (in Latvian). 3 March 2021. Archived from the original on 22 April 2024. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
- ^ "Eight Latvian musicians to perform at Tallinn Music Week". Eng.lsm.lv. 13 July 2020. Archived from the original on 30 May 2024. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
- ^ a b Izklaide, tv3.lv - (4 November 2022). "Dziedātājs Kriss Noa izdod mini albumu "Red light"". tv3.lv (in Latvian). Archived from the original on 4 November 2022. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ a b Izklaide, tv3.lv - (12 January 2023). "Paziņoti visi "Zelta mikrofona'23" nominanti". tv3.lv (in Latvian). Archived from the original on 28 February 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Izklaide, tv3.lv - (19 February 2023). "Latviešu mūziķu Chris Noah un JJ Lush radīta dziesma uzvarējusi Lietuvas "Eirovīzijas" atlasē". tv3.lv (in Latvian). Retrieved 4 September 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ a b c d Publicitātes foto. "Chris Noah beidzot iedziedas latviski". nra.lv (in Latvian). Archived from the original on 5 September 2024. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
- ^ a b "Noskaidroti 'Zelta mikrofona '24' nominanti; līderi – Fiņķis un Patrisha". DELFI (in Latvian). 22 January 2024. Archived from the original on 5 April 2024. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
- ^ Izklaide, tv3.lv - (8 March 2024). "Mūziķim Chris Noah jauna dziesma latviešu valodā – "Nomodā"". tv3.lv (in Latvian). Archived from the original on 5 July 2024. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Dons heads off to Sweden for Eurovision". Eng.lsm.lv. 30 April 2024. Archived from the original on 6 May 2024. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
- ^ "biļešu, suvenīru, mūzikas, grāmatu tirdzniecība". Sākums (in Latvian). Archived from the original on 14 April 2024. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
- ^ "Latvijas spēlētāko dziesmu RADIO TOP 2024. gads -34. nedēļa". ParMūziku.lv (in Latvian). Retrieved 5 September 2024.
- ^ "Kriss Noa izsludina koncertu "Palladium" un publicē jaunu singlu". DELFI (in Latvian). 2 July 2024. Archived from the original on 5 July 2024. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
- ^ a b c "Klajā nācis Chris Noah jaunākais singls un albums". Diena / Diena (in Latvian). 14 October 2024. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
- ^ a b c d Leitholde, Aiga (24 March 2020). "Mūziķis Chris Noah: Klātbūtne nav nepieciešama, lai sekotu līdzi notiekošajam". LSM.lv (in Latvian). Archived from the original on 5 September 2024. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
- ^ LSM.lv Kultūras redakcija (7 January 2024). "Vai spēks ir jaunībā? «Muzikālās bankas» fināla dziesmas vērtē Kristaps Krievkalns, Ieva Rozentāle un Uldis Rudaks". LSM.lv (in Latvian). Archived from the original on 23 January 2024. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
- ^ "Vēsture". Zelta Mikrofons (in Latvian). 11 November 2019. Archived from the original on 21 January 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
- ^ Publicitātes foto. ""Muzikālā banka": ar mūziķiem, viesiem, aplausiem un ovācijām". Neatkarīgā (in Latvian). Archived from the original on 11 February 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
- ^ "«Muzikālajā bankā» uzvar Dons ar dziesmu «Lauzto šķēpu karaļvalsts»". Daugavpils.lv (in Latvian). 28 January 2024. Archived from the original on 5 September 2024. Retrieved 4 September 2024.