Newcomer Musician NOAH JACK Discusses His Debut EP and More!

Get to know the rousing story of Noah Jack and his new song “Neighborhood.”

 “Neighborhood” tells the story of Noah’s hometown of Park Ridge, Illinois calling it “a letter to my friends and family who were there for me from start to finish.” Being diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Noah wasn’t able to talk until he was 5 years old, but recalls being able to hum at age 4 stating “I always tell people that I learned how to sing before I was able to talk. So music has always been in my life even when I was a kid.”

Now a sophomore at Belmont University in Nashville, Noah plans to release his debut EP titled All In The Family in January. Each track will be dedicated to a member of his family.

Learn more about Noah Jack in the following All Access interview:

Thanks for your time today! Where does this interview find you? Is there music playing in the background? If so, what is it? What music gets you instantly out of a bad mood? What is a song you are loving these days?

I am at school now. I am a Junior at Belmont University so I was doing homework, but I didn’t feel like doing it, so I felt like answering some questions. Whenever I’m in a bad mood I usually listen to calming music like Ray Lamontagne, Fleet Foxes, Father John Misty, Noah Gundersen, and  Bon Iver. I also to music that inspires me when I’m down like Justin Timberlake, and Jeff Buckley. My favorite song right now is a song called Knowledge by Kamasi Washington. It is a jazz piece that I have fell in love with!

Growing up, did you always want to be a musician? Can you recall your earliest musical memory? Was there a time where you thought of doing something completely different?

My life goal ever since I was four was to be singing in front of people. I would go to speech therapy with my mom and we would sing Picture by Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow every time I went to speech therapy. So I always tell people that I could sing before I could talk.

Musically, did you approach this year any differently than you did last year? How has 2017 been treating you and your career? What are you most excited about for in 2018?

In 2016 I was doing a lot more shows, and focusing more on my stage presence. This year I’ve only done 10 shows and recorded so many songs. I’m only going to use five, but it’s going to be so hard. I’m so excited about 2018 because I finally get to share my hard work to everyone and do more shows!

I always like to ask artists about where they came from and how that city or town has influenced them as an artist now. So how do you think your hometown has affected you and your music today?

My hometown is everything to me! I’m a Die-hard Chicago Cubs fan and a massive fan of the Chicago Bears. I love Chicago and my hometown of Park Ridge so much. My family is Park Ridge, and they will never leave, so whenever I get to go home it feels right. I do write a lot about Chicago, and especially the plane rides coming home.

What was the inspiration for your newest song “Neighborhood”? How do you think it prepares listeners for your debut EP “All In The Family” to be released in January?

My inspiration for Neighborhood was about my hometown Park Ridge. The song is about a lot of people from my family to my best friend who is my neighbor. He’s my best friend and I wrote the song as sort of a thank you letter to him and my family. The song does talk about

I would love to know more about how you are planning on dedicating each track on your forthcoming EP to a member of your family? Did anything surprise you about the process of putting together your EP? Were there any unexpected challenges?

The EP is about my family and each track is about a person in my family. So Neighborhood is about all of them. And certain tracks will be dedicated to my family. I wanted to make an EP that people will be understanding with and with the whole narrative being about family. The tracks were easy to talk about and when I was writing I had an idea for each song being for my parents or for my four brothers.

Do you have plans to perform live at this fall in support of your debut EP?

Nothing yet sadly. I am trying to find a manager who can I help me with everyone in the music business. I also want to focus all of my time on creating music.

With the summer days over, what was something fun or new that you tried this summer?

Just being around my family was perfect for me this summer. I got to see some Cubs game and that’s a perfect summer for me right there.

We are living in a crazy and at times rough world right now so I am curious how you think being a musician gives you the most joy in life today? Do you think that new music being created today is going to reflect these hard times?

We are living in tough times with people feeling lost. I want to write music that people can listen to and forget the bad in the world, and just relax. I want my music to help people in times of tragedy and also times that people cherish. Music is the best medicine and it will never change.

Who are some of your favorite artists or rather, what musicians have continued to inspire you and your music? What musicians would you absolutely love to work with in the future?

I have 2. The first one is Justin Timberlake. I saw him live when I was 5 years old. He was with N’SYNC and I was a fan, but I grew to love Justin when I became a musician. He is truly a one of a kind. He is so talented and someone I have looked up to ever since I was 4 years old. My goal is to be apart of his label. The second one is Jeff Buckley. Jeff was a talent that left us way too early. Grace is my favorite album of all time, and it’s because of Jeff’s passion. He has a quote that has lived with me for a long time and it’s “I don’t really need to be remembered. I hope the music’s remembered”.

What do you hope fans take away from your music? Do you think that your music has an overall message at all?

That people can learn from my story of adversity and a wonderful story of triumph. I want to share my story to more people. And with the EP that I’m releasing I hope that I can share my story to everyone.

What advice would you give to a young person who is thinking about becoming a musician one day?

It’s a crazy business, but with the people you share your music with it’s a fun journey with many ups and downs

Is there anything else that you would like to share with our readers about yourself or your music?

I am someone who is diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and I am very proud to share my story to so many people, but I also want to help. I want people to donate to Autism Speaks, and help families with kids who have ASD. Donate $1 or more. I want to be someone who can help people and also share my story to many more. Here is a link where you can help donate. https://act.autismspeaks.org/site/Donation2?df_id=1500&mfc_pref=T&1500.donation=form1&s_src=AutismSpeaks.org&s_subsrc=DonateRedirect