Today, (after their performance at Colours in Hoxton last night) Noah Slee, the Berlin-based, Aotearoa/New Zealand artist releases his sophomore album ‘it takes a village’.
It takes a village’ is an examination of vulnerability, community, empowerment, and culture, with elements from soul, R&B, and alternative music. Previous songs such as ‘RISE (feat. LVJ),’ ‘HEALING,’ and, most recently, ‘GOLDEN (feat Joy Denalane)’ simply scratch the surface of this dynamic and emotional body of work has to offer.
Noah Slee is an artist who considers the term “community” to be a defining component in his work. Be it the relatively recent sense of belonging he discovered as a member of Berlin’s free-thinking, queer community, the community he is inextricably linked to through his Tongan roots, or the artist community he cultivates through running grass-roots events that aim to support home-grown Berlin talent.
Noah, known for his sleek and evocative vocals, shot to prominence with the publication of his first album Otherland (Wondercore Island / Majestic Casual) in 2017, for which he received two prestigious Pacific Music Awards in 2018. After a few years, a handful of worldwide tours, and tens of millions of streams, Slee continued to push boundaries with his 2019 EP TWICE. The EP was mostly created by Slee himself, with assistance from his Berlin dynasty of trusted creatives, but it also showcased talent from all across the world.
While the indie-club performer has fond memories of growing up in a Tongan home in West Auckland, Aotearoa, New Zealand, Slee is steadfast in his decision to pack his belongings and go to Germany in 2015. It’s long distance from home, but he confesses that ‘coming into myself was a significant part of being in Berlin.’
Speaking on the creation of ‘it takes village’, Slee expands; “it takes a village’ is a very special project for me. One of those magical comings together of the most beautiful souls. It’s a small insight into the creative community here in Berlin I’m apart of. We sing about the complexities of life and we sing about the struggles we face. We sing about hope but not forget about addressing injustices. It’s layered and insightful. I know as a creative I’ll look back one day and be proud of what WE produced. Something for the times, addressing the past and optimism for the future.”
Behind the lyricism of the focus track, ‘CULTURE (feat. Mulay)’, Noah Slee expands; ‘I love this song, it’s personal for me. It celebrates the culture and owning that part of my identity. It’s definitely been a journey for me to get to this point! Happy to share this moment with Mulay. We had some in-depth discussions about what this theme means to US and it was empowering and inspiring to break bread and share our stories and now have all of you partake’.
Noah Slee is as determined as ever to build wavy ground swells with his heart opening breezy r&b dance songs.
Images from @noahslee