21-year-old singer/songwriter Noah Martin began his music career at a very young age and it has only escalated since.
At age three, his parents got tired of him destroying their kitchenware he used as a makeshift drum set, so he was given his first drum set. At age four, he started learning guitar.
Martin had always been surrounded by music. He would watch live music videos and performances frequently. When he was in school, he would tell everyone his name was George Harrison, like the Beatles’ lead guitarist.
Through middle and high school, Martin played in his own bands. His solo career began after high school when his band broke up.
Martin’s solo music, as he describes, is very “introspective.”
“I try to play to how I’m feeling, or come up with a riff that embodies the emotions that have been running through my mind lately,” Martin said.
Being an only child, Martin cherishes having music as an outlet for his emotions and boredom.
“The more I can be introspective and find out about myself, the more I can stop putting my insanity on other people, which is nice. I like doing that ‘cause then I’m able to look back at it and read something that I wrote, and you can be way more honest in a song than you can be to yourself,” Martin said.
When he first started writing his own lyrics, he had a difficult time coming up with the right words to say.
“I didn’t know what to write about. I was like, “Well, the only thing I know is myself and I can really only write from my perspective,” Martin said.
In 2019, Martin started releasing his own music. He put out various singles such as Blowout, Don’t Forget, El Desgraciado, and more up until his first EP in 2021.
In Due Time, Martin’s EP, has six songs with the sound that he has found for himself over time. Songs in the EP touch on various topics, such as panic attacks, addiction, and Martin’s personal spirituality.
The first song, Indigo, covers visions he has seen while meditating.
“That one I really like because I don’t feel like I wrote it. Like, I was in my room one day and five minutes later I was like, “Woah, that’s a full song!” Every time I listen to it, it just kind of feels like something was trying to talk to me, or something was there,” Martin said.
A new song coming out in August titled Grace’s Secret is about the British drama show, Peaky Blinders. The song is from the perspective of the main character, Tommy Shelby.
“As everyone does, they put themselves in Tommy’s shoes. I just wrote it from if I were Tommy, what would be a song I would write to embody season three,” Martin said.
The first line of the song, “Am I the parasite stuck in your throat?” makes Martin reflect on his own personal life.
“Every time I hear it, it makes me think about how I am as a person and what I’m doing; if I’m doing anything to be better or if I just like being stuck in what I am,” Martin said.
Outside of his musical career, Martin delves into history and aircraft. He enjoys reading history and geopolitical books to get away from everything in life.
“Finding out more about human history makes me come to terms with myself and see that I’m no saint and all I can do is learn,” Martin said.
Reading history memoirs has also helped him with his own songwriting. One of his favorite books, All Quiet on the Western Front, has been one that has spoken to him in that way.
“It kind of made me be way more up front with my own writing, like I have a lot of addiction issues and it made me come face to face with them,” Martin said.
Despite being a solo artist, he is not a solo performer. On stage he is joined by his dad on the drums and his friend from high school, Carson Miller, playing bass. In addition, his mom helps sell t-shirts and stickers at shows.
“I definitely am a solo artist, but it’s not just me. I’m writing the songs and stuff, but then I have my band with me and my parents who are helping me a lot. I think with any famous band, musician, actor, anything I think there’s always a team behind them that’s always helping them. No one’s ever alone,” Martin said.
Martin views being a small local artist and getting his name out there as a challenge.
“There’s still people who have never heard of me or have no idea what my music is, and it’s like a challenge for me,” Martin said.
Noah Martin will be releasing new music within the next month and his next show will be at the Groundworks on July 16th, 2022. Tickets can be purchased online or at the door.