How Maty Noyes Went From Singing With The Weeknd To Her Very Own EP
Maty Noyes’ latest single, “In My Mind,” is a dark pop song — like what pop would sound like if you fell down a rabbit hole (in a good way).
Her voice has been featured on songs like Kygo’s “Stay” and The Weeknd’s “Angel,” but now, Maty is set to release her first EP this October.
It’s a fresh take on pop music, and after talking to Maty, there’s a lot more where it came from. Check out our Q&A with Maty below, and don’t forget to watch the music video for “In My Mind.”
How did you realize you could make music?
Honestly, I got really lucky because it was the one thing that I knew I just always wanted to do. When I was 12, I got a guitar for Christmas, and within a week I was writing songs. My parents were blown away — it just kind of happened really easily, once I applied myself to it.
What made you decide to move out on your own to pursue music?
I came from a very rural part of Mississippi, and it was a very hard place to grow up in. Everyone I knew was going off to college, and I knew that I didn’t want to go to college. I just didn’t like school. Also, I didn’t really get along with people my age. So, I told my parents that I wanted to do music. In this business, it’s good to start young. Basically, they gave me a challenge, which was [that I had to] finish x amount of tasks: you have to finish school, find out about school online, pay for it yourself, pay for your own place – lots of stuff they didn’t think I would do. And they said if I can do it all by the time I turn 16 and get my driver’s license, I could go. And so I did it all and they were very surprised! They had to let me go, and it was super rough for them, but they’re happy that I did it now.
Have you always had a ton of drive to follow your dreams to becoming a musician?
For me, I feel like it’s more than that. I feel a really big responsibility to the world. I really do genuinely love every person, and I want to do my part. I want to give people good music. I want to help people and always try to do the right thing. I don’t want to let anybody down, and that’s what has kept me going this whole time.
If In My Mind were on a movie soundtrack, set to a specific scene maybe, what would it be and why?
I think it would probably be in a scene where [a guy and a girl are] in a fight and the girl is just trying to tune the guy out. Then all of a sudden, [you go through] this portal and she’s laying on a beach and someone’s giving her margaritas. She’s suddenly happy and then she snaps out of it. The guy is still screaming at her. Or it could be on like, The Bachelor [laughing].
What inspired the album art? Do you draw inspiration from any other visual artists for your music?
Oh yeah, album art is a big deal for me. I would rather have [really] cool visuals than have it be all about me. What I wanted was kind of like, going down this crazy portal of things that have meaning in my life. I love flowers, I love snakes, I love pyramids — it’s all quite deep if I got into it. But these are things that happen to show up a lot in my life. They have a lot of meaning to me and kind of represent who I am as a person.
Why do you have such a fascination with snakes?
I’ve had a lot of pet snakes actually, I know that’s really weird, but I’m super in to reptiles – a lot of lizards and snakes. Snakes are very cool. I kind of relate them to aliens. I used to have a pet lizard actually. I named it after a Pokemon, and he was a vegetarian like me.
How was it working with The Weeknd and Kygo?
It was awesome because The Weeknd is really dominating his lane of music. And Kygo is completely dominating his lane of music, so to be working with two artists who are just on top of the world is a really cool start when you haven’t even been able to put your own stuff out yet.
Does fashion or makeup play any role in your music?
Fashion definitely does. It’s funny because a lot of people have a hard time wrapping their brain around who I am fashion-wise, because I love so many things. So many different types of clothes! And I’m a big collector of a lot of vintage stuff. I like to mix it with new stuff. I collect shoes and I don’t even like to wear them. They are like, tokens of beauty to me. I’m a lover of everything, and am very into the retro-pop vibe.
What’s next for you? Is there an upcoming tour or more songs on the way?
I have like, hundreds of songs! I have so much ready to show the world. What’s next will be the EP, which comes out in October. That will be a five song EP. I’m really excited for it. Then the next step will be a full album.
Photo by Tony Duran
