Noémie Wolfs

March 26, 2015: a bolt from the blue strikes the Belgian music scene. Noémie Wolfs announces she’s parting ways with Hooverphonic, the band which she fronted as lead singer for the previous five years.

“The end of an amazing chapter of my life”, she says at the time, but she wants to find her own musical footing.

February 2020 brought us Noémie’s long awaited second solo album, the melancholic Lonely Boy’s Paradise. Noémie took her time writing and recording this album, but the result is a collection of songs she relates to even closer than to the ones on her debut album. The album’s title perfectly reflects the atmosphere of the album, as do the song titles themselves.

“The southern, upbeat rhythm provides a stark and beautiful contrast to the sombre text, and I like that”, dixit Noémie.

To those who know Noémie’s musical heroes, the wide-ranging scope of the album comes as no surprise.

“I’m a big fan of Damon Albarn: with Blur, with Gorillaz and solo. His music is so multi-dimensional, there’s so much in it, it’s phenomenal. The same goes for Lana Del Rey, both visually and lyrically.”

“While making my first album everything was new and it sometimes overwhelmed me. This time around, there’s less uncertainty. I’ve learned to dare to take risks, to not fear dumb ideas. Now it’s really my project, I’m pulling the strings. But now that it’s really my baby, I feel more stressed about it than last time around as well”, she sighs.

Don’t worry, Noémie. We’ve heard the album, and that stress is unwarranted.