Johari Noelle Reaches for Humanity on Things You Can’t Say Out Loud

If you’re in need of a soulful R&B album to kick off the summer right, look no further than the work of Johari Noelle, a Chicago based artist who plans to release her debut album, Things You Can’t Say Out Loud, next week on May 31st.

Set in black and white with sporadic interchanges of camera angles and focus, new single “Too Much” draws in the viewer to reveal a personal, candid conversation over captivating arrangements and warm vocals. With the smoothness of Noelle’s voice and smokiness of the brass, it creates a new sway within R&B and soul.

Noelle explains about the new track, "There are times in life where our patience is tried and our souls are damaged by our negative encounters with others. We often run from what has damaged us. We stand guarded, sometimes paralyzed from not moving on. We hide from it hoping that it will heal us. This is a song to embrace all stages of the healing process.”

Not one to fall into some of the more trite themes among mainstream artists, Noelle carves out space for introspection and archives her life as a woman in the music industry on the new record, sharing her own internal dialogue against beautiful instrumentation. This comes as her exciting debut— the first single off the new album, “Show Me,” further conveys the theme of love and honesty. This track, in particular, shows the yearning to work through a relationship and communicating properly, “Good things take time, I don’t want to waste yours or mine. Teach me all the ways to make it real” pour through the song, showcasing Noelle’s vocal nimbleness.

Noelle prefers to create her music from scratch in the studio, from the lyrics to the accompanying beats and rhythm. What results is a piece that interweaves with itself, every step matching each lyric. Inspired by big names like Beyoncé, Erykah Badu, Prince, and Andre 3000, Noelle follows in their footsteps by living her truth and letting it shine through her music, style, and presence.

In 2015, she joined the cast of BET docu-series Chasing Destiny, where she trained with Kelly Rowland of Destiny’s Child and famed choreographer Frank Gatson Jr., with other appearances on hit shows Empire and Proven Innocent.

Johari Noelle will celebrate Things You Can’t Say Out Loud with a release show on Wednesday, June 5th at The Promontory in Chicago, supported by Christian JaLon and Krystal Metcalfe. Purchase tickets for the upcoming show here.