That's 5 | Noga Erez

Musician and producer Noga Erez first attracted international attention in 2017 when Apple used her song “Dance While You Shoot” in an Apple Music ad. Erez returns with her second album, KIDS, filled with swagger, bounce, and pop-perfect production paired with lyrics interrogating the politics of today—protest by way of a rave. Just prior to the release of KIDS, Erez talked to us about why international music is underrated, being grateful to make music, and not being tied to one genre of music. 

The following has been lightly edited. 

What are some of your current influences? 

I’ve gotten back into some of the music that I used to listen to when I was a teenager. I’m listening to the Cardigans again all of a sudden, and Justin Timberlake, his earliest stuff. But my main influences are predominantly hip-hop—Kendrick Lamar, Vince Staples, Princess Nokia. I really like Audrey Nuna right now and some Israeli stuff because I come from Israel.

What are some of your all-time influences? 

The Beatles—I grew up on the Beatles. I used to listen to a lot of jazz, Ella Fitzgerald and Billie holiday. Also. Crosby, Stills, and Nash used to be played around the house.

How do you blend your current and all-time influences in your music?

It depends on what I’m listening to around the time that I write the music. When I’m really obsessed with something, it will bleed into whatever I’m doing. I recently released a song that has a heavy nineties influence. That influence is there because I started writing the song at the beginning of the pandemic when everything shut down, and I dived into listening to only nineties’ music. 

What’s the most overrated, right now? 

High-heeled shoes. I think that some women choose to wear them today because it does something to your posture, but I don’t find that particular look to be flattering most of the time. When women or men wear high heel shoes, it makes their posture look worse than when they wear flats—they’re more rigid. I like seeing people who have a very loose posture or presentation, and you can’t present yourself that way in high heels. That was kind of the first thing that came to my mind [laughs].

What’s the most underrated, right now? 

I think music coming from non-English speaking places is underrated. Music coming from non-English speaking countries or cultures tends to be underrated. These artists tend to be overlooked. I think it’s getting better. You see the rise of Rosalía, and Latin music has been able to break through that barrier, but international music is still underrated.

What are you most excited about, right now? 

I’m excited and grateful to be able to continue making music. I see many musicians not being able to do that. Everything has changed, and so many of my friends from all over the world are struggling. I’m excited and grateful that I am still able to make music for a living. And I’m excited for this whole time to be over.

Bonus Question:  What do you hope to communicate to your listeners with the release of your new album, KIDS?

The album has many different subjects. Still, I think what is similar between this album and the previous album is that I tried very consciously not to tie myself to any particular genre. The feeling you get throughout the album is one of change. All the songs connect through the idea of how flattened our view of each other has become by looking and labeling everyone based on what we see through our screens. We reduce human beings. I didn’t want to stay tied down by any particular genre or label is all about trying to inject complexity back into the ways we think and talk about other people. Emotions are complex, human beings are complex, and I didn’t want to simplify anything.

@nogaerez