Noah Raquel: Star on the Rise

What is your process with writing ‘Mahal Na Yata Kita’ (did you the lyrics come first? The melody?) and what can you reveal about the inspiration?

The lyrics came first. I was in the middle of a marathon training, and the lyric “Mahal Na Yata Kita”, came out of nowhere while I was doing a long run. I was lucky that I had my phone with me during that run, and I immediately recorded “Mahal Na Yata Kita” (just the syllabication, no lyrics yet). All I knew was that the song would slow down in “Mahal Na Yata-“, and then explode at “Kita.” From that moment, I already knew that I was going to finish that song. The melody came next, and then I produced it all in my home studio.

When you’re writing your own songs, what is at the forefront of your mind? What is most important about your process – and how has it changed since your first release?

My priority is for my songs to feel different compared to other Filipino pop songs. Lyrics, melodies, and productions of a lot of (but not all) Filipino pop songs (or OPM) always have a distinct sound and I want my songs to feel different. A lot of Filipino songs use deep Filipino lyrics, which Filipinos don’t tend to use and speak anymore. I like my lyrics to sound like how I normally talk. My priority is always to finish my songs. Once I start on a song, I always want to finish it. I don’t like being wasteful.  😆

What kind of music do you listen to personally? Any particular artists or songs from overseas that have caught your attention lately – and are there any you’d want to collaborate with?

I listen to a lot of the “singer-songwriter” genre. I love Lizzy McAlpine, Keshi, Role Model. I also really love pop songs. I love the new albums of Sabrina Carpenter and Ariana Grande. I sometimes listen to Filipino HipHop like Hev Abi… I guess that’s because of my dancer background.

What is your favorite part about the music video for ‘Mahal Na Yata Kita’?

I love everything about it. The colors, the pacing of the edits. It’s so artistic, but in a very approachable sense??? Like how my songs are so easily understandable. I love how it’s edited. I loved every single moment of the whole day of the shoot. It was the perfect music video shoot. I had great sleep (the night before), I was well fed, I looked great, make-up was perfect, hair was cooperating, lots of laughter with the production team, felt like a real “artista” the whole day. 1000000000/10 experience. 

What do you want international fans to know most about you?

They know me for my covers of the most popular songs during the COVID-19 pandemic. One of my most popular videos is my cover of “Kiss Me More” by Doja Cat

Following that – How do you think your Filipino heritage and culture influence your music, and are there any traditional Filipino elements that you’d like to incorporate into your future work?

Being a Filipino, experiencing Filipino culture in my household, speaking the Filipino language, living in the Philippines, traveling all over the Philippines, and interacting with Filipinos 99% of the time, having Filipino friends, and growing up as a Filipino, ALL INFLUENCE MY MUSIC. I make music about the Filipino experience. How we Filipinos fall in love and experience heartbreaks.

With 2024 winding down, what’s next for Noah Raquel? Is there an album in the works?

All I can say is that “but wait, there’s more”.