Maty Noyes Discusses Sophomore EP, Origin Story And Hit Collaborations

After collaborating with The Weeknd for “Angel” and Kygo for “Stay” in 2015, everyone knows Maty Noyes’ voice. With the release of her sophomore EP in August, titled “Love Songs From A Lolita,” she’s making sure everyone knows not just her voice, but her as an artist.

Signed to Republic’s Lava Records, which also houses Lorde and Jessie J on its roster, Noyes is a singer-songwriter hellbent on speaking her truth, both in her songs and in conversations. Her new six-song EP is proof of that, as was the chat International Business Times had with Noyes at the Billboard Hot 100 Festival in New York last month.

Keep reading to learn about how Noyes landed her record deal and those big collaborations, how she feels about not having an album out yet and what the creation process was like for her new project.

International Business Times: How does it feel to finally have this new EP out?

Maty Noyes: Even if nothing happened with it, it’s so good to just have music out. Just for myself. I write — I have hundreds of songs. I write every day, so I just have all this music I listen to and all my friends hear it and they’re like, “Why can’t you ever put it out?’" You know how hard it is with the industry and with labels and all that stuff, so just to have it out is the best feeling in the world.

IBT: With so many songs written, was it hard to narrow it down? Did a lot of people help make those decisions?

Noyes: I think everyone kind of knows their top, like, “OK, this has to go on, this has to go on.” And then we kind of fight over the other ones. I don’t know. A lot of times my favorites might not be someone else’s favorites, but I think that’s kind of cool because it shows you the variety of tastes and that maybe there’s something for everybody.

IBT: What are your favorite songs off the EP?

Noyes: I really love “Porn Star.” I really poured my heart out in that song. “New Friends” is such a jam. And “Spiraling Down” is like my anthem. So, I think between those three, those are my favorites.

IBT: The day the project came out, singer Rob Thomas tweeted about your song “New Friends.” What was that like?

Noyes: I know my dad actually texted that. He’s like, “Rob Thomas tweeted about you.” I was like, “What? That's so random.” I was so honored that he liked “New Friends.”

IBT: Besides your own music, you’ve collaborated with Kygo, The Weeknd and SoMo. How did each of those come about?

Noyes: Once you kind of do one thing, it’s just your way in. So, I was working with the same producer that was working with The Weeknd at the time, Stephan Moccio, and he took me on new because he just loved my voice. And he kind of wanted to do — he wanted to start fresh with someone, not just work with big artists. So, he got me that. And then Kygo’s team heard my voice on The Weeknd, and they reached out to me. And then SoMo signed with my label, and he liked my voice. So, it’s like once you do one thing, people find out about you.

IBT: Were you in the studio with them or worked separately?

Noyes: For SoMo, I was. For Kygo, I’d already written the song, so I just sent it to him, and he just put a little da-da-da on it...most of the work was done there.

IBT: Do you want to do more collaborations?

Noyes: I did write a song recently that I really want to put The Weeknd on. I really think he would just sound great on it. So, I’m gonna try to get that to them and see if he’ll do one on mine. We’ll switcheroo.

IBT: You just released your second EP, but how did you first start out? How did you get signed?

Noyes: I was living in Nashville, just moved out of [my] home the day I turned 16, alone. Dropped out of school, babysitting, really broke, playing open mics every night, and I got invited to a party with a singer, her name’s Danielle Peck, and she asked me to come with her at like one in the morning. I had nothing to do ‘cause I didn’t know anyone, and it turned out to be my future manager’s house. And he heard me sing that night at the piano, and he told me to come back, and then he got me a record deal. So, it was kind of just being at the right place at the right time.

IBT: So, how old were you when you signed your record deal?

Noyes: Sixteen. And I moved to LA at 17. So, I’ve just been writing nonstop since then, and then I toured some with Kygo. But the last year and a half, I’ve been writing.

IBT: Do you want to keep doing EPs or put out an album next?

Noyes: No, I want an album. This is some bull [expletive], man. They’re just making me do this ‘cause it's like, they say, “No one wants to listen to a full album.” Well, I don’t think that’s true. Not if the music’s good. And I’m only gonna put out good stuff. I’m pushing for that. I’m so pissed off that I’m about to be 21, and I haven’t got to put out an album. That’s like such a slap in the face to me. I’ve worked so hard. I have seven albums done. I’ve called all these producers and have been like, “Will you waive your fees so I can convince them?” I do what I can.

I already have the name and everything.

IBT: Is there anything else you want to share?

Noyes: Well, when I do have my album coming out, it’s gonna be called, “I Write My Own Songs” by Maty Noyes. Just putting that out there so no one steals it.

Noyes’ new EP, “Love Songs From A Lolita,” is now available to stream and purchase, on platforms like Spotify and iTunes.