For the past year, Jade Novah has been doing it all, and then some.
Following the release of her debut offering All Blue, which focused on the multi-faceted artist grounding herself in positivity and elevation, Novah’s life as a singer/songwriter, comedian and social influencer took a complete turn. Recognized by both fans and critics alike, All Blue is one of the most lyrically and vocally focused R&B debuts in recent memory. The project not only helped launch Novah into ventures as a voice actor work and a hosting gig at an Atlanta-based morning radio show, but it also earned her a nomination for the Outstanding New Artist NAACP Image Award last year.
Where All Blue did well to create the colorful foundations of Novah's sound, her sophomore Stages follows in even more evolved fashion. Though, as she notes, the album is not necessarily a sonic departure from her previous release, Stages brings new vigor and intensity to the very aspects of Novah's musical charisma and allegiance to touchstone R&B and hip-hop.
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For Novah, Stages represents vulnerability on a completely new level. The project is anchored in genuine emotion that shines through songs written and performed with relatability and authenticity. Inspired by her own life's journey, each song takes on a character and narrative of its own to create an intimate mosaic of personal growth and creative progression.
Songs like lead single "Somebody Son" and "Lay It Down" tout soul and airiness against Novah's silky vocals, while others like "Lifestyle" see Jade opting for heavier hip-hop sensibility, floating over 808s and trap-leaning beats with relative ease.
On the album's opener "Stages," Novah sings of past issues and experiences: "I had food stamps in my Louis Vuitton, felt like a star but couldn’t keep the lights on." Letting listeners into her world may not always be easy, but it’s clear that Novah has committed to being open and honest in her songs for the sake of connecting.
Following the album’s release, the Recording Academy caught up with Novah to discuss the inspirations behind her project, the roadblocks of being an independent artist and how being a "Jane of all trades" has helped her evolve musically.
Can you talk a little bit about your new album Stages? How does it compare to your debut All Blue in its nature and what kind of themes were you trying to present with it?
Stages is my second album, my second full project. I don't want to say it's a departure from my last project. My last project was All Blue, and this project Stages I think is just unique in that each song has its own original character. Literally its own persona, its own vibe and on the record, I’m going through all these stages that I've been through as a woman, as a single mother at one point to now being a wife, just that journey from the beginning to this point in my life. I feel like every song has something that everyone can relate to, everyone who’s finding or going through their own stage with this album. I’m pretty excited about it.
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You had a pretty big year in 2019 following the release of All Blue, including a nomination for Outstanding New Artist at the NAACP Image Awards. How did all of that feel and where did it put your headspace going into the recording of Stages?
As far as last year, it was definitely a year of transition. In addition to working on the project, I was voicing all these characters for a cartoon called "Sugar & Toys!" and I was hosting a morning show in Atlanta during the day. As you mentioned, some of the awards and accolades that happened in the midst of all those transitional things was just confirmation. You know, it’s one thing to be respected amongst yourself and your peers, but it’s another thing to reach that level of respect in the industry, to even be nominated. Especially, considering the independent artist part. The journey has been that much more difficult kind of doing things on your own and realizing all of the feelings and roadblocks that you have to deal with when you don’t have a machine behind you, so that was sort of a payoff for anyone that was a naysayer or even taking more of the road less traveled to maintain my creative control, my musical integrity and my masters, just thinking of the long run.
Those things starting to happen last year helped inspire this new project because in those roadblocks I realized, okay, there’s more of a story to be told here. I feel like I've lived a million different lives, between the morning show, the cartoon, being a mom, all these hats that I’ve had to wear. I thought that it was important to tell a story as a woman that look, you can do it all. I remember there was a point when I was doing a lot of comedy and then also trying to create music for my first project and be taken seriously for both. In the beginning of my career, people would be like just pick one. "What do you do?" But I feel like in 2020 with social media we’re in such a beautiful space to be able to do multiple things. Stages is not only a musical project for me, but it’s also storytelling, which I love to do, and showcasing all these different factors of myself to say we really can do it all, don’t box me in.
Everything has its own sound too which is super unique because the common thread in the project is really just the fact that it's telling my stories. Sonically it's everything from hip-hop to '90s R&B. It’s really kind of a nod to that. Being in that space of feeling like I can do whatever I want to do, unapologetically.
One thing I noticed about Stages in listening is that it’s lyrically very personal. Why is sharing that way important to you as an artist and how are you able to open up so much through your songwriting?
Well, I think authenticity is really the only way to connect. If you're making art, why wouldn’t you make art that's honest and genuine? I’ve always been an open book and I think that helps to strengthen the bond with my supporters or the people who are connecting with my music. For me to be vulnerable, it allows them to deal with their emotions or reflect on the things that they’ve been through so that when we do it live, it’s that much more impactful.
The last tour that we did for All Blue, it was hearing other people’s stories and them coming up to me and saying "Time" touched me and it made me feel. I'm not 25 anymore either but I still got time. Putting yourself out there makes it comfortable for everybody else to do the same and I think the more vulnerable we all are, the more we can realize that we’re not that different and we're all connected. That's really the most powerful thing I think about being an artist and being a musician, in particular, is being able to tell stories that everyone can really relate to and all just being on the same wavelength.
What were some of your influences and inspirations? You mentioned that the album has a lot of different sonic range, so who were you listening to at the time of recording?
I love 90’s R&B! I feel like everyone in my generation does, but I really really have an appreciation for it. Just because there was integrity with vocals that I don’t know is still as present today. I grew up loving Whitney Houston, Toni Braxton, Mariah Carey—artists who really understood the importance of vocal excellence.
As far as hip-hop, Left Eye and Missy Elliott. Female MCs who weren't afraid to take risks and who didn't necessarily always lean towards hypersexuality. Which, again, is a beautiful thing and I do touch on it in this album as well, but I could only listen to certain artists when I was younger so I naturally gravitated to the more creative and resourceful hip-hop artists. And also Lil' Kim! I know she got down and dirty but no one was out-rhyming her.
What inspired me to tell those specific stories, I’ve been journaling since I was a little kid. Literally, since I was about eight years old, I have stacks of journals from eight years old all the way until now. I was going through this transitional space in my life and figuring out what are the things that I want to focus on moving forward in my career? Doing a lot of self-reflecting and looking back at old journal entries, looking at the things that I wanted and seeing the things that finally manifested. That realization of "Woah, there was a journey from point A to point B that I don’t think I really highlighted."
All Blue was all about positivity and elevation, which is a beautiful thing but I think that it’s not realistic to promote only that one sort of story since in order to get there, you have to go through some sh*t. Even sometimes when you’re in a space of positivity you backslide or sometimes you have a bad day. Last year was the most up and down year for me that I had ever felt. Especially being an artist on the independent level because for example, I went from my tour and selling out eleven cities, but I was still doing the morning show to make ends meet. That realistic portrayal of what it really means to be an artist inspired this project.
Do you think doing so many things—the morning show, background singing, acting, voiceovers, building and maintaining a social media audience—has helped you evolve in your music?
Yeah, it has. Especially the morning show, because I got to interview my peers and artists that I look up to. Everyone from Lil Nas X to storytellers like Issa Rae, getting a chance to hear their stories. Nick Cannon specifically was one of the most amazing interviews that I did because he is someone that has mastered the art of literally doing it all. He’ll go from hosting shows to putting out a rap song to doing a woke-ass podcast to dominating social media. That definitely inspired me, hearing everyone’s stories and realizing, wow, we have a lot in common. I think that the average person who doesn’t necessarily create also has those experiences too. But yes, doing all of those things has definitely helped.
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So what’s next for Jade Novah?
We’re getting ready to take it on the road, the Stages tour. It starts March 20 and we’re doing 17 cities. I’m doing it with my husband Devin Johnson, who also executively produced the album. He's Lizzo’s musical director and he's done so many amazing things. He’s also my music director so I’m really excited to bring that story to life on the stage.
Now that your album is out, how are you feeling about the response to it from fans and on social media? What has been your reaction to seeing it debut at No. 1 on the iTunes R&B chart?
Whoop, whoop! It’s been amazing. I feel lighter! I was a little… not nervous, but interested to see how the reaction would be because it is a lot more vulnerable and raw lyrically. You know, the first song on the album is the intro "Stages," and in that track I literally say, "I had food stamps in my Louis Vuitton, felt like a star but couldn’t keep the lights on." And I’m like, oh my god. Are they going to judge me on my past? But I was pleasantly surprised to see so many single mothers and even men who reached out to say, "Yo, that’s some real stuff" or "I was there at a point."
It kind of goes back to what I was saying before. I think being vulnerable and being honest has strengthened my connection with the people who support my music even more. The response has really universally been that this is dope, this is it, I vibe with it even more than the last project. So, I’ve been grateful. I’m really happy. I feel like this is the beginning of that next level that I’ve been climbing to for years.