Nijel Noel Speaks on Music, Modeling and His Mindset Moving Forward

Nijel Noel Eugene is a young music artist from the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. His style is most likely categorized as alternative, but Noel enjoys making whatever kind of music captures his current state of emotions. Noel signed to the Red Model Management agency in New York City when he was still a college student. Prior to becoming a professional model, Noel explains that he wasn’t too invested in the fashion industry. The clothing he wore and the style he possessed became more significant to him after he started working with Red Model Management. Noel’s experience in fashion caused him to lose interest in being a model; however, the creativity he implements in his clothing has been reallocated to his music.
Noel asserts that the model lifestyle prepared him for what to expect from the music industry. He decided to use his government name, Nijel Noel, as his artistic name rather than attempt to develop some other special moniker. Since he was a child, Noel was always reminded of the importance of his name and the legacy he leaves behind. The words of his father resonated with Noel; therefore, he decided to use the name he was given at birth for any ventures he may become involved in.

Noel states that he has only been officially making music for about three years, but he has always been an avid poetry writer. Apparently, Noel looked to poetry writing as an outlet for some of the hardships he faced in life. Poetry was extremely helpful to him after he was scarred from professionally modeling. Noel mentions that transitioning from the constant modeling opportunities, with his image on billboards and the incentive to drop out of college to model full time, back to his life as a full-time college student wasn’t easy. His peers constantly asking him what happened to his modeling career was difficult for Noel to deal with, but making music helped him cope.

Many legends such as Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Solange, Outkast, Sade, Marvin Gaye and Santana have inspired Noel. He also enjoys listening to newer artists like SZA. Noel released a previous album titled “Light Otez” (meaning light of the earth) during a time when he was overcoming depression. He originally released the album solely on Soundcloud, but one of his friends who had enjoyed the project convinced him to put the album on Apple Music. Most of Noel’s songs sound vastly different because he enjoys dabbling in different genres when making music. Most importantly, Noel always provides a deeper message in his songs. He aims to make music that is conscious and thought-provoking, and he avoids making songs which tend to glorify jewelry and money. Noel’s next album titled “Digital Glitzand” will be releasing very soon, and he believes it will be a source of inspiration for the younger generation. Noel’s message to the youth would be to never sacrifice artistry or originality merely to please the masses.