My name is Noi Vorakoumane, that’s how I came about the name ‘NoivoMusic’, which is just my first name and first two letters of my last name.. put together!
I’m finding it challenging where to start in terms of ‘About Me’, and how I came to becoming ‘me’ today as a musician. It’s been a long, journey full of ups and downs, and changes musically, which feels like a never-ending road of discovery, where I’m constantly inventing or re-inventing my ‘sound’.
My background is Laotian (Laos), and I was the only member in the family born here in Adelaide South Australia. Growing up; I was always surrounded by music, with a musical family, including my Father, Mother, Sisters, Uncles and Aunties etc. I can remember being a child, hearing tunes, and would run up to the organ we had in the lounge, was in the 80’s, and I would hear a tune in my head and try to play by ear. My father had a Laotian-Band with his brothers and a few others outside the family, and I use to attend all his jam-sessions and rehearsals, so I grew up listening to dynamic range of music, including lots of old- school Lao Traditional Music.
I started having proper music lessons at the age of 11 on an instrument called the Yamaha Electone. I often found it hard to explain to people what kind of instrument that the Electone was. The best to describe it would be an Electronic Organ which originated from Japan. Just like an organ it has two keyboards and a pedal board. However, it not only had ‘Organ’ sounds, it also had Synth Sounds, Brass, Strings, Piano…just to name a few. It was definitely an instrument not many people heard of, but when they did, they were all just amazed at the sound that it could create, from a Jazz Big-Band to a full Symphony Orchestra, to Electronic Synths and so much more. It basically could play anything that you would listen to on the radio, CD’s etc. You could manipulate the Electone to sound as close; if not exactly like the original recording.
My greatest influences of the Yamaha Electone was my Electone Teacher, Mentor and now close-friend Phillip Walsh, and a few other Japanese Electone Composers and Music Arrangers, such as Max Takano. Here are a couple links of Max Takano playing:
Max Takano “Pomp And Circumstance”
Max Takano “Take Five”
I use to have a video recording and have seen ‘live’ on Max Takano’s tour down-under of him playing a whole Percussion section of an arrangement of “Cherokee”. Unfortunately it is not on youtube, not only did it sound like a real Drum Kit, but the way he played it on the Electone was almost like he was really hitting each note like a drummer.
I continued to study the Electone during the early stages of Tertiary studies in Adelaide. I attended Flinders Street School of Music, where I could specialise in the Electone as my major in Performing Arts. I studied other subjects including: Theory, Musicology, Music History, Composition, Jazz Piano, and Orchestration. After years of soul searching, Electone soon came to an end, as I began to seek other avenues in the music industry. I can remember it being a very confusing time of ‘what if’s’, but mainly coming to terms with letting go of what I thought would always be my ‘main instrument’, and not knowing what to do from there. I was influenced by other forms of music, and was particularly fascinated with the Pop World. I found myself writing lots of poetry, as a form of release.
Singing came much later. I can remember being able to only pitch or hear tunes, but did not know how to ‘project’ the sound with my voice. I remember that I would hum in my head, and would always put music on full blast on the stereo, and ‘pretend’ to sing along with the CD or radio, hoping no one could hear me. Until one day I just took the plunge and out exploded a voice I didn’t even know existed! Curious and excited of my new discovery, I experimented by listening to lots of different styles of music, and was very influenced at the time by soul/blues and R’n’B, and trying to mimic big voices such as Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, James Brown, Whitney Houston, Etta James, Aretha Franklin, Mariah Carey, Celine Dion etc. I kept aiming to push my limits of my vocal range, and trying to reach their vocal technique. It was then that I heard a very new Artist on the radio. It was Christina Aguilera singing ‘Run To You’ A Capella version by Whitney Houston, and that just fascinated me, the ability of her vocal range, style and technique, she had such power and feeling in her voice that blew me away. Christina Aguilera had such an old-soul vocal for someone of her age, she became my main influence, something about her vocals resonated in me, and inspired me, and so I became obsessed with her sound.
From memory, throughout my 20’s after discovering my voice, it became my main mission to explore the possibilities of becoming a Singer. I went on to study Performance at JMC Academy and relocated to Sydney in 2002. I took out a bank loan to pay for my tuition, and worked part time to pay for rent and bills, it was so expensive and a big struggle to survive in the big city, but I wanted so much to do this.
During my time at JMC Academy, I played in different bands, and learned the basics in Sound Production, how to record and create music with Midi, using software such as Cubase and Protools. Through JMC we performed at venues such as ‘The Civic’.
(Below: Performing in Sydney at ‘The Civic’)
I relocated to finish my studies at Melbourne JMC Academy and completed my Advanced Diploma. I moved back home to Adelaide and continued to study via correspondence, and would catch a bus to Melbourne every week to attend lectures in Musicology, and Indian Music. I finished my degree in music with The University of New England in 2006.
(Below: Graduation in 2006 at The University of New England)
