NoSo  Announces Debut Album ‘Stay Proud Of Me’ [out 8th July, via Partisan]

NOSO

ANNOUNCES DEBUT ALBUM

STAY PROUD OF ME

OUT 8 JULY ON PARTISAN SHARES

NEW SINGLE & VIDEO ‘DAVID’

DEBUT LONDON HEADLINE

AT THE WAITING ROOM 20 JULY

US TOUR WITH YUMI ZOUMA & MOLLY BURCH THIS SPRING

hoto credit: Bella Rose Porter

Pre-order Stay Proud Of Me HERE

Listen to ‘David’ HERE

Watch the ‘David’ video HERE

LA-based, non-binary, Korean-American artist NoSo (real name: Abby Hwong) has detailed their anticipated debut album – Stay Proud Of Me – out July 8th via Partisan Records.

NoSo has also confirmed their first-ever UK performances this summer at Bluedot Festival in Cheshire, as well as a July 20th headline show at The Waiting Room in London, tickets are on sale Friday 1st April.   To coincide with the announcement, NoSo has shared coming-of-age indie-pop anthem – ‘David’ – alongside an accompanying music video (via Fader).

‘David’ was inspired by a dream where NoSo was trapped in the body of a white man: finally the object of desire in the eyes of the girls whose attention they once longed for.   More on the song, from Hwong: “One summer night, I had a dream that I was a white dude sitting in a church pew; I saw the way girls giggled and whispered to each other excitedly upon noticing me, and other men gave me nods of respect.

The way I was perceived in such a positive and palatable way hit me in the gut; I even recognized it was a dream when it was happening.   I woke up emotional and so disappointed in myself; I had done a lot of work to unlearn internalized racism, and I had been feeling so proud of my identity. But I had to be gentle with myself and remember that it’s a plethora of issues; bullying from peers, the media we consume that spotlights euro-centric beauty standards, and the desperate desire to not feel like you inherently take up too much space. It seems to be a universal experience for POC (especially during childhood) to look in the mirror and resent your own features.   That dream (and writing this song) reminds me that these kinds of issues don’t disappear overnight; it sneaks up on your subconscious in layered ways.”

The video was directed by LA-based artist/producer Marco Chiong, who adds: “NoSo’s moving story behind ‘David’ deeply resonates with me because I have trouble imagining what my old self will look like, since old queer people of color with romantically fulfilled lives rarely receive adequate representation. With that being said, I was very pleased to gather such a strong crew of all queer Asians and people of color to materialize some of my deepest held imaginations into a music video highlighting the extremely talented NoSo and their incredibly supportive crew.”

Hwong wrote and recorded much of the record alone during quarantine in their bedroom, studying any non-guitar instruments they weren’t as proficient in along the way. The result is a deeply earnest coming-of-age story, and a nuanced introduction to NoSo’s universe. Their stage name is shorthand for North/South: a nod to their Korean heritage, and the inane origin question (“Which Korea are you from?“) that so many Korean Americans inevitably face.

Throughout Stay Proud Of Me, NoSo indirectly confronts the insecurities and frustrations that can arise from the Asian-American experience, ending up feeling like a balm for the alienated. Stay Proud Of Me grapples with the search for a sense of identity, overcoming impostor syndrome, and repressed memory – its power stemming from NoSo’s universal tenderness and a singular perspective to affect the hearts of many. The marriage of their lyrics and captivating guitar performance feels magical, as if NoSo can open up portals to fantastic new realms, guided by an emotional honesty that breaks you down in one moment and fills you with joy in the next.

NoSo graduated from USC’s music department (same program as Remi Wolf, Muna, King Princess), and in 2019 they were a Tiny Desk Contest finalist with NPR. Their single ‘Suburbia’ was featured on NPR’s All Songs Considered last autumn, and was inspired by the predominately white Chicago suburb where Abby grew up (which also happens to be the town that ‘Mean Girls’ was based on). NoSo also released another album highlight, darkly groovy ‘Honey Understand,’ which was inspired by “insanely melodramatic screenplays” they would write each night before going to bed while cooped up during quarantine.

NoSo has earned other early support from Fader, DIY, CLASH, Consequence of Sound, Uproxx, slumber, Line of Best Fit, BBC Radio 1/Jack Saunders ‘Next Wave‘, Apple Music1/Matt Wilkinson, KCRW + more. NoSo has previously played shows with Bartees Strange, Cavetown, and Chloe Moriondo, and will tour extensively behind ‘Stay Proud Of Me’. They will support Yumi Zouma as well as Molly Burch on their upcoming spring US tours, and on June 3rd they’ll perform at OUTLOUD Raising Voices Music Festival at West Hollywood Pride (other acts include Marina, Years & Years, Jessie J, Kelly Rowland + more).

NoSo 2022 tour dates

07/20 – London, UK @ The Waiting Room

07/ 22 – Cheshire, UK @ Bluedot Festival

NoSo – Stay Proud Of Me

 out 08/07/22 on Partisan

1. Parasites

2. Suburbia

3. David

4. I Feel You

5. I’m Embarrassed

6. Honey Understand

7. Sorry I Laughed

8. Feeling Like A Woman Lately

9. Man Who Loves You

10. Everything I’ve Got