Krists Indrišonoks (born 27 February 1995), better known as Chris Noah, is a Latvian singer and songwriter. Known for blending indie elements with contemporary pop, Noah has been nominated for multiple awards, including the prestigious Latvian Music Recording Awards for best pop album of year and best song of the year.
Chris Noah is currently the only Latvian singer[1] signed with Sony Music and has performed at international festivals like Reeperbahn and Tallinn Music Week. Early in his career he released only English-language songs, but in 2023, he began releasing singles in his native language of Latvian as well. His EPs include What about Tomorrow? (2017), Distance (2020) and Red Light (2022).
Early Life
Noah was born in Riga, Latvia. Both of his parents are musical: his father, Valdis Indrišonoks[1] is a professional guitarist and songwriter and his mother is a music teacher.[2] Noah studied guitar and graduated from a music school as a child, but his interest in music re-ignited when he was 17-years-old as an emotional outlet; previously he wanted to be a hockey or basketball player.[2][3]
Career
2015–2019: Early work
In 2015, Chris Noah released his first single "Had It All". In 2016, he released his second single "You" which became one of the most played songs in Latvia and earned a 2017 AKKA/LAA Copyright Infinity Award for its use on television, public and commercial radio channels.[4] He released his debut EP What About Tomorrow? in 2017, which was nominated for the Best Debut award at the 2018 Latvian Music Recording Awards (also known as the Zelta Mikrofons (lit.'Golden Microphones').[5] He performed at the 2017 Reeperbahn music festival, saying "I also want to prove myself outside of Latvia's borders and I am especially happy that one of the first foreign stages are precisely the Reeperbahn Campus Festival".[6]
2020–present: Rise in popularity
In 2020, he signed with Made in Baltics (Sony Music Entertainment) to release his second EP Distance just a week after the 2020 COVID Pandemic hit and closed public spaces in Latvia. The title track "Distance" is "how social media allows us to follow each other without actually communicating. It is kind of sad, but common, especially in the process of moving on and being in a perpetual battle with yourself".[7] The pandemic forced the cancellation of his 2020 concerts, so he released a deluxe version of Distance which included new tracks written in the meantime.[8] The single "This Is The Night" from the deluxe version reached the top of radio Star FM and Estonian Raadio 2 and lead to two performances at the 2020 Tallinn Music Week.[8][9] The album Distance was nominated for Best Pop Music Album at the 2021 Latvian Music Recording Awards.[8]
In 2022 Noah signed with Sony Entertainment Finland to release his next EP Red Light.[10] He said his writing process for the album came from realizing "for the first time that 'not feeling love' isn't just a made-up concept or an excuse to get out of a relationship you no longer want to be in. This realization was the core of my writing process, which I approached from various angles: uncertainty, doubt, jealousy, and regret. The title track 'Red Light' is about the disappearance of illusions".[10] The album would be nominated for Best Pop Album and the single "Sunboy" for Best Song at the 2023 Latvian Music Recording Awards.[11]
In 2023, he co-wrote "Stay" which was performed by Lithuanian singer Monika Linkytė at the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, finishing in 11th place.[12] He also announced his first sold-out solo concert,[1] after having played numerous music festivals in his career.[13] He released his first single "Cik tālu vēl?" (lit.'How far yet?') in his native Latvian language.[13] Inspired by 80s rock music, Noah admits, "The song didn't come together as smoothly as I hoped—it was a challenge. I thought writing lyrics in Latvian would be easier".[13] He wanted to convey something personal and real while avoiding clichés, adding he would continue to write more songs in Latvian.[13] "Cik tālu vēl?" (lit.'How far yet?') was nominated for Top Radio Hit at the 2024 Latvian Music Recording Awards.[14]
In March 2024, He released his second Latvian language single "Nomodā" (lit.'Awake') and announced the release of an upcoming album inspired by the sounds of the 80s.[15] He joined top Latvian singer Dons as a backing singer during his Eurovision Song Contest 2024 performances;[16] Noah previously was the opening act for Dons at his 2022 Sigulda Castle Ruins concert[17] and opened again for his 2024 Laiks (lit.'Time') concert at the Daugava Stadium. In July 2024, he announced a solo concert at the prestigious Palladium Riga taking place 7 November 2024 and released his third Latvian language single "Desmitiem Reižu" (lit.'Dozens of Times'), which reached the top of Latvian music charts.[18][19]
Musical style
Chris Noah's musical style blends indie rock with contemporary pop influences, often characterized by emotional lyrics, guitar-driven melodies, and a polished, atmospheric sound. His music draws on elements of 80s pop-rock nostalgia, incorporating synth textures, catchy hooks, and reflective lyricism. Noah began his career releasing extended plays, stating that a debut album only happens once and he has waited until he developed a musical style that suits his ambitions, saying, "an artist needs a certain fan base to listen to it, just like a band or an artist needs to be confident in their sound and genre frameworks".[20]
Noah was inspired by the musical tastes of his father, Valdis Indrišonoks, who is a professional musician; these influences include U2, Eric Clapton, and the Beatles.[20] Growing up in his musical household, he also gained a lot of experiences of how the writing process and being able to surround himself with experienced musicians early in his career, which music critics notice about his live performances.[20][1] Sandris Vanzovics, the music reviewer for Neatkarīgā Rīta Avīze notes that Noah's experienced backing musicians creates a sound that makes Chris Noah seem like a musician straight out of the Western music scene; he has gained popularity outside of Latvia with his English language songs, especially in Estonia,[1] however music critic Uldis Rudak said he has never cared for his music until he begin to sing in Latvian with his first single "Cik tālu vēl?" (lit.'How far yet?').[21] When talking about the difference between writing in English and Latvian, he said these influences play a role in how he create melodies, phrase them and put them together, with English being more sonorous.[20]
Discography
Extended plays
Title
Details
What About Tomorrow?
Released: April 26, 2017
Label:
Format: Digital download
Distance
Released: March 20, 2020
Label: Sony Music Entertainment/Made in Baltics
Format: Digital download
Distance (deluxe)
Released: November 6, 2020
Label: Sony Music Entertainment/Made in Baltics
Format: Digital download
Red Light
Released: 2022
Label: Sony Music Finland
Format: Digital download
Singles
Title
Year
Album or EP
"Had it all"
2015
"You"
2016
"Spark"
2017
What about Tomorrow?
"River"
2018
"Fall Through"
"Inside out"
2019
"The Line"
2020
Distance
"This Is The Night"
Distance (Deluxe edition)
"Sunboy"
2022
Red Light
"Only Yours"
Red Light
"Take A Minute"
2023
"Cik Tālu vēl?"
"Nomodā"
2024
"Desmitiem Reižu"
Awards
The Annual Latvian Music Recording Awards (equivalent to the Grammy awards) presents the Zelta Mikrofons (lit.'Golden Microphones') awards to the best music recordings of all genres from the previous year, which are evaluated by a professional jury.[22]Latvijas Radio presents the annual Muzikālās Banka (lit.'Musical Bank') award to the most valuable pop and rock song, which is selected based on audience votes and evaluation by a professional jury.[23]