Graph Nobel

"My whole theory of song writing is that a true song lasts throughout time" says Graph Nobel. As a song writer and a performer, Graph’s approach to making music brings about challenges that too many artists would rather avoid. To create a timeless song, an artist needs to find a way of molding that which is timeless into the form of music. This takes talent and it takes the patience to observe one’s surroundings with a patience and vision that makes a song writer great. This is what Graph Nobel strives towards.

Beginning in theatre at a very young age gave Graph Nobel an early connection to the arts. It was at the age of 14 that she began writing songs. Three years later she would begin recording in the studio with Canadian producer 2Rude. Since that experience, Graph has branched out to develop herself as a strong and independent artist seemlessly incorporating elements of various genres into songs that are often seen as conflicting. With a strong love for music, deeply rooted in Hip Hop, Graph manages to find genuine ways of integrating musical influences into her own original sound.

Reflecting on her growth as an artist, Graph recalls the experience of an epiphany when she first saw the video for “Bonita Applebum” by A Tribe Called Quest. That moment, filled with inspiration, opened artistic possibilities in her imagination and remains a memorable milestone in the evolution of her career. As to why that moment has such a huge influence on her is hard to say, but her own free-spirited attitude and her eclectic taste seem to match the same attributes present in that video and in the movement that the song represents.

When discussing the priorities that govern her making of songs, Graph notes that she always envisions a song on stage. She has to be able to imagine a song in performance for it to work. Sounds strange in these days of recording booth artists, and even home computer studios, but her approach is actually a very natural one. Traditionally, musicians relate to the people. The performance is the most ancient, and has been the primary function of the song. Though she is a child of the Hip Hop generation which often preaches the purist performance philosophy of ‘two turntables and a mic’ (and all too often relies on a DAT or a CD), Graph Nobel prefers to rock with a band and a DJ. Her preference is part of a growing reality which -- spearheaded by The Roots -- is integrating the elements of Hip Hop into the grander musical tradition of a full band performance which was present in Hip Hop’s early formative years.

It can be said that Hip Hop is an important part of Graph Nobel, but it must be understood that she is an eclectic performer. At home utilizing the traditions of many forms of roots music, Graph’s sound is polished with pop-overtones which give greater relevance to her sound for today’s listeners. At the end of the day, Graph Nobel strives towards the creation of music that is beyond genre categorization. It is the combination of a blessed dosage of talent and a love for music that makes Graph Nobel an artist to watch out for. You may not be familiar with her name now, you may not have heard her music yet, but among Canada’s musician community, Graph Nobel stands out as one of the best equipped to take her music to uncharted heights.