The Journey of Noémie Wolfs

It has been a while but the journey of… is officially back on track and presenting to you Belgian nightingale Noémie Wolfs (probably a presentation isn’t needed but hey, it just sounds good). Ilja broke into her place to take some very nice pictures and I put the sweet girl to the grill with my “life-saving” questionnaire 😉

 

1. Tell us something about Noémie Wolfs?

 

I’m a 26-year-old singer who was part of the Belgian band Hooverphonic until a few weeks ago. At the moment I can describe my career as one great and crazy experiment. I’m still making music but I’m also involved in a few fashion and lifestyle projects, let’s just say it’s a very interesting mix.

 

2. What’s your background? How did you become the woman you are now?

 

After I graduated from high school I had, as many among us, no idea at all of what I wanted to do with my life. So I wandered around, investigated all the possibilities and this quest lead to graphic design studies at the KASK in Ghent. It was very important to me to go studying in a city away from home so I could dive into the unknown. And at that time, being a girl born and raised in Scherpenheuvel, Ghent seemed like the ideal exotic destination.

Back then I already knew very well that I wanted to go singing but I just didn’t feel mature enough to actually go to the conservatory. In my final year at KASK I heard that Hooverphonic was searching for a new singer and my guts feeling told me “take a chance because you have absolutely nothing to lose”. I joined the contest without ever expecting they would choose me at the end but they luckily did. The months following on that moment were quite heavy, I had to combine my graphic studies with singing and recording an album. But every time I stepped into that studio everything became clear to me, singing was and still is my first love and biggest passion.

3. What defines who you are, do you have any special characteristics?

 

I’m ambitious and always willing to learn or at least that’s what my friends say 🙂 I can compare myself to a pitbull when it comes to gaining information about something new that interests me, I can be very consistent and it gives me an enormous kick to have it taped.

Working in music business made me turn into a boyish girl because the industry is mostly ruled by men. I like the fact that men are direct and uncomplicated, that’s also the main reason why I have many male friends and only a few close girlfriends. But this doesn’t mean I’m not a sensitive person, I can be touched by very trivial situations.

 

4. If there’s one fashion item you’d like to own, what would it be?

 

Both of my parents work in the footwear sector and are always very well dressed, their closets are full of designs from Dries Van Noten and Ann Demeulemeester. You can say I grew up with fashion which doesn’t mean I always has the best taste. As a teenager I always wore the craziest stuff first, if I couldn’t find it in the shops I made it myself. I once cut my father’s ties to make a skirt out of it because I saw it on the Jean-Paul Gaultier show. Luckily this changed and I got totally fed up with the fact that nothing in my entire wardrobe actually matched. Every year I started to invest more in sustainable pieces that aren’t bound to trends.

Right now, if there’s one item I’d really like to save my money for it’s the “Le Brillant” bag from Delvaux. It’s the kind of bag you’ll give to your own daughter when she’s old enough to appreciate it.

 

5. What makes you happy?

 

It will probably sound as a cliché but I’m someone who really enjoys the small things in life: an ice cold shower after a hot day, delicious food in good company, good weather. For me happiness is also transmissible, when others are happy it will affect me and the other way around. And I have to admit that shopping brings me a certain amount of joy, I can really revel in trying everything on and making combinations in my mind.

 

6. Which people do you admire?

 

I’m not really the type of girl that looks up to people but more to certain characteristics they posses like people who have been passionate their entire lives. Having a true passion is such a beautiful thing, the idea of making music for the rest of my life makes me truly happy.

 

7. What’s you favorite city worldwide and can you spoil us with your some good addresses in Belgium?

 

My favorite cities are Paris and Berlin, no doubt about that! I have an emotional bound with Paris because I lived there for 6 months and it was an unforgettable time. Funny fact was that people always started to talk to me in French because they thought I was a Parisienne. And I like Berlin because it’s more street, underground and far ahead of other European cities when it comes to music and visual arts. There’s also one country I have a special connection with, Italy! We used to play there a lot with Hooverphonic and I love the Italian mentality, also their cuisine is the best in the world if you ask me.

When in Belgium I travel between Antwerp and Ghent. My boyfriend lives in Ghent and we don’t cohabit yet because we both like to have our own base. But in the future I’d like to settle in Brussels, I just love that city. So you can already guess I have many favorite spots 😉

Ghent
Party: Charlatan, Sioux and Millie Vanillie
Drinks: Hotsy Totsy
Food: Balls&Glory, Eat.Love.Pizza
Vintage markets: on Sunday at St. Jacobs
Shopping: Elisa Lee for beautiful jewels with a twist, la fille d’O for lingerie and Twiggy, Julia June for clothes

Antwerp
Party: Pekfabriek, Piaf and The Studio
Drinks: Bar Leon, De Kroon
Food: Barnini (best bagels in town), Rode 7 and Local Store
Shopping: Nathalie Vleeschouwer, LN Knits, Double Stitched, Thiron, &Other Stories, Annelies Timmermans, Diamanti Pertutti

Brussels
Party: Bloody Louis, Bronks, Madame Moustache
Drinks: Markten, Bar Beton, L’Archiduc  and De Monk
Food: De Platte Steen and all Thai restaurants near St Goriks
Vintage markets: on Sunday there’s a vintage market at the Vossenmarkt (Marollen), you should definitely stay here till after 12 o’clock because some of the cheap-jacks leave the pieces they didn’t sell
Shopping: Smets, Martin Margiela and Marcel de Bruxelles

 

8. If there’s one thing you could change about this world, what would it be?

 

People should be more tolerant, peaceful and kind… definitely kind!

 

9. Which advice would you give now to the younger version of yourself?

 

I’m doer and not a thinker which caused trouble from time to time so I would say “think before you act”. And another important advice: be patient!

 

10. What would you like to reach in the future? Both personal and professional?

 

I would keep on challenging myself, career wise and also in my private life. Nothing is evident so I’d like to keep on working hard, be happy with what I’ve already reached and not look back to think about the chances I might have missed. You only have one life and if you organise things well, one life is more than enough to reach your goals.

 

Pictures by Ilja Sura Changlor Smets

With special thanks to Noémie for having us, keep up the good work you nightingale 😉