Noel Shusted

Noel has enjoyed being a singer/songwriter since her early 20’s. She sings and writes across several genres of music from ballads, pop/rock, electronic dance music and country. Noel has an appreciation for many genres of music and the music artists who have inspired and mentored her from afar. A few of her favorite artists are Barbra Streisand, the late Karen Carpenter, Faith Hill, Lady Ga Ga and Adele.

In the 1980’s, Noel performed as a lead singer in several local Sacramento area Pop/Rock bands where she gained some invaluable experience. Through the years, she has also performed in several choirs and currently sings in the Placer Pops Chorale which is a 70+ member auditioned show choir. Her varied musical background, influences and versatility as a singer has provided a natural transition and development of her unique songwriting style, which at times incorporates a melding of genres.

Noel's contralto voice has been described as warm, rich, deep and textured in vocal tone with a soulful raw emotional feel. Her ballads feel timeless and her lyrics pull on your heartstrings with her pure genuine passion and conviction. Her emotive music is conveyed through her haunting, ethereal, and transcendent melodic lines and distinctive harmonies. In contrast to her ballads, Noel integrates her pop/rock influences into her electronic dance music songs, some of which are quirky, humorous and facetious. Noel has mentioned she has always connected with this part of her personality.

During the past couple years, Noel has stepped up the pace with her songwriting and recording. In regard to songwriting, she mentions, “I write lyrics and a melody that comes into my head at that moment and keep following the melody I hear. That’s usually how it happens. Sometimes when I start, I’m not sure what style the song will end up becoming. I like to keep it organic in that respect and let the creativity flow.”