Urban mirage of rave folk and avant-garde matter Noum is a London-based singer, guitarist and producer originally from French-speaking Switzerland.

Her recent string of singles weave a vivid narrative, opening with the baroque chamber ballad ANA which was spotlighted as BBC Introducing’s Track of the Day, next followed by Shillings, a haunting tribute to two witch trial victims acompanied by visuals exploring the physical materials of their persecution. In contrast, Born offers a euphoric, almost weightless meditation on life itself. Celebrated by mesmerized.io as a “heavenly and bucolic formula,” it is paired with an aspect ratio-defying video collage of personal phone footage featuring an overwhelming display of earthly chaos and trans-species friendship.

In August 2024, Noum formed a new band to reimagine her originals for a circus production, bringing drummer Ayman Sinada and bassist Mandy Nossen into the fold. Following a month of shows together during which she collaborated with dancers, clowns and acrobats the likes of Jenny Tufts, Bella Schleiker and Hannah Finn, Noum debuted this trio formation back in East London's renowned mezcal bar Doña with a sold out hour-long show of her original material.

Before this transformation, Noum’s sets flowed through original compositions and folk songs rooted in English, Irish, Scottish, French, Greek, Armenian, Georgian, Turkish, and Arabic traditions. These ingredients were unraveled and reimagined through acoustic, electronic and distorting lenses — queering and feminocentralising folk lyrics, blending electronic drone, rock and bluegrass into devoted and intricate studies of their origins.

In this vein, Noum has been partly fuelled by Idrîsî Ensemble, which she joined at its inception, and specialises in the intersections of ancient European and Mediterranean music. Her close collaboration with the project leader Thomas Fournil has spurred her vocal growth as well as inspired her stage name, reflecting the ancient notation system elements "neumes” while also nodding to the stoner doom metal band Sleep via its Arabic translation "nawm". Her involvement with Idrîsî Ensemble culminated in a career-defining moment this year when she delivered an a cappella performance at Royal Albert Hall during Jordan Rakei’s set, a performance met with rapturous acclaim.

A shapeshifter in both sound and intent, Noum continues to carve out a space that feels timeless and original. A string of London shows paves the way to a 3 day recording session in January with her new lineup, capturing almost a decade's worth of songwriting in a live studio LP.