6 Things You Didn’t Know About Novo Amor

Following the release of his latest single “Silvery,” We Are: The Guard sat down with Welsh alternative folk artist Ali Lacey, who goes by Novo Amor. "Silvery," created with collaborator Ed Tullett, is the second release since his EP Bathing Beach, following Cavalry. The newest single is also the opening track from his and Ed Tullett's collaborative album Heiress, out November 10th." Listeners can expect silky vocals sung over moving strings and building beats, which eventually explode into something more beautiful than you could imagine. Keep reading to find out 6 things you didn’t know about Novo Amor!

Who's one artist you love that needs more attention right now?
Valley Maker— a Seattle-based artist I stumbled upon a few years ago. Great voice, great songwriter, check him out. I recommend “Only Friend” and “Pretty Little Life Form.”

What’s one thing you know now that you wish you knew when you first started?
I’ve thought about this for a while, and I honestly think the answer is nothing. Things have come as a surprise to me, such as the difficulties of bringing my music to stage, but I think I need these surprises to keep me going. I never thought I’d have half the audience that I do now, to get to tour foreign countries,  to meet and work with the people that I do, but I always knew that it was worth trying.

Do you have a live “Spinal Tap” embarrassing moment or situation that happened? 
Literally. I played a show in Aachen, Germany in 2015. The venue was an old WW2 bunker with six feet thick concrete walls and doors that automatically lock on the detection of smoke. We played the set and went off stage before the encore, we walked up some stairs, around some corners and got lost trying to work our way back to the stage, in true Spinal Tap fashion. I also fell backwards into the drum kit. I like to think it looked cool, like Kurt Cobain. It definitely didn’t.

NOVO AMOR & ED TULLET - SILVERY

What’s the first thing you remember buying with your own money?
It was almost definitely chocolate/sweets, though when I was nine I started skateboarding, saving up all my birthday and pocket money to buy a ‘totally sick’ board. Skateboarding was my introduction to rock and punk music, which later developed into my interest in playing music at twelve, when I sold all my skateboard gear and bought a drum kit.

What fad do you wish would come back?
YoYo’s? or Conkers… I feel like I was getting good at that.

What motivates you to succeed?
The mundanities of life. Plus, I’m really bad at working for other people. I find what I do challenging, and at times very stressful and draining. I really like to create things, whether it’s a piece of music, a meal or a papier-mâché sheep. I just love to make things. I’m always trying to out-do my self with what I create, giving myself very high standards and expectations, which is probably quite bad, and is definitely making me lose my mind, but it drives me.

To keep up and learn more about rising artist Novo Amor, you can follow him at:

https://www.instagram.com/iamnovoamor/
https://twitter.com/iamnovoamor
https://www.facebook.com/iamnovoamor
https://www.novoamor.co.uk/

Photographer: Rhodri Brooks