Exploring Love’s Dichotomy: L.A./Montreal’s Noelle Hannibal’s “Ain’t A Tourist” Chronicles The Struggle Between Romance And Casualty
When searching for true love, sometimes you will come across people who just aren’t interested in it. Instead of giving you the romantic relationship you crave, they’ll try to get you to have a casual fling. The frustration of that can cause you to feel like a tourist to romantic love. Los Angeles-born, Montreal, QC-based based indie pop singer Noelle Hannibal captures this feeling well in her new single, “Ain’t A Tourist”.
The song opens with a steady drum beat that accompanies Hannibal as she firmly states that she doesn’t want a showy lover who tries to wow her. The snarl of an electric guitar kicks in as she further states her case by saying she doesn’t want to be given the same old flirty lines. By the time the chorus comes in, Hannibal is passionately singing about her desires as the electric guitar accompanies her.
“I’d rather see your side streets
Don’t wanna climb your mountains
I wanna know your secrets
Don’t need to see no fountains
I wanna hear the verses
Before I hear the chorus
If all you are is a tour guide
I ain’t a tourist”
In fact, the song was partly inspired by personal experience and a deluge of inspiration generated during the pandemic. Hannibal states,
“When the pandemic hit in 2020 and we were all trapped at home, I started writing again. I realized how much I missed it. The music started to flow out of me. All my anxieties and angst, my love, my disgust…I have at least 3 albums worth of songs in my scribbly handwriting, in various notebooks, throughout my house, and in my car.”
Noelle Hannibal is an award-winning actress/singer/songwriter who appeared in the film Star Trek: First Contact, she has a unique distinction of portraying the first female Vulcan on Earth. Originally from Los Angeles, Noelle made her professional theatre debut playing Crissy in Hair, then moved to Ireland to tour the country performing in both theatrical productions and concerts.
While in Dublin, she made her living as a busker which connected her with several inspirational songwriting colleagues. It was then that she began to write her own music. Noelle has recorded and performed extensively throughout both North America and Europe. She released her debut album, Somewhere in Between in 2011.
Her new EP and single, Ain’t a Tourist, produced and co-written by her dear friend Grammy Award winner, Scot Sax (Wanderlust, Bachelor Number One) and recorded in Nashville, will be released on July 28, 2023. The first single, “Changing” was released in November 2022.
Watch the video for “Ain’t A Tourist” below and learn more about Noelle via our mini-interview.
Care to introduce yourself?
My name is Noelle Hannibal. I’m an actor/singer-songwriter/producer/educator. I’ve been performing since I was 5 years old. I’m lucky enough to still get to do it!
Tell us about the process of writing and recording “Ain’t A Tourist”?
Scot Sax, who produced and co-wrote the EP, is a dear friend. Back in the 90s, we were both living in LA when we met through a mutual musician friend. I sang on a few demos of songs Scot had written, but that was the extent of our collaboration. Last year, I was at an event in Nashville and got a slot at The Bluebird Cafe. I borrowed Scot’s wife, the incredible Suzie Brown’s guitar and when returned it, Scot and I talked about how we had never tried writing together. A month or so later, over Zoom, we had our first session. We wrote “Changing” in an hour. Scot recorded all the instruments in his studio, and tossed it over to me to record vocals in my studio. I tossed it back to Scot and he mixed it, we had it mastered and released it into the world about a month later. The response was overwhelmingly good and we thought, “huh. I think we have something here.” We then began weekly writing sessions over Zoom. In some sessions, I would have a chord progression, a melody, and in the case of “Love the Idea of Love,” that one lyric...”Love the Idea of Love.” So we built on that. Some sessions started with a chat and through the discussion, an idea would form. It was all very organic and easy. I think the longest it took us to write each song was a few hours. I took two trips to Tennessee to record my vocals in Scot’s studio, along with filming the music video for “Ain’t a Tourist.” Scot sent me the mixes and tweaked as needed ’til we were both happy. We are planning more, so this won’t be the end of our collaboration!
What’s it like being a musician in Montreal?
It’s hard. Montreal is primarily a rock and metal town. So it’s difficult being a singer-songwriter/girl with guitar. I used to play out a lot about 10 or so years ago, but it was a constant struggle to get more than the same 30-40 people out to my shows. The city is so vibrant, but it can be limiting. I will say, Montreal audiences are enthusiastic and loud! I just played my EP release show in Montreal and the audience and I were feeding off each other and it felt great!
Who was the first and most recent Canadian artist to blow you away?
Joni Mitchell, Joni Mitchell, Joni Mitchell. I have loved Joni since I was a young child. Her songwriting is so prolific and she has the voice of an angel, even with it dropped down the octave! A Case of You is my absolute favourite song. Hmmm I think the most recent would have to be Ron Sexsmith. And by most recent, I mean a friend brought me to see him play about 20 years ago. Sarah Slean opened for him and also blew me away! I enjoy following both of them on social media.
You’ve been making music for a while now, what’s one piece of advice you can offer to those starting out?
Music has to be the thing you are most passionate about. Create for yourself, not for anyone else. Don’t expect to be a household name/top of the charts, etc. Keep learning, work hard, and enjoy the journey.