Karina Noelle

FemaleRNB sat down with Karina Noelle, a singer, songwriter, and pianist carving her own space at the crossroads of R&B and rock. With raw emotion, rich vocals, and a commitment to honest storytelling, she brings a distinctive edge to today’s alternative R&B scene.

Her debut EP ‘Let You Go’ explores growth, clarity, and the strength found in releasing what no longer serves you. A confident introduction to an artist stepping fully into her voice.

For readers who are discovering you: who is Karina Noelle?

Hi, yes, I am Karina Noelle, I’m a singer-songwriter sitting in the R&B lane, but sort of also swerving into rock and roll a little bit. My parents raised me on classic 90s R&B (mom) and also heavy metal (dad) so I think both of those influences come through in the music I create! I moved out to LA from Michigan just over a year ago to pursue music, and I recently released my first EP!

Your new EP ‘Let You Go’ is finally out, congratulations! What did it feel like to share it with the world?

It felt like such a relief! Creating Let You Go felt like a long time coming – I’ve been singing my whole life, and performing semi-professionally since I was 9 years old. I’ve always enjoyed writing music just for myself, but this is my first time actually sharing my original work with the world! I’ve been in the studio and really starting to find my sound, so I’m excited to now have a complete project out there as an introductory representation of who I am as an artist and what I have to say!

The title ‘Let You Go’ carries an emotional weight: release, moving on, maybe self-liberation. What made you pick it, and what does it represent for you at this moment?

Yes, exactly! So the entire EP was an exploration of a toxic relationship – going through the stages of recognition, denial, acceptance, closure.“Let you go” specifically was a lyric from the track Have To Be Sane, where I sing “I’d have to be sane to let you go / I’d have to be smart if I’m gonna leave you.” So using the phrase “Let You Go” as the overall title represents that now it’s all said and done, and through this project I have found that sanity and that clarity to release this relationship from my life. It’s a north star to where the story is heading as you listen to each song.

The EP feels very cohesive, emotionally and sonically. How did you approach building its sound and atmosphere as a whole?

Thank you, that cohesiveness was definitely a big goal of mine in creating this EP! It was interesting because this is my very first project, so I was going into these studio sessions and collaborating with other musicians for the very first time so there were a lot of new moving parts for me.I had the overall concept in mind from the start – I knew I wanted to explore this ending of a bad relationship, and I had little fragments of songs and ideas to build off of, but I was really open to experimentation. I was then able to take those pieces into the studio and work with so many amazing producers and co-writers who helped me start to nail down my sound and fill in those gaps, finding what I wanted to say with each individual track. That cohesiveness is really a testament to the teamwork and collaboration across this whole project.

On songs like ‘Just Tell Me’ and ‘At All’, you explore love, self-worth and clarity. How did you navigate those emotions while making the project?

Haha, so, in my day-to-day life, I am really not an emotional person at all – I’m a Capricorn, so I tend to avoid a lot of vulnerability and sensitivity! However, music has always been the space where I’ve felt safe to actually explore a deeper emotional world, and writing music has always been a form of therapy to me. I definitely felt like a fish out of water, though, going into these sessions and having to divulge personal experiences and ideas and feelings with my collaborators (and with the knowledge that whatever we were writing would then go out into the world) – it was very foreign to me!I had incredible partnership though – all of the producers and co-writers I worked with helped to curate a really comfortable environment for me to open up and make some really honest music. Stephen Collins, in particular, is one of the best co-writers I’ve gotten the opportunity to work with out here in LA – we wrote Just Tell Me together, and he just asks all the right questions! He made me feel so comfortable, which allowed us to really get to the truth of the story, and then tell it in a really eloquent, lyrical way.

‘Baby Boy’ feels like a moment of reflection, almost like a conversation with the past. What story were you trying to tell through that song?

I definitely consider Baby Boy to be the turning point of the EP – it’s right in the middle of the tracklist and it’s the moment that reflects, essentially, the straw that breaks the camel’s back. It’s the moment when you look back at a relationship that you’re in with such a sudden clarity, and a recognition of: I’m over this, I’ve gotta get out, this is so beneath me. It’s packed with attitude, realizing that no, I’m actually not going to allow you to treat me like this – it’s over!

Throughout this EP, themes of letting go, growth and self-discovery appear strong. What messages or emotions were most important for you to share through this body of work?

I think the most important thing that I wanted to reflect across this entire project was that the relationship does end. There isn’t a world of compromising, or sacrificing self-worth, or settling for less. It’s really the process of identifying my own needs and saying, you know what, this isn’t cutting it, so I’m going to do something about it.It was also really important to me to then reflect that, upon ending the relationship, the biggest feeling was relief and happiness and clarity. That’s why At All felt like such an important track to include, because it represents this moment for me where I was bracing up for heartbreak and grief, but was surprised by how much lighter I felt. It was like an instant sigh of relief, realizing that it was a good decision to cut this person off and be free.At All is then instantly followed by Don’t It Feel Nice, which is sort of a sarcastic song honestly, but it does reflect some themes of wanting to make sure that I then take this bad experience and grow from it, turning it into a positive lesson.

If you had to pick one song to represent the whole EP, which one would it be, and why?

I do really feel like Don’t It Feel Nice is a fun reflection of the entire EP – like I said, it’s a little sarcastic but it does touch on the truth: there are parts of being in love and being in a relationship that feel really wonderful. However, it’s admitting that sometimes those feelings are not enough, and if all these issues are coming up, you’re done! It’s cut off!But it still ends on a somewhat positive note to say how I’m still keeping my heart open and I’m not going to let one person harden me and put my walls all the way back up, which starts to set up the next project I’m working on quite nicely (wink wink).

Which female R&B artists have inspired you the most in how you create and express yourself?

I love this question, but it’s also so hard to cull down a quick list so please consider this just an initial sampling! Firstly I have to say Beyoncé is my number one and will always be my number one – if I can be a fraction of the artist that she is, I will feel happy! I really respect her dedication and the way she bends genres, which is really important to me as I feel like I toe the line between R&B and rock. That combo doesn’t necessarily have a set, guaranteed, easy audience to tap into – but it feels authentic to me, so I’m sticking with it in hopes that it will pay off, and I think Beyoncé has really been paving the way for a lot of that genre-bending.Vocally, artists like Jazmine Sullivan, Yebba, and RAYE really influence the way I sing – I naturally have a more soulful R&B tone, and I always look to those ladies to learn new riffs and runs, to inspire experimentation with my voice, and to create interesting melodies while telling compelling stories.

You’ve built a sound that blends R&B with soulful storytelling and even rock influences. Are there any female R&B singers you’d love to collaborate with?

Recently I’ve gotten really into Sasha Keable’s music, and I specifically love the way that she layers these hard-hitting, almost gospel-sounding background vocals to just punch you right in the feels! I think it would be so amazing to work with her and just stack harmonies up for days.I also really love Rihanna’s music – she’s someone that I feel like has dipped into that R&B / rock and roll space, I mean Kiss It Better is one of my favorite songs of all time! So, listen if Rihanna ever gets back in the studio, I’d love to be right there with her!

What do you hope listeners feel or take away after listening to ‘Let You Go’?

I hope listeners take away a feeling of confidence and clarity. I hope that people can listen to this project, and if they are in any sort of similar situation of feeling like they’re not in the right relationship, or experiencing toxicity or anything, that this project is sort of like a handbook showing that you can and should leave. I hope it’s a representation of self-reflection and self-respect to recognize that if something doesn’t serve you, to let it go!

Is there something you learned about yourself while creating ‘Let You Go’?

Oh my gosh, I feel like I learned so much about myself, but one of the biggest things was truly that sense of vulnerability. Being able to work with so many amazing musicians and let them into my world and my mind in these sessions was terrifying at first, but it turned out so fun and we created music that I’m so proud of. It’s a nice little lesson that maybe I don’t need to be so guarded all the time! We’re getting some really cool art out of that vulnerability which makes it feel so worth it!

Now that the EP is out, what’s next for you? What does the next chapter look like?

I am already getting close to finishing my second EP, and I’m really really excited about it! It’s sort of a sister project to Let You Go, jumping into the next chapter of the story.I also feel like I started to find my sound in the process of creating Let You Go, so now in this next project I can really start to own that sound.Everyone who’s heard the songs so far (friends, collaborators, or strangers in the audiences of my shows getting a sneak peek of the unreleased music) have also really loved what they’ve heard, so that positive reinforcement is really great to know that I’m headed in the right direction and people are already excited to hear this record!