Rising Arp: Noah Corolla Is The New Alt-Pop Persona Of Singer-Songwriter Nigel Cheah

Nigel Cheah is now Noah Corolla (Credit: Stephanie Yuen)

This singer-songwriter has shed his skin and donned a new persona. Taking a leap is Nigel Cheah, who’s blazed through the circuit with an impressive run of indie-pop records. Hardly a fledgling in the scene, Nigel cut his teeth as an alumnus of the coveted Noise Singapore music mentorship programme back in 2017, and he even bagged a National Youth Film Award for Best Original Music with his 2020 single “Class Mates”. Following those shimmering accolades, Nigel has now gone on to pursue a new sound with a new moniker, which he has proudly revealed as Noah Corolla.

While still leaning into his native pop influences, Noah Corolla is a project that sees the musician swerving towards electronic music and hyperpop, elevating his penned material with more exploratory instrumentals. Evidence of this is the lead single of his Noah Corolla arc – “Crazy” – which foretells the release of his debut EP this year.

“Crazy” shows the singer-songwriter’s new edge from the get-go, with overblown synth bass notes bumping beneath a haze of electronic sprinkles. While the digitised beats still give it a lo-fi bedroom flavour, it steps yonder adventurously with nimble breakbeats and a cheeky tint of Jersey club with those signature triplet kicks. Served with more stuttering vocal chops for modern texture, “Crazy” is an offering that’s ebullient and brightly hopeful, not unlike munching on a cube of sugar and getting hit with the rush. “Lyrically, the song reflects on the frustrations of a creative mental block juxtaposed with an eagerness to just do something,” Noah shares on the drive behind the track.