FSD: Who was the first person that said “Keep going”?
Noah Sims: My mom [@_MamaSims] is obviously sort of in the scene, and she got behind me harder than anybody ever has. You know, you expect that from a Mother, but she went so far beyond that, and I wouldn’t be here without her in many different ways. But, when I first started out I made shitty Garage Band beats, like everyone. I was doing these weird samples, like Portishead and Inception. I’d take speeches and make entire beats from them. I made this one beat from this guy’s speech on fear. It was just this sloppy, freaky sounding shit. I didn’t even really have rhythm in my beats yet. I was a drummer but I couldn’t program drums. Everyone thought it was too weird to be hip-hop, or just didn’t get it. But I felt like I knew what I wanted to do.
Eventually I made one from a Sia sample, and my dad peeped it and was like “you made this?” I finally knew that I had started to crack it. So it was my Mom and Dad, the first ones to say “Keep going.” They’ve been the ones to see me go up and down with it. They’ve been there for me the whole time. I’ve had different musicians and friends at different points, but nobody else was unconditionally down for me, and I’m super lucky to have them.
FSD: If you can talk to the person that you were at the beginning of this project, what would you say?
“Noah Sims: It’s bigger than you think, and that’s a good thing. Be openminded. Be patient. Keep making things.” I’ve mentioned before, this project was not what it was when it started. It’s not what I envisioned it to be. It became better.
FSD: What are you most proud of so far?
Noah Sims: I think my favorite parts, not necessarily the things on paper, are the reactions I’ve gotten from people. I’ve gotten to see this project touch a couple of people, make an impact. That’s the most validating thing for myself that I think I can have. When I’m making a beat, it’s the most solo process I think I can have. It’s 2 in the morning and I’m at my desk. I have shit going on in my head and I can’t say it. I don’t know what to do. And I sit down at a keyboard and it comes out. My music is just things I don’t know how to say, but I can spread. It’s emotion, and my favorite moments over the past 3 years of making music, is people catching that emotion. They don’t have to apply it to the exact situation that I’m in, but when I see someone catch the emotion that I was feeling, and have it impact them like it impacted me, that’s my proudest moment.
FSD: What’s next for Noah Sims?
Noah Sims: Man, I don’t fuckin’ know [laughs]. With Testament, I’m sort of thinking of it as the beginning of my next chapter. I’m at Columbia now, I’m 19. I’m having to think more about money, but I’m also getting into my own rhythm. I’m starting to understand how all this works, I’m getting better at what I do, I’m meeting more people. In the end, I’m looking for a legacy. And I want Testament to be the start of that legacy.