Noelle Scaggs has been creating must-listen-to music for over 10 years as the co-lead singer of Fitz and the Tantrums. But last year, shortly before the release of Fitz and the Tantrum’s latest album “All the Feels,” Scaggs put out a solo single, “Great for You,” that’s decidedly her own. Featuring heartbreakingly personal lyrics and Scaggs’ larger-than-life vocals, it was a memorable debut.
But the modern multihyphenate didn’t stop there. Scaggs proved her creative nous with the launch of Adventures with Scaggs—a business centered around her love of food, travel, and culture—and she hosted a web series called “In Good Hands” with Tastemade. It’s fair to say that Scaggs has pioneered the art of the pivot and she’s not about to stay in her lane any time soon.
Ahead, the talented singer-songwriter tells Create & Cultivate all about the realities of being a musician today, including the #1 thing she wishes she’d known when she was first starting out, the secret to Fitz and the Tantrums’ continued success in a turbulent industry, and the creative process behind creating her first solo single, “Great for You.”
In a male-dominated industry (#GrammysSoMale, anyone?), we think Scaggs is a frontwoman to watch and we think you’ll agree. Scroll on to find out why.
CREATE & CULTIVATE: The title track of Fitz and the Tantrums album, “All the Feels,” is the rawest of the songs you've released so far. Can you talk us through the creative process for creating this song? What was the overarching message you hoped to portray with the uplifting yet vulnerable lyrics?
NOELLE SCAGGS: “All the Feels,” our title track, was written with Morgan Dorr of Boys Like Girls and Warbel. The overall message is about reconnecting with the human spirit. In this day and age, we are all wrapped up in technology and the woes of the world around us, so many of us struggle with our mental health and it can feel like we have all forgotten how to engage with one another. This album, in general, is about getting back to that place of authenticity and human connection. We wanted to tell stories that give some insight into our own lives and struggles and, hopefully, provide some sense of connection to the listener in that they find what is important for them to get through their day-to-day life.
You released a solo single last year, what inspired this move? What did you learn through the experience? Will you be pursuing more solo projects?
I had been writing a lot outside of the band and found that I was writing some of my best work with my friends Johnny What and Thorald and Isaac Koren, also known as Bråves. They always manage to help me get the real gems out of my sad love stories. We worked on “Great for You” on and off for about a year, just trying to find the right thing. I sat on it for a while then asked Johnny to have a crack at producing a track for it, I threw him some references and he came back with what I felt was undeniable for me sonically. It hit all the right notes.
Since I had just been working on the band, and we weren’t on the road, I wanted to put something of my own out into the world. I had no expectations other than sharing my voice and my vision, and “Great for You” was the perfect introduction to what will be a future endeavor. I learned a lot about what my vision looks and sounds like, and how I want to present my art to the world as Noelle Scaggs. I was fortunate that Gregg Nadel saw and felt my vision and wanted to support the effort by releasing it under Elektra’s imprint. It brought back some creative confidence I was struggling with as well. There will definitely be more where that came from.
“I think failing is important. Perfection is the death of creativity and true happiness.”
Aside from being the co-lead singer of Fitz and the Tantrums, you're also pursuing other creative projects on the side around travel, food, and design. What can you tell us about these other projects? What can we expect to see from you next?
Earlier this year, I decided to turn what was once just a fun hobby while on tour into a full-fledged business with my brand and, now, media company, Adventures With Scaggs. I decided that my love for travel, food, and culture had a relevant place in the web-series and TV space. My focus is on bridging the gap between food, music, and travel by bringing in the narratives of food-passionate artists like myself and music-passionate chefs who have made their love of music curation apart of their culinary experience and presentation. I also want to diversify the faces and narrators in the food and travel content spaces and provide opportunities for people of color, and women of color, to be able to share their stories and unique experiences in these formats.
You run an Instagram account called Adventures With Scaggs that dives into your lifestyle. Why did you start it? What can we expect to see more of?
The initial idea for Adventures With Scaggs started while I was on tour, with a bit of encouragement from fans that had been following my IG feed who loved all of my food and travel photos. I was in New Orleans one day and decided to just create a separate account dedicated to my passion for finding places to eat and sharing my day-to-day life on the road when I wasn’t needed at a soundcheck or on stage. Things kept building from there. My following includes James Beard and Michelin star chefs, food writers, media groups, and just fans of food and travel. I’ve been finding out that a lot of people have been using my recommendations when they hit cities that are featured on the Adventures highlights. It feels good to know I am supporting great spaces and people are following suit. I plan to expand upon that with more original series-focused content in the future.
You've been making music with Fitz and the Tantrums for over 10 years. How have you been able to achieve longevity in such a turbulent industry?
Consistency in never allowing ourselves to color inside the lines. We have always pushed ourselves to do something else, to try and find something new in our sound and our songwriting. I think collaborating with others has also helped keep things from going stale. Fitz and I are constantly pushing each other and the rest of the gang. We also respect each other as creators and as a family. That helps, we all have an ingredient that makes Fitz what it is.
When you hit a bump or hurdle in your career, how do you #FindNewRoads + switch gears to find success?
I keep people around who challenge my thinking. It’s easy to begin doubting yourself, even when things are going well. It takes a solid village and foundation to help keep things in perspective. I’ve been in the music world for a long time, and it’s always scary because there are no guarantees that things will keep moving in the right direction. Focusing on things that require gratitude is the best and the only way to get over hurdles. That, and just always living my most authentic self, even when no one else gets me right away.
Who in your field most inspires/influences you? How has this person shaped your career?
I have been fortunate in that I have had a lot of women in my corner, from my family to friends who are executives and VPs in their fields. On the music end, people like Amanda Berman-Hill, Julie Greenwald, Mollie Lehman, Mitra Darab, Lisa Nupoff, Nancy Matalon, Sharon Wixen, and Elizabeth Gregory (my badass attorney) and Michele Bernstein. Watching them navigate their careers and excel has had a major impact on me, motivating me to excel in my own career and expand my horizons.
The music industry is fairly cut-throat and competitive. What advice do you have for musicians coming up now? What do you wish you'd known when you were first starting out? Why?
I came up in the era of D.I.Y, and I am seeing that now, more than ever, the tool of knowing everything about the ins and outs of the business of music is as important as all of the creative requirements that come with it—especially in this streaming era of music consumption where it is harder to make a living from music creation. People are leaning more towards remaining independent, and there are now tools out there to help independent artists create profitable businesses and brands for themselves.
I have always been an advocate of artists educating themselves on the basics of music and creating teams that help them excel and capitalize on their audiences, especially young women artists. Sometimes, I wish I had gotten my law degree in an effort to help prevent some of the issues I see artists getting caught up in. There are so many artists getting caught up in horrible record deals—it breaks my heart.
You have had incredible success already, but what does success mean to you? How do you measure success? Why? What characteristics make you successful in the music industry?
I would probably say, I measure my success based on the stories of young women who have told me that I inspired them to pursue something they never thought they would have the courage to pursue their own careers. I think that if my success somehow lifts another human up in some way, then I’ve done what I’ve set out to do.
I honestly don’t know what characteristics have made me successful. I’ve always just worked really hard, not knowing if there would be a result that others would measure as being a “success.” I’ve always worked on things that I like, I’ve never made my purpose in life solely about me or financial gain. Yes, I want to live my best life and I have to figure out how to stay competitive, but at the end of the day, it’s just because I don’t know how to do anything else but create. I do what makes me happy.
In a saturated industry, what do you think makes you and your music stand out? How can others reading this find/create a unique point of view?
Find your own voice, and don’t be afraid of telling your authentic-to-only-you stories. Also, take your sweet ass time in figuring out what that is and grow and nurture it like a chia pet. Make art that you love. Work with people that you gel with who add their own flavor as well. That is what we have always tried to do as a band. We don’t always agree as a unit on what that should look like sometimes, but at the end of the day, we know our sound and our approach to what we do as Fitz and the Tantrums is ours.
“I keep people around who challenge my thinking. It’s easy to begin doubting yourself, even when things are going well. It takes a solid village and foundation to help keep things in perspective.”
What's a mistake you made and what did you learn from it? How did you turn it into an opportunity?
I’ve made so many, I’m not sure how to answer this one. I think I’ve turned lemons into lemonade by taking the lessons I learned from my missteps and growing from them intellectually so I can avoid making them again. I think failing is important. Perfection is the death of creativity and true happiness.
The filtered world of social media often hides a lot of the hard work and hustle behind-the-scenes. What is the reality of being a musician today? Be honest!
Keeping someone’s attention in this new era is harder than it has ever been. It is hard AF to make a living on music alone. You have to learn how to create a brand out of your art, your persona. Your visual stylings all have to be so unique to you, as to not get caught in the wash of sound-alike pop. Spending the time to craft great songs, being innovative in the way you present your art in a real and authentic manner, is the only thing we recording artists have to go on. Don’t forget the live show ‘cause touring is the way we are all surviving. Get that stage show right and tight and build your own music communities!! Keep each other working.
How do you stay true to who you are and your voice? What advice do you have for other female musicians reading this who want to break out in the music industry?
I try not to follow people on social media who don’t inspire me to be different from them. I try not to follow people who are like me artistically, especially when I am in creation mode. I work with producers and other songwriters who push me out of my box. I spar with people who are better writers than me and better vocalists and artists than I am because it pushes me to find my own voice and find my own unique point of view, in addition to making me a better songwriter. My advice is to never get comfortable and always work towards something that is new and uncomfortable.
What is the #1 book you always recommend? Why? What is the #1 album you always recommend? Why?
The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and in Business by Charles Duhigg. It’s my life bible and everyone should have this book by their bedside. It lends a real perspective on human nature when it comes to routine and comfort.
Album would be, “Songs in the Key of Life” by Stevie Wonder. That album had a major impact on me when I was younger, especially as a singer. There are so many layers in each of the compositions that make up that album that it’s worthy of study.
Photographer: Jenna Peffley
Hair: Styled by OGXpert & Celebrity Hairstylist Jillian Halouska
