Noah Deist, a young singer-songwriter from South Dakota, is hoping to spread his message of hope and positivity through his new song, “Lay It Out.”
Based in Sioux Falls, Deist is a student at Dordt University in Sioux Center. Due to circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, he’s currently living with his family in Washington, D.C. He began playing music at an early age and has gotten more serious about his songwriting within the last year.
“As a musician, I am actively seeking for ways to have a positive influence on the world,” says Deist. “Music is one of the most powerful and universal tools we have at our disposal, so I want to use my gifts to hopefully give people a little hope.”
“Lay It Out” is now available on all streaming platforms. Deist spoke to IPR about his new song, and his plans for the coming year and beyond.
How long have you been making music, and what sort of music background do you have?
“I have been playing drums for over 10 years. My dad is a drummer and he started teaching me how to play at a young age. Around middle school I started to learn how to play guitar, and from there on I began to sing and write songs. This past year, I have really been focusing on improving myself as a songwriter, and releasing quality music along with learning so much about how to market music.”
What are you trying to say with “Lay It Out?”
“I’d say the main thing I am trying to do is encourage people who are struggling with things like anxiety, depression, and stress to not let those things control them. The song is an encouragement to react to those negative things by laying them out in acceptance of the fact that we don’t have control. And to begin to work on the things that we do have control over.”
Tell us a little bit about the production of the song. What instruments did you play?
“When I went to record the song, I had already produced a demo that was pretty close to how I wanted the song to sound. So we ended up just exporting the synth and drum groove that I had created and used it for the final song. So I produced those parts. I also played acoustic guitar and electric guitar on the track. My friend Ray Badudu, who is featured on verse two of the song, played bass and did a few of the acoustic parts as well.”
What was the original release plan for “Lay It Out?” What made you decide to release it early?
“I was originally planning on releasing the song in late August. I really wanted to shoot a music video for this song that represented unity, and I had a really cool vision of getting lots of people from the community involved on camera. But then COVID hit and plans changed, so I was no longer able to work with some of the video producers that I have worked with in the past. And as time kept going by, and I kept seeing all these stories on Facebook and on the news of how our world is hurting, I knew that now was the best time to release. People are struggling, and there is something special about having a song to get through a tough time.”
What other plans did you have for the coming year? What are you doing instead?
“This summer, I was planning on touring with a worship team called New City as their drummer. We had tour dates scheduled for basically the entire summer. The tour got cancelled and my summer work and housing plans kind of got thrown for a whirlwind. So now I am currently staying at my family's place in Washington, D.C.”
