Ali John Meredith-Lacey (born 11 August 1991), better known under his stage name Novo Amor, is a Welsh multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, sound designer and producer. Lacey rose to prominence after the release of his debut EP Woodgate, NY in March 2014.[1]
Novo Amor | |
|---|---|
 Novo Amor performing at All Points East, London, in 2023 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Ali John Meredith-Lacey |
| Also known as | Novo Amor |
| Born | 11 August 1991 Aberystwyth, Wales |
| Genres | Indie rock, folk |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, musician |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar, banjo, bass guitar, drums, percussion, piano, keyboards |
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Labels | All Points, Believe Recordings, Dumont Dumont, Brilliance Records, Lacey Music |
| Website | novoamor |
Career
editLacey was born on 11 August 1991 and brought up in Llanidloes, Wales[2] and now resides in Cardiff. Drift, a two-track single self-released in 2012, was Lacey's first release as Novo Amor.[3]
Lacey's first Novo Amor EP, Woodgate, NY, was released 31 March 2014 on Norwegian label Brilliance Records.[1] Building on the success of the EP, Lacey released the single "Faux", a collaboration with Ed Tullett, on Dumont Dumont and Brilliance Records on 23 June 2014.[4] In the same month, Lacey also signed to UK publisher BDi Music, part of Bucks Music Group.[5]
"Callow", a further single as Novo Amor, was released 17 November 2014.[6] This was followed by "Welcome to the Jungle", a Guns N' Roses cover for an AXE/Lynx advertising campaign on 6 January 2015,[7] its video directed by Nabil.[8] Lacey toured Germany, Switzerland and Austria across April and May 2015,[9] and was nominated for 2 awards at the Music Week Sync Awards for the use of his music commercially.[10] "Anchor", another single as Novo Amor, was released 23 October 2015.[11]
A second collaborative single with Ed Tullett, "Alps", was released on 15 April 2016.[citation needed]
On 26 May 2017, Bathing Beach, the second of Novo Amor's EPs, was released via AllPoints, the in-house label of Believe Recordings.[12][13]
On 10 November 2017, Lacey and Ed Tullett released Heiress, their full collaborative album on All Points.[14]
On 14 June 2018, Lacey announced his debut solo record Birthplace, to be released on 19 October 2018 via All Points.[15] To promote the album, Lacey collaborated with Sil van der Woerd and Jorik Dozy (Studio Birthplace), producer Sean Lin and New Frontier Pictures, and cinematographer Nihal Friedel on the music video for the single 'Birthplace'. The video shows how humans are harming the ocean, from the view of free diver Michael Board. The video featured a large model of a whale, "made from plastic collected by school children, who received books in return for their donations."[16] The music video won 'Independent Video of the Year' at the Association Of Independent Music (AIM) Awards.[17]
Lacey toured with Gia Margaret in 2019. They recorded and released two songs together, "Lucky For You" and "No Fun" on 28 February 2019.[18][19][20]
In August 2019, Lacey started working on his second full-length album at a home-made studio at Wales, UK.[21] The album recording ended around February 2020. On 30 July 2020, he announced the release of his second solo album, Cannot Be, Whatsoever, through AllPoints on 6 November 2020. The album features an embroidered cover by Dutch artist Tilleke Schwarz, titled 'Birdcage', later becoming one of the songs titles in the album. On 2 December, Lacey released the album documentary titled 'Please Don't Stand Up When Room Is In Motion' directed by Josh Bennett.[21]
On 29 July 2022, Lacey released Antarctican Dream Machine, an instrumental album he recorded during his time in Antarctica aboard Greenpeace's Arctic Sunrise on a research expedition.[22] It was created over a period of three weeks, to capture the inspiration he had and create something without overanalyzing the process.[23]
On 23 February 2024, he announced his new album Collapse List, released on 05 April 2024.[24] The album artwork and imagery were designed by Lacey himself, with additional Elements by Yvette Young.[25] In a teaser video, directed by Josh Bennett, Lacey explained that the album title is inspired by the S-Town Podcast, where the protagonist formulates Collapse Lists with things that need to change. Lacey said that it almost felt like narrating his own collapse list, with the things that needed to change in his life.[26]
Lacey’s songs have been featured in movie soundtracks from Five Feet Apart, Elite, and the video game Life is Strange: True Colors.
Etymology
editNovo Amor is Portuguese for New Love. The artist confirmed in a tweet that the name had a "Portuguese/Latin" [sic] origin, without providing any further explanation.[27] He stated in an interview that he went through a break-up in 2012 before he started producing and that led to this name as he found his "New Love" in music.[28]
Discography
editStudio albums
edit| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Heiress |
|
| Birthplace |
|
| Cannot Be, Whatsoever |
|
| Antarctican Dream Machine |
|
| Collapse List |
|
Extended plays
edit| Title | EP details |
|---|---|
| Woodgate, NY |
|
| Bathing Beach |
|
Singles
edit| Title | Year | Certifications | Album / E.P. |
|---|---|---|---|
| "So We Drift / Flay" | 2012 | Non-album single | |
| "Holland" | 2014 | Woodgate, NY. | |
| "From Gold" | |||
| "Faux" (Novo Amor & Ed Tullett) | Non-album singles | ||
| "Callow" | |||
| "Welcome to the Jungle" | 2015 | ||
| "Anchor" | Bathing Beach | ||
| "Alps" (Novo Amor & Ed Tullett) | 2016 | Non-album single | |
| "Carry You" | 2017 |
|
Bathing Beach |
| "Cavalry" (Novo Amor & Ed Tullett) | Heiress | ||
| "Silvery" (Novo Amor & Ed Tullett) | |||
| "Terraform" (Novo Amor & Ed Tullett) | |||
| "State Lines" | 2018 | Birthplace | |
| "Birthplace" | |||
| "Utican" | |||
| "Sleepless / Repeat Until Death" |
| ||
| "No Fun / Lucky for You" (Novo Amor & Gia Margaret) | 2019 | Non-album singles | |
| "I Make Sparks" | |||
| "Halloween / Decimal" | 2020 | Cannot Be, Whatsoever | |
| "Opaline" | |||
| "If We're Being Honest" | |||
| "I Feel Better" | |||
| "Haven" (from Life Is Strange: True Colors) | 2021 | Non-album single | |
| "You Are Here / Ataraxia" | 2022 | Antarctican Dream Machine | |
| "Land Where I Land" | 2024 | Collapse List | |
| "Years On" | |||
| "Same Day, Same Face" |
References
edit- ^ a b "Premiere: Novo Amor – "Woodgate, NY" EP Stream". undertheradarmag.com. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
- ^ "Less waffle, more splendid noise". Wales. 7 January 2013. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
- ^ "Introducing Novo Amor (plus free EP) | Folk Radio UK". Folk Radio UK. 9 October 2012. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
- ^ Thomas, Aaron (19 June 2014). "Novo Amor & Ed Tullett resonate with"Faux" [Premiere]". Earmilk. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
- ^ "Novo Amor". BDi Music Ltd. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
- ^ Barley, Hector (17 November 2014). "Novo Amor shares video for 'Callow' [405 Premiere]". The 405. Archived from the original on 24 June 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
- ^ Nissim, Mayer (6 January 2015). "Is this the least GN'R cover ever?". Digital Spy. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
- ^ Skope (7 January 2015). "Novo Amor Announces New Single 'Welcome to the Jungle'". Retrieved 30 April 2016.
- ^ "Novo Amor". novoamor.co.uk. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
- ^ "Novo Amor gets 2 nominations for the Music Week Sync Awards 2015". BDi Music Ltd. 2 September 2015. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
- ^ Dusty Henry (2 October 2015). "Novo Amor reinterprets the Selkie legend with music video for "Anchor" – watch". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
- ^ Mosk, Mitch (25 April 2017). "Review: The Heartache & Beauty of Novo Amor's Intimate "Carry You"". Atwood Magazine. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
- ^ "About". ALL POINTS. Archived from the original on 23 September 2017. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
- ^ Day, Laurence (17 August 2017). "Novo Amor & Ed Tullett air "Cavalry", the first single from collaborative record Heiress". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
- ^ Eaton, Matthew (26 November 2018). "Q&A: Novo Amor on his musical 'Birthplace,' an ocean away from home". RIFF Magazine.
- ^ "Watch this stunning music video from Novo Amor that sends a powerful message about our effect on the natural world". The Independent. 14 June 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
- ^ "AIM Awards 2018 winners crowned". www.prsformusic.com. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
- ^ "New Release: Novo Amor And Gia Margaret - No Fun / Lucky For You". Thank Folk For That. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
- ^ Kenneally, Cerys. "Gia Margaret and Novo Amor Team up for Collaborative Tracks 'No Fun' and 'Lucky For You'". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
- ^ Sadler, Adam. "Novo Amor & Gia Margaret: No Fun / Lucky For You". Streaming Dept. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
- ^ a b "Novo Amor Talks About The Indecision of His Latest Album, 'Cannot Be, Whatsover' « American Songwriter". American Songwriter. 22 January 2021.
- ^ "Greenpeace - Novo Amor Performance In Antarctica". media.greenpeace.org. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
- ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
- ^ "Excited to announce my new album 'Collapse List'. Out April 5th". Retrieved 23 February 2024.
- ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
- ^ If Somebody Asks. Retrieved 1 May 2024 – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ "Twitter Reply in 2014". twitter.com. 5 December 2014. Archived from the original on 5 April 2021.
yes it is Portuguese/Latin. The reason is a secret ;)
- ^ Curry, Thomas (6 May 2014). "Novo Amor". thelineofbestfit.com. Archived from the original on 5 April 2021.
- ^ "British certifications – Novo Amor". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 21 January 2024. Type Novo Amor in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
- ^ a b c "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
- ^ a b c "Canadian certifications – Novo Amor". Music Canada. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
- ^ "Brazilian certifications – Novo Amor" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
- ^ "American certifications – Novo Amor". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 21 June 2022.