Lau Noah was born in Reus, Catalonia, to a family of teachers. She took basic solfège as a child and during her adolescence played the pipe organ at church. She performed her original songs on vocals and piano in several small cities across Catalonia. She has cited the soundtracks of Disney films as a significant early influence.
Career
Noah studied basic piano in the Centre de Lectura de Reus and later at the Vila-seca Conservatori of Music, but quit by the age of 13 saying her experience in music conservatories was "not for her".[4] At age 17, she moved to a musicians residence in Begues, Baix Llobregat county, Barcelona. Two years later, in 2013, she recorded an unreleased demo entitled Wolves. The recording marked her first experience with music production and included a collaboration with drummer Jorge Rossy.
At 19, Noah relocated to New York City after securing a nanny position through an online platform. She arrived with $100 and worked various jobs while performing regularly at local venues, including The Bitter End and Rockwood Music Hall. In February 2016, she started teaching herself to play the guitar.[5]
In the following years, Noah started posting performances of her guitar compositions to Facebook. These videos were noticed by musicians such as pianist Larry Goldings, who organized a private performance for Noah in his Los Angeles home. The event was attended by artists that included Jesse Carmichael of Maroon 5 and producer Blake Mills, leading to increased visibility within underground music circles.
In February 2019, Lau performed a solo set for NPR's Tiny Desk Concert.[6]Billboard wrote about the performance.[7]Bob Boilen, the creator of the series, said: "There's a magical aura that surrounds Lau Noah. She writes these thought-provoking song-stories that captured my heart."[8]
During the COVID pandemic of 2020, Lau was noticed by musicians including Jacob Collier, Gavin Degraw, Phoebe Bridgers, and Moses Sumney, among others, thanks to the videos she posted on Instagram performing her songs. In the same year, she composed several for a short film The Sleeping Life of Sofia.[10]
Lau self-released her first EP, titled 3, in June 2021.[11] It was a compilation of original songs on guitar and voice.
Lau went on tour with Macarthur Grant awardee Chris Thile in the fall of 2022, opening his shows in Europe and, in early 2023, opened for Americana band Nickel Creek in the UK.[12]
On May 19, 2023, Noah released the first single of her album, featuring Jacob Collier. The song called "If a tree falls in love with a river" amassed over 400,000 streams on Spotify within the first week of release.[citation needed]
In the fall of 2023, she opened for Ben Folds in the UK,[13] performing at the Royal Albert Hall and other notable venues. When the tour was suddenly cancelled because of Folds’ health issues, Noah took to social media and turned to her fans, who helped organize a headlining tour within three days, spanning over 10 dates in several locations in Ireland, Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Spain.
Lau Noah turning the audience into a choir at the Royal Albert Hall
Throughout January and February 2024, Noah was on the cover of Performer Magazine[15] and was featured in several music publications and podcasts including NPR's New Sounds,[16]WBGO's Third Story podcast[17] and Recording Academy's Global Spin.[18] The user-based website Album of the Year rated Noah's duet with Collier 100%,[19] and the full record a rating of 86%.
Award-winner Jamie Cullum spoke about Noah's record, and played it on his BBC radio show in March 2024.[21]
Noah has spoken about creativity at Ivy League universities including Brown University[22] and various music festivals and conservatories.[23] (Cork international guitar festival 2019, Connecticut Guitar festival 2018, St Louis Classical guitar conservatory 2020, Escuela Superior de Música creativa de Madrid 2020, Taller de Musica de Barcelona 2024).
In the fall of 2024 Lau opened for Jacob Collier around Europe.[24]
On June 13, 2025, Noah released a duo record with bass player and YouTube personality Adam Neely.[25]
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