Nomi Is No Big Bad Wolf

Nomi writes on instinct and works out the meaning later. The North Carolina-raised singer-songwriter first surfaced last September with 09.30, a run of singles built on warm guitar and soft, layered vocals. This year, she pushed further into soul with her debut EP, this wolf may cry.

The EP’s title came to her in a dream, which suits how she makes music. Most of the project came together in real time with her friend and producer Teej, who’s also behind earlier favorites like “cellophane” and “badman.” The exception is “sweet talk,” a song she started in 2023, shelved, and finished this year after 15 revisions.

The title doubles as a thesis. On the cover, Nomi poses in white silk, recasting the big bad wolf as something gentle enough to cry. The music follows suit: across 11 tracks, her breathy vocals stack into harmonies somewhere between neo-soul and bedroom pop, carried by acoustic guitar, warm bass, chopped vocal samples, and two-step rhythms lifted from UK garage.

HYPEBEAST: What was the first song you wrote for this wolf may cry, and did it set the tone for the rest of the project?

The first song I wrote wasn’t intentionally for this wolf may cry. It was “sweet talk.” I started the song in 2023, and I took a pause because I didn’t really know where to take it from there. Then, in 2026, I revisited it, found more inspiration, and started working on it again. We made 15 revisions, and it finally became the song you hear today. 

It didn’t really influence the rest of the project because every song was made being in the present. I lent myself to the process and didn’t really think too much about it being perfect. Everything just felt right.

Who did you build your sound with, and how did they push you?

I built my sound with my friend Teej. I met him during COVID, and the first session I ever had with him, I made some of my favorite songs that I have out right now, like “cellophane,” “raindance,” and “badman.” We started it together, and it really was just instant.

What song do you want people to hear first from the project?

I want people to listen to “i was right (haha)” first because it sets the tone. It’s how I felt when I finished the project because I was on such a high from people hearing my music and loving it. I just wanted to cement how I was feeling right then and write it down. 

When did it feel like people outside your circle were listening?

I started to feel most people were listening when I dropped this visual for my song “sweet talk.” I just remember looking at my phone, and every day it’s just like more and more and more people following, liking, reposting, and it was crazy because I only had like 6,000 followers.

What’s the biggest misconception about being an “emerging” artist right now?

People don’t realize how much of the work you actually do yourself. I am just as involved as my team is, and I am very much all hands on deck. I really love being involved in what feels like my own business. 

How did you approach the visuals for this EP? The cover, the styling, the videos? 

I really wanted the cover to feel symbolic. I wanted people to see the juxtaposition of me wearing white, since we have this idea of a wolf as the bad character. I wanted to play with the idea that the wolf could be sensitive. I wanted to symbolize the wolf, but I’m wearing these soft, silky fabrics, so maybe the wolf is not so bad.

I don’t ever want anything to feel super on the nose. I like the idea of a story underneath, or having to dig deeper for a meaning, and things just being more abstract.

What’s one piece in your closet that tells people exactly who you are? 

I have these 2011 platform Alexander McQueen boots, and they are super tall. I don’t know where I’ll wear them, but I just love to hold on to things and pull them out for the right moment. 

I just love Alexander McQueen, and I really love the way he used the runway to tell a story. Everybody has to start somewhere, and when you watch his older runway shows, you can see that he built himself up.

Finish the sentence. This wolf may cry, but….

It’s not weak.