St. Joe’s junior shares personal journey through music

Noah Gansallo ’21, also known as NxG, released his second EP entitled “In Loving Memory” on Oct. 27. His new project is meant to pay homage to previous parts of his life by recounting his personal journey. For Gansallo, this is his coming-of-age story.

“[It’s] a reminder to ourselves, our past selves, to take a little bit of time to appreciate where you are and understand that whatever journey you’re on you’re gonna make it there,” Gansallo said.

Gansallo has described the genre of his new EP as “alternative trap,” after finding it hard to just categorize “In Loving Memory” as just hip-hop.

“I would say if Frank Ocean, Drake, Lil Uzi Vert, and Trippie Redd had a baby that’s what it is,” Gansallo said.

For Gansallo, being at a point in his life where he can make music is something he’s always dreamed of. Growing up, Gansallo said he dreamed of being a rock star so much that it “consumed” his life.

The Philadelphia native found his passion for music naturally from a young age. At the age of five, his mother, Ayo Gansallo, placed him in piano lessons only to eventually add violin lessons at the age of nine after he expressed interest in both instruments. Moving on from piano, Gansallo taught himself how to play the guitar and bass throughout his middle school years after discovering Nirvana. Additionally, he’s been singing since the age of nine.

Ayo Gansallo knew that whatever her son would end up doing in life, she wanted to make sure he had the work ethic to be successful.

“We had lots of conversations around what’s his message, what’s his persona, what is he trying to project, who he is, what do you want your music to say about you?” Ayo Gansallo said. “I know my son well enough to know that he hears me in the moment and he often puts the information in the back of his head and somewhere along the line it might resurface itself.”

When thinking about what to do with “In Loving Memory,”Gansallo said he took a step back to think about how he would enter the music industry, specifically what kind of music he would be making.

“[The EP] represents who I am,” Gansallo said. “Working with other people you can get lost in their influence, which isn’t a bad thing, but you also want to have your own footprint, your own thing. This is my first time doing that.”

Gansallo released his new EP through 1851 Records, a record label based out of St. Joe’s, with the help of Dillon Snyder ’22, the head of the hip-hop department at 1851 Records. Snyder met Gansallo through Alim-Karim Kamara ’20, also known as LiMM.

“He stands out from the crowd,” Snyder said. “He’s different from the rest and he’s also a personal person.”

What Snyder loves particularly about “In Loving Memory” are the melodies and penmanship Gansallo put into the new project.

“It’s art personified,” Snyder said. “It puts you in your bag, but it uplifts you, too. It’s got a lot of contrasts.”

These contrasts are something Gansallo was aiming for while crafting “In Loving Memory.” He wants people to feel happy, sad and everything in between.

“Music isn’t always supposed to make you feel good. It’s supposed to be more than that,” Gansallo said. “What if I’m anxious? What if I’m scared? I want people to realize that music can be all of those things.”

Billy Decoste, a friend and supporter of Gansallo’s, has known him since their first year. Decoste has often been one of the first people to hear new music since he lives with Gansallo.

Decoste often feels that when he hears Gansallo new music there’s something different about it that makes it “the kind of music you want to listen to.” For Decoste, it’s the work and emotion Gansallo puts into his projects that he likes most about “In Loving Memory.”

“You can tell he’s going through things, but he’s also trying to help other people through things and deal with the same emotions,” Decoste said.

While the subject of “In Loving Memory” is about Gansallo’s own coming-of-age story, he said he wants listeners to think about their own journey, whether it’s complete or in progress.

“Listen to the project with your baggage or with something in mind,” Gansallo said. “Come with an open mind, but also bring yourself into it. It’s not about me, it’s about you.”

“In Loving Memory” is available to stream on Apple Music and Spotify.