Posts tagged "Lee Hi"

Meet Arnelle “Elly” Nonon!

A fresh + innovative sound is exactly what Arnelle “Elly” Nonon is bringing to the music industry!  A born and raised New Yorker with nothing more than a passion, a voice and a dream, Arnelle “Elly” Nonon has risen to music notoriety. She wowed Jennifer Lopez, Steven Tyler, and Randy Jackson with her sultry serenade during American Idol Season 10, landing her a ticket to Hollywood. A year later she took on the fun, quickly spreading genre of K-Pop, performing at New York’s K-POP Festival held at NYU’s Performing Arts Center. Her awe-inspiring rendition of 1,2,3,4 by Lee Hi provided her next opportunity to be a contestant at the K-Pop World Festival held in Changwon, Korea, where she once again took the Grand Prize home with her. Now she continues the journey on a road less traveled, continuously being inspired Korean artists abroad and traveling back and forth from New York to Seoul!

Let’s get to know Arnelle “Elly” Nonon a little better…

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You have a beautiful voice, what motivated you to jump into music?
Thank you so much for the compliment! Music has been a part of my life ever since I was a little girl. From church Christmas play musicals casted as “Young Mary” to singing to Luther Vandross’ “Love is On the Way” on Sunday clean-up day with my mom, music has always coated my everyday life, so it was a pretty natural path becoming a musician myself.

Style is a way to describe yourself with out speaking, how would you describe your fashion + music style?
My fashion sense is pretty eclectic, just as my music taste is! One of the things that are very apparent when comparing my fashion sense and music sense though, is the fact that I love to make statements. When putting together an outfit, the finished ensemble usually isn’t one that will easily go unnoticed in a crowd, and I think many would agree that the music I listen to most stands out in any playlist too, being that my music library is filled most with Korean pop music, a.k.a, K-Pop!

We tend to pull characteristics from others in our lives or from people we admire, who inspires you and why?

Honestly the list of people who inspire me goes on and on, but the two who I’ll mention today are Beyonce and CL of 2NE1. When I perform, I want to make statements. I want to feel powerful, and I want to have beautiful concepts and sets and costumes. These two women embody all those things to me. Impact! Power! Glamour! To watch them deliver those three things consistently makes me starry-eyed and motivates me to work harder so I can become a master at my skill.

Chasing + creating your dream can get a little tough at times, how do you regroup and motivate yourself when you’re feeling a little defeated?
The most important thing for me is the encouragement I get from my family, friends and fans. I tend to keep every fan sent message of encouragement to read on “rainy days”. I read through the loving comments sent to me on my youtube videos and emails and it helps me get back on my feet. Love is what keeps me going!

What advice would you give girls who want to follow their dreams and passions?
JUST DO IT!!! Ahahaha, I know I sound like a Nike ad, but for those of you who are scared or hesitant, you have to “Just Do It”! Be confident. Nobody will be confident in you if you aren’t confident in yourself. Be smart about the decisions you make, trust your gut and be the best you can be!

We are all about female empowerment, What does EMPOWERMENT mean to you?
Female empowerment is EVERYTHING to me! I revel in the fact that I’m a woman and being from a family of mostly females who I look up to and respect so much, I never felt that I was unable to do something just because I’m a girl. I hope that now and in the future I can encourage other girls to do whatever it is that they desire, knowing that their gender doesn’t have anything to do with the amount of success they are capable of obtaining. I am 100% a feminist, and I feel empowered every time I take a step in the direction of trying to create an equal playing field for women and men.

Time for the Faves! Celeb Crush? Artist? Food? Movie?
My celebrity crush (of the moment…lol!) is DANIEL HENNEY!!!! I love him to bits!!! Beautiful and tall. Can’t get enough. I think my favorite American artist right now is Nicki Minaj and my favorite Korean artists right now are Zion. T, Bang Yongguk, and Giriboy, each and every one of them are so gifted and inspire me to no end. My fave movies of ALL TIME are “Moulin Rouge”, a Japanese movie titled “Helter Skelter”, “Life Size” starring Tyra Banks, and “Cinderella” (the Rodgers and Hammerstein version), and my favorite food at the moment is 닭갈비 or “Dak Galbi”, a stir-fried chicken Korean dish that I literally cannot get enough of!!!

Check out more of Arnelle “Elly” Nonon here…

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You rock, Elly!