Hatis Noit is a Japanese vocal performer, hailing from distant Shiretoko in Hokkaido, who now resides in London. Her accomplished range is astonishingly self-taught, inspired by everything she could find from Gagaku — Japanese classical music — and operatic styles, Bulgarian and Gregorian chanting, to avant-garde and pop vocalists.

It was at the age of 16, during a trek in Nepal to Buddha’s birthplace, when she realised singing was her calling. While staying at a women’s temple in Lumbini, one morning on a walk Hatis Noit heard someone singing. On further investigation it was a female monk singing Buddhist chants, alone. The sound moved her so intensely she was instantly aware of the visceral power of the human voice; a primal and instinctive instrument that connects us to the very essence of humanity, nature and our universe.

The name Hatis Noit itself is taken from Japanese folklore, meaning the stem of the lotus flower. The lotus represents the living world, while its root represents the spirit world, therefore Hatis Noit is what connects the two. For Hatis Noit, music represents the same netherworld with its ability to move and transport us to the other side; the past, a memory, our subconscious.

After participating in a memorial and appreciation ceremony tailored to the withdrawal of the evacuation area in Fukushima on 31 March 2017, Hatis Noit collaborated with renowned visual artist Nobumichi Asai on a project titled Inori (prayer) which they premiered live at Mutek Japan in Tokyo.

March 23, 2018 marked the worldwide release of her first enigmatic EP Illogical Danceon Erased Tapes. The arresting 4-track record features Björk-collaborators Matmos and creates unique song-worlds with transcendent vocal interpretations that at once deconstruct and recombine Western Classical, Japanese folk and nature’s own ambience atmosphere.

Having recently moved to London, she’s performed solo shows and appeared at various festivals across Europe, including a special live performance at the Milan Fashion Week 2018. Hatis Noit has collaborated with Kevin Richard Martin aka The Bug, the NYX Electronic Drone Choir and appeared on recordings by fellow countryman Masayoshi Fujita as well as Ukrainian pianist and Continuous Music pioneer Lubomyr Melnyk. She’s been invited by David Lynch to perform at his Manchester International Festival takeover in 2019, and appeared on US super-producer Rick Rubin‘s Showtime documentary series Shangri-la, followed by headline shows across Europe and beyond, culminating in a much applauded sold-out London show with the London Contemporary Orchestra at Southbank Centre.

Tipped by The Guardian as One To Watch in 2020, Hatis Noit collaborated with cinematographer Vincent Moon for Elevate in Graz, Austria and has been working on various bespoke music commissions including Fernweh as her contribution to the Erased Tapes compilation Music for kō.

Her first full-length album for international release Aura was released on June 24, 2022 to much critical acclaim, with Inori having received a rework by the American avant-garde composer William Basinski and Thor a shamanic techno remix by the legendary UK DJ and producer Matthew Herbert.

 

Press links

“This deserves a closer listen” Album of the Day — Bandcamp

“Aura is a bold, impressive debut which signals — loud, clear and creatively — that when Hatis Noit opens her throat to sing, we should be listening” — NPR

“It feels like the day the world changed… ‘Aura’ is one of the most singular albums I’ve heard for a long time” 9/10 — CLASH

“A breathtaking work which showcases the dexterity of Noit’s voice, and of the human voice in general” 8/10 — Loud And Quiet

“Impressive… blasts of strangely affecting oral fanfare” — The Wire