After the death of her grandmother, murder of her uncle, and cancer diagnosis of her aunt, Noelle Henson was breaking down from grief. To make matters worse, she’d just been replaced in the school musical. In the span of three months, Henson’s start to a great senior year was destroyed, and was now overshadowed by an overwhelming sense of mourning and a loss of passion. Henson began to rebuild herself by confiding in the comfort of music.  In doing so, she found her spark for life again in an unexpected place – the art of songwriting.

Henson started singing the moment she could talk, practicing around the house and in the car, and later bringing that passion into a choir room. In 2019, her passion for music began to expand, as a friend inspired her to pair her voice with the ukulele. With this new talent developing in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and the growth of streaming platforms, she discovered Spoon, a social audio live-streaming service. Quickly, Henson gained a following.

“I think when I hit about 1000 followers I realized I couldn’t be a one trick pony anymore,” Henson said. “I had a guitar on hand that I had for nine years, and I learned to play a couple songs. Spoon was kind of like my big reason for starting song writing.”

 Henson posted both covers and originals, a mix of indie music and acoustic rock. It was an opportunity to discover what she wanted from music, and Spoon provided the stage to showcase it.

“They used to have talent shows. I’d hop into the same talent shows by the same streamers every night,” Henson said. “That’s how I started building up a following. People liked my voice, people liked my personality, people liked the way that I talked.”

Henson started meeting people from all over the world. One of them, Max Jenkins, grew extremely close with Henson. The pair began sharing their demos with each other, growing admiration for their art. 

“It would always be such an honor to hear her lyrics before anyone else.” Jenkins said. “I love everything she’s written, and I don’t mean that lightly.”

The platform became a safe place for Henson. The community embraced her with open arms, ready to listen to both her music and regular conversation. At a time when many teens felt lost or alone, this development led her to a better understanding of relationships, songwriting, and herself.

“During COVID I was separated from all my friends, I was depressed. I had literally no direction in life, but [music] gave me a reason to get out of bed every day,” Henson said. “It gave me a reason to find a passion for something that I used to love.”

As Henson grew more confident, she took on a more vital role in the app, staying consistent with streaming and maintaining her engagement. She began to audition for teams dedicated to raising money for charity, specifically, Team 11. Team 11 focused their energy towords the Trevor Project, a nonprofit organization focused on suicide prevention for LGBTQ+ youth. 

“We raised around $500 between six of us on this app to donate to the Trevor Project. Then one of the presidents of team 11 matched that out of his own bank account, so all around we donated $1000 – just through streaming,” Henson said. 

The streaming service not only gave Henson the opportunity to raise money for charity — it also taught the up-and-coming artist about busking or performing in public spaces, which gave her the chance to make money from her music.  Henson began to look into farmers markets to see if a date to play a few songs was a possibility. Then on October 3rd, 2020, that dream became a reality.

“I remember the day because it was very monumental for me. I made $250 in four hours off tips,” Henson said. “That’s when I was like, ‘I’m probably better at this than I thought.’”

Over the next summer, she played at six different venues, continuing to perform at Noblesville’s farmers markets and finding open mics at different local restaurants. 

“It was a really big deal because I never thought that I could make money off of music,” Henson said. “Then when I cashed out my first amount of rewards, I made $60.”

Henson was fully motivated to keep creating, as it had not only become a significant part of her growth as a person, but functional in her academic life as well. She inserted herself further into music by joining an electronic music class, taught by Jason Jasper, hoping to find an extra dose of creativity and collaboration.

“I like the class and found that I have a bit of a knack for music and sound,” Henson said. “I took it a lot more seriously than I thought I would. [Jasper] also helped me better the way I write songs.” 

Henson was drawn to the songwriting tools used in the class, and became more curious about the technical process of producing. Jasper introduced her to Ableton Live, a digital audio workstation. This opened many doors for Henson, as she was able to record for not just personal use, but for the school as well, creating soundtracks for “Cards of Fate,” a thespian troupe production. 

“I do think that it went from ‘I’m kind of interested in this and here’s something I could do that’s kind of fun’ to ‘Here’s how I can express myself and do something that speaks for beyond just a fun activity,’” Jasper said.

 Henson’s growth and use of song was gaining attention. Teachers and friends alike could see the passion that Henson had for music and the way she was applying it to her life. She had taken a small hobby and turned it into a practical use of self expression. 

“She’s so in tune and intertwined with her guitar and her lyrics that you can see with every song she writes she dives so far into every corner of her emotion to deliver.” Jenkins said.

From Spoon to electronic music, Henson’s hobby has been a major emotional outlet for her. Music has allowed her to express all aspects of her life. Henson believes that through her songs she has been able to heal her own wounds, but also connect with others who might be in the same situation. As she plucks the strings of her guitar or sings a sweet melody, she is attuned with her own soul.