This past Sunday at ASLMU’s Fallapalooza, YoYo Nosa, one of the two winners of the Singer-Songwriter Showdown, performed an opening act for T-Pain. You may have seen Nosa before at one of the open-mic nights, or maybe in political science classes. Nosa’sinterest in entertainment started when she was little.“I’m a singer-songwriter, so I’ve been singing, acting, songwriter since I was five years-old,” said Nosa.
Nosa came from Las Vegas to study international relations and minor in computer science. “LMU offered an atmosphere for me that was more welcoming than the other colleges,” said Nosa.“I like the smaller class sizes because it’s easier for me to network and allows me to have greater opportunities.”The small class sizes, and how much the professors care for their students, are still her favorite part of LMU. One of her biggest influences here has been Dr. Gene Park from the Department of International Relations.“He’s encouraged me to expand myself in every way possible,”said Nosa.“I remember a discussion I had with Dr. Park earlier last year, saying that I wanted to change my major from political science to international relations. I wanted to find the intersectionality between my major and my passion for singing/songwriting because there’s a lot of crossover between the entertainment industry and political science.”
Searching for a way to pursue all her passions is in a way what brought Nosa to the Singer-Songwriter Showdown. With the majority of her focus at school being political science, it can kind of take her away from the world of entertainment.“When I heard about the Fallapalooza competition, I was like I’m definitely entering this.”
She is no stranger to performing, having performed everywhere from LMU’s open mic nights to a Planet Hollywood show for around 300 people. For Nosa, Fallapalooza was one of the largest crowds she’s performed for,“so it’s definitely next level and I’m thrilled,”said Nosa.
Nosa performed three songs, one from her upcoming E.P. coming out on October 11. “I hope that everyone takes a greater sense of belonging away from my performance,”she explains. “I try to make my music universally friendly to everyone. I focus on strong themes of empowerment, so I hope that everyone had a good time and they catch all of my good vibes.”For Nosa, it’s been essential to have a sense of belonging and well-being during her time here on campus and connect to her focus on making sure to Integrate Mind, Body and Spirit in her campus life.“Your spirit, your body and your mind all hold equal weight and often times as college students, we forget that. If I’m not physically doing well, my mental health is going to go down. If I’m not mentally doing well, my physical health is going to go down.”
Want to learn more about Nosa’s music? Follow Nosa on Instagram and Twitter and on Facebook at YoYo Nosa to keep up to date on her music and performances.
By: Tygre Patchell-Evans