Seattle songwriter Nouela Johnston flown in for Hudson Valley birthday set
Jenn Holland located singer-songwriter Nouela Johnston in Seattle and flew her and percussionist Joe Mengis in to perform at a birthday celebration in the Hudson Valley. The gathering also featured a performance by Rhett Miller of the Old 97's. The details were published by Rolling Stone on 27 September 2026.
Johnston performs under the single name Nouela, pronounced "No-el-ah". She previously recorded as People Eating People. The two projects are the same person.
As People Eating People, Johnston released only one album, in 2009. That project includes the song "All the Hospitals". At the time described in the Rolling Stone piece, the People Eating People page on Spotify had fewer than 2,000 followers. A follower count on Spotify, the audio streaming service, reflects listeners who choose to track an artist for new music and updates.
The Rolling Stone account says both People Eating People and Nouela were staples on the author's regular playlists for years. That history prompted the booking. Holland made contact in Seattle and arranged travel for Johnston and Mengis.
Johnston is a singer and pianist, according to her Bandcamp page. Her debut solo album, the first full-length release under her own name, is titled "Chants". On stage for the Hudson Valley show, she was joined by Mengis, her percussionist. A percussionist plays drums and other struck or shaken instruments, adding rhythm around voice and piano.
Johnston is a Seattle-based songwriter. Around 2016 she released the single "Nobody", a standalone song release shorter than an album. She also made a video for "Nobody", as documented by Rookie in May 2016. The single arrived seven years after the 2009 People Eating People album.
For listeners, this means searches can split across two names. Material credited to People Eating People and material credited to Nouela both lead back to Johnston. "All the Hospitals" sits on one side of that divide. "Nobody" and "Chants" sit on the other.
What makes this stand out is the route to the stage. There was no announcement of a new record or a ticketed tour tied to the appearance. The booking came from sustained personal listening rather than chart position. It put a singer with a small streaming following on the same bill as Miller for one night.
