Daily Inspiration: Meet Noriko Olling Wright

Today we’d like to introduce you to Noriko Olling Wright.

Hi Noriko, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Everything started one day when I was four years old. They were giving out a flier for a music lesson at my preschool. I took it home and asked my Mom if I could take lessons, but she said I was too young that I had to wait another year. One year later when I was five years old, I brought back the same flier and asked Mom if I can take lessons. So she took me there. I remember when I was around seven years old, everything was a note My mom’s wooden sandals said “sol, mi, sol, mi” Dial tone on the telephone was “La”. So somehow I had a perfect pitch as a little girl. I never skipped a lesson even when it rained or snowed, I knew deep in my heart music was what I was going to do and be the rest of my life. After graduating college in Japan (I majored in organ), I became a teacher at Yamaha music school and I was also playing gigs like weddings and at the hotel bar. But I was so empty and not happy with my life that time. That’s when I reunited with my old piano teacher Ryoko and she told me to go to America. She said I was wasting time in my little hometown (Kanazawa) that I had to go for a big adventure. She knew some people in LA and helped me find a host family.

On May 5th, 1988, I came to LA for the very first time not really knowing anyone, not able to speak very good English. For the first three months, I focused on learning English. and then I went to Grove School of Music in Van Nuys for six months. I also took private lessons from Clearance McDonald. He was an amazing teacher. From the beginning, I was going to stay for one year so I went back home to Japan. But one of the friends who I met in LA during my stay ended up coming to Japan and long story short, we ended up getting married. After being in Japan for four years, he got really homesick and wanted to come back to LA. So we came back in 1993. I had my first boy, “Ocean” in 92, so he was one year old. After getting here, I slowly starting looking for gigs. I registered at Musicians contact services. They had job listings and you’d call their number, listen to the job listings and contact people when you wanted the gig. I ended up playing in the polka band at the Rumanian restaurant in Hollywood for 1 year and half, every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. There, I learned to sing in Rumanian and I still remember people showered me with $1 bills every time I sang. (LOL) Next gig I got was with this R&B band called P.Y.N. This band was a great start of my carrier as a keyboard player. Because of this band, I later got a gig with Teena Marie, Allie Ollie Woodson (Former Temptations singer), All 4 one and then Rick James. Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight. List goes on and on with all these amazing singers/ performers.

As I got busy and started to go out of town more, it was hard to keep the marriage. in 2000 we ended up divorcing and I became a single mother. I kept working, also started doing the chart job. It wasn’t the favorite time of my life but it sure made me stronger. In 2001, I met my current husband, Chad Wright. He took us as a package and we started living together. Chad is one of the greatest drummers I know and we worked together a lot. We toured everywhere together. Then we had a son “Kai” in 2006. That’s when I shifted my life to be more in town. in 2013, I got a job at AMDA Los Angeles (American Music and Dramatic Academy) as an accompanist. I’ve been there now for ten years and now I became the face of their commercial music department. I teach production, songwriting, session singing, and commercial music. And I’m just starting a new adventure as an associate musical director for A Transparent Musical at Mark Taper Forum. Everything I’ve done led me here and I feel blessed each and every day. But of course, I want more. I want to learn more and share what I learned with my students. I’m a true workaholic and I love what I do so much I just keep going.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I have to say being Japanese and a female musician, I’ve had situations where other musicians don’t want to listen to me, even if I am the music director or the worst case I’ve felt like they don’t see me.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I do a lot of things. I produce, arrange, orchestrate, compose, also write charts. I am a vocal coach. I think when I teach at school or when I produce records, all my skills become one giant ball and I’m able to help my students/artists deeper way. I’m also an energy person where I feel people’s breath. That helps me a lot when I’m accompanying a singer. I try to be understanding of people’s situation (whatever they are going through) and tried to help them in more human way, Music is a breath, love, and peace. I think my love sets me apart from others.

I’m also writing a workbook for beginner singers/ musicians. It’s called Let’s Cook with Noriko. I plan on releasing by the end of the year.

The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
Covid was mostly a big blessing to me. I’ve learned so much more about production and making tracks. Since all the classes were held on Zoom, I had to make tons of tracks every day. I got so fast at it. I have to say it was hard to do vocal coaching via zoom but we made it work.

Though I lost my very very dear friend Darrell Crooks because of Covid so that was the saddest thing that happened to me during the pandemic. I still see him in my dreams. Because I never really got to say goodbye, it’s so hard to know that he is gone.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.norikoolling.com
• Instagram: @norikojazz
• Youtube: YouTube.com/noriko1595

Image Credits
Rachel Paz Ocean Olling