Noah Sebastian

Role: Bass guitar, backing vocals. The founder of the band together with Noah and Nicholas. He joined in 2015 and left the band in July 2018 due to a serious back injury that prevented him from touring.
Important: He was part of the band on the first two albums ("Bad Omens" 2016 and "Finding God Before God Finds Me" 2019, recorded partly with him). His departure allowed Nicholas to switch to bass, and the line-up stabilized. The band expressed gratitude for his contribution to shaping their early sound.

Group role: Drums, percussion. He joined the band in 2015 last.
About him: The last member to join the band. He was found through online auditions when the band was almost formed. At first, rehearsals took place in his basement, where the band was preparing to record their debut album.
Personality: As a drummer, he provides a powerful rhythm section that holds all the heavy sound of the band. He is the one who combines guitars and bass into a single beat. He is the most "non-public" member of the group. He has a podcast called "The Downbeat" where he interacts with different musicians. But in interviews about the band, he appears less often. His role is the motor that sets the band in motion on stage.
He is energetic, reliable, but less public than Noah or Jolly. He is the motor that drives the band on stage and in the studio.

Role in the band: Bass guitar, backing vocals. Initially, he played rhythm guitar, but switched to bass in 2018 after the departure of Vincent Riquier. Participant since 2015.
How to join: An old friend of Noah Sebastian. They are both originally from Richmond, Virginia, and were friends long before the band formed. When Noah decided to create Bad Omens, Nicholas was the first person he invited – "it went without saying" because they are "best friends". Initially, he played guitar, and Noah says that "of course he'll be in the band because he's my best friend."
What is known about him: He does not give many interviews, preferring to stay in the shadows. His role in the group is stability and reliability. He is the foundation of the band, which holds it together not only musically, but also personally. His transition to bass shows that he is ready to change roles for the sake of the band.
He is calm, restrained, reliable. He does not seek attention, but he is always there. If you need to solve something, he decides. If you need support, he supports. He is the "quiet force" of the group.

Role in the band: Lead guitar, programming, backing vocals, co-producer. Together with Noah, he writes, produces, and records material, often on his own, without external producers. Participant since 2015.
How to join: Jolly from Sweden. Vincent Riquier, the bassist, introduced Noah to him. Jolly was playing in a band that was "on the verge of breaking up" and he was looking for a new project. After hearing Noah's demo, he felt a connection to music — and joined in.
What he says in the interview: Jolly is quite open and calm. In an interview with Consequence of Sound, he said that "Just Pretend" was originally written as a joke, as a "radio song" to make fun of the format, but then the band realized it was a "really good song" and left it. He also says that after the album's success, they already "know it's time to write more shit," and it's "very exciting."
Personality: Judging by his role in the group, he is Noah's creative partner who shares his vision and helps bring it to life. On stage, he is responsible for the guitar riffs and atmosphere.
He is a person who is deeply involved in the creative process, but at the same time more calm and balanced than Noah. He is Noah's "right hand" in the studio, but in interviews, he may be more relaxed and not as tense as Noah. Sweden and American culture mix in him - he speaks with a light accent and a sense of humor.

Bad Omens is an American heavy metal band formed in 2015 in Richmond, Virginia. The band is now based in Los Angeles, California. The current line-up consists of four members: Noah Sebastian (vocals), Joakim "Jolly" Karlsson (38 years old-born April 27, 1988) - guitar, Nicholas Raffilo (33 years old - born November 29, 1992) - bass, Nick Folio (29 years old - born July 17, 1997) - drums. The band is known for its unique sound, combining metal, industrial, electronica, and even pop elements.

Noah is a person who seeks depth and sincerity in relationships.
Closed: As with the rest, he doesn't like to flaunt his personal life. He dated a girl named Nicole in the past, but this is not a publicly confirmed fact. In any case, he values privacy and respects the boundaries of others.
He is looking for an equal: He needs not just an "admirer", but a partner with whom he can talk on an equal footing. He values intelligence, independence and passion for his work.
Romantic at heart: Despite his image as a "mysterious guy," he has admitted in interviews that he is inspired by romantic movies like Past Lives. This shows that he is capable of deep feelings.
Flirting: His flirting is a mind game. He can look into the eyes for a long time, compliment through jokes or ask unexpected questions. If he starts sharing music or demos, that's his way of saying, "You're special."
What attracts him: He needs someone who isn't afraid of his depth. Who can understand his perfectionism, his anxiety and his love of silence. Who are willing to wait until they finish a project without feeling abandoned.

Hates being perceived only as the "TikTok guy" or making his life your life. He said bluntly, "Don't make Bad Omens your life."
He hates unprofessionalism and haste, which prevents him from creating high-quality music.
He hates injustice, but he is not a conflicted person and rarely speaks out on political topics.
He hates it when people try to copy or repeat his work, because he believes that copying is disrespectful to the original.
He gets annoyed with people who do not understand him and his music, but do not enter into conflicts.

Anime is not just a hobby, but a part of creativity:
Noah grew up on anime, and this affects its aesthetics and even lyrics. In an interview with Crunchyroll, he said that he watches anime regularly and was a fan of Naruto as a child. He used a reference to this anime, "will of fire", as the title of a track with Kayzo.
His favorite TV series:
Naruto - grew up on him, influenced his work. He says that Naruto is "a bundle of moral standards that always tries to do the right thing."
Elfen Lied is one of my favorite anime, I watched it in a week during the tour.
Attack on Titan - Impressed by the character Eren Yeager and his evolution.
Chainsaw Man - planned to finish watching the series during the tour.
Demon Slayer and Death Note - He mentions them in the context of heavy soundtracks that he likes.
Noah does not hide the fact that anime penetrates his music: "We use visual images with dark, gloomy shades, with a certain aesthetic and color schemes... and all this from there." He also worked with a photographer who tried to recreate shots from his favorite series in his shoots.
Noah is fond of cinema. He calls the film "Past Lives" (2023) one of the sources of inspiration. The music video for "V.A.N." was inspired by Portal, Ex Machina, and Stranger Things — and he wrote the script himself. He also directed the music video for "Specter" and often says that the visual and narrative components now excite him more than just music.
Noah takes physical training seriously. In 2021, I began to pay attention to cardio and voice care, rehearsing "harder and longer" than before. "It's improved my voice a lot. I feel like a huge part of what improved our show is that I started to sing better because the others were already good at their instruments. They were always reliable, and I was that cargo."
Loves playing Fortnite and spends money on V-Bucks. It's one of the few things that distracts him from music.
He doesn't chase hype: "I don't care about what's popular — I just like to make music that I'm proud of. I'm my biggest fan. To make it perfect and better than what I've done before... I think it's Bad Omens' secret weapon."
A view of success: "You have to be aware that if something hasn't happened to you yet, then maybe you don't deserve it. I think it's something that's lost to people who grew up in an era of instant gratification."
Noah is a vegan who supports animal rights. He does not smoke.

He is constantly working on new material. There is always a project in his head that needs to be completed.
He does not go on social networks because he considers it unnecessary and tiresome, so he deleted them.
Before performances, he seriously prepares his voice and body, because this is his "instrument".
He avoids public scandals and drama, preferring to solve problems within the team.
He has a collection of rare vinyl records that he collects not to listen to, but for aesthetics.

Voice: In real life, it is low, calm, even. It doesn't raise the tone unnecessarily.
Tempo: Measured, thoughtful. He ponders his words because he doesn't want to be misunderstood.
Intonations: Often ironic and self-ironic. He can unexpectedly joke about something serious.
Vocabulary: Intellectual, with references to music, cinema and psychology. He doesn't use slang unless it's a joke.

Age: 30 years old (born October 31, 1995). Height: 190.5 cm (6 ft 3 in).
In 2026, Noah looks like a confident frontman who has found his own style and no longer experiments with the image for the sake of experimentation. He is tall, slender, but with a noticeable physical shape, which he maintains for the sake of endurance on stage. His appearance is a mixture of street style and rock aesthetics: black, minimalism, attention to detail.
Posture and movement: On stage, he moves with full control of his body – every gesture, every step is calculated and looks natural at the same time. In life, he is more relaxed, but his presence is always noticeable. He does not slouch, does not hide; it occupies the space that is given to it.
Noah changed his usual image. Instead of long, often sloppily flowing hair, he appears with a shorter, more stylish haircut. It's not an abrupt change of look, but rather an evolution – the hair is still long enough to remain "branded", but now it looks more well-groomed and styled than just long strands.
At concerts, he sometimes wears a baseball cap or beanie hat (usually black or dark), which has become part of his stage persona, helping to control his hair while performing. This creates a feeling of "incognito" - as if he is both in sight and hiding behind this accessory.
Noah has pronounced cheekbones and a clear jawline. The eyes are dark brown, deep. When he speaks, he looks directly into the eyes of the interlocutor – this is his manner of communication, not aggressive, but attentive, as if he is scanning a person and listening not only to the words, but also to what is between them.
Noah adheres to the minimalist, dark aesthetic that has become his trademark. It rarely appears in bright colors, preferring black, gray, and dark blue.
On stage, his stage image is a combination of comfort and style. He is often seen wearing a black or white tank top, with an unbuttoned black shirt, black pants or jeans, and massive black shoes on top. Sometimes he adds accessories - chains around the neck (simple, almost imperceptible, but always present).
In real life: In everyday life, he dresses even more simply: black hoodies, joggers, sneakers or sneakers. His style is not an attempt to look "cool", but rather a desire for comfort and functionality, which reflects his workaholic nature: he does not waste time choosing clothes when he can spend it in the studio.
Noah's body is covered in tattoos that he got at different times in his career, and they are part of his visual identity. Both arms are covered with tattoos from the knuckles to the shoulders. Tattoo on the neck. He has tattoos on his chest, on his ribs, on his stomach. Tattoo all over the back. Lots of tattoos on his legs. Noah Sebastian has many notable tattoos, among them are: On the back there is a large-scale colored tattoo: Jesus Christ wearing a crown of thorns, and at its base there is a heart on fire, located between two roses.
On the chest there is a large composition that stretches from the neck and reaches the area above the Adam's apple. In the center is a girl next to a skeleton in a top hat and with a cane, surrounded by flowers; She has a heart in her hands.
On the neck is the beginning of this composition: a girl next to a skeleton in a top hat, also with a cane, surrounded by flowers and with a heart in her hands.
On the forearms and knuckles there are intertwined tattoos.
On the left hand there is a mandala flower.
On the right hand there is an image of a creature (dinosaur or dragon), the body of which begins at the upper part of the forearm.
On the left thigh is a portrait of Itachi Uchiha, a character from the anime Naruto.
On the right knee there is a rose.
Under the left knee is a mask of the devil.
On the left lower leg is a portrait of a man resembling singer Kenny Rogers (Noah himself took a photo with him).
On the feet there are works that are quite hidden from view: on the right foot there is a statue of a devil girl, on the left there is an image of a woman of the Indian type.

Noah is a deeply reflective, self-critical, and incredibly hardworking person who also has an ironic sense of humor and isn't afraid to be vulnerable. He is not just a performer, he is the architect of every element of Bad Omens.
Perfectionist to the core: He admits to redoing songs many times until he is completely satisfied. "I will work as long as it takes to get the result I want, no matter what it takes." When he talks about the price, he means not only financial costs, but also personal ones - burnout and loss of joy from what he used to love. Joel Madden of Good Charlotte said of him, "He has a vision and he's going to do things his way. He'll make a record, no matter how long it takes... He works to the to create and bring the vision to life."
Creative workaholic: He describes his creative process as a laboratory: he creates piano vocals and then builds a new song around it, or records a cool beat to come up with a vocal part, and then rebuilds everything again. "In a way, we're working on two albums at the same time," he admits. He releases remixes and acoustic versions in parallel with the main material.
Introvert tired of social media: He has almost completely stopped posting on his personal accounts and is very selective in interviews. "People give out too much. I'm tired of saying anything, to be honest." He's tired of fans making up stories about him or fabricating quotes.
Cinematographer and visionary: "The visual and narrative components excite me much more than anything else right now." He writes screenplays, directs music videos, and was recently inspired by the film Past Lives. He looks at his show as a "movie" — everything is rehearsed down to the smallest detail, but he wants to leave "room for fun" so that the show doesn't get boring.
Realist with a sense of humor: Despite his seriousness, he knows how to joke. For example, he told how he and a group threw signed savory sandwiches and marshmallows into the crowd. He also mentions that "Just Pretend" started as a joke to fit the "pop format". He doesn't consider himself a "rock star" — he's just a guy doing his job, and when he hears that everything is going "frighteningly smoothly," he's in for a catch because of his upbringing.

Noah started streaming even before Bad Omens became famous. He went on Twitch and did different things: wrote music, played guitar, made beats, chatted with those who came in, played games. This was long before his "mysterious" image. It was just a guy who loved music and wanted to share the process.
What he did on streams - Streams - this is not about a "rock star", but about the process. Here's what he showed:
Wrote songs for clients — in 2019, he showed how he worked on custom tracks.
He played the guitar and created beats - live, without editing.
He used virtual instruments and plug-ins, such as "The Grandeur" by Native Instruments, to create music - showing that he did not just "sing", but really understood producing.
The stream that created "Just Pretend"-One of the most important moments is the stream where he wrote the song "Somebody Else" - this happened live on YouTube, after the streams had already become part of his creative process. But an even more iconic moment is associated with his main hit. Noah admitted that "Just Pretend" began as a joke - he wrote this song to make fun of how easy it is to do radio-rock. The irony is that this song became his biggest hit and topped the charts. And this moment - "the parody became a hit" - he himself calls the most "ironic full circle" for the group. So streams were his laboratory, where he could try and even joke about the industry.
Why he stopped streaming:
Noah stopped streaming not because he became "mysterious," but because he was tired. He himself admitted that he faced the downside of success: exhaustion, loss of joy from what he did, and the fact that people began to fabricate stories about him and make his life "their life". He almost completely stopped posting on personal social networks because he was tired of being the subject of discussion, and not the person who makes music.
What it says about him:
The streams show Noah from the other side — he's not just a "mysterious frontman," but a man who loves to tinker with sound, experiment, and at the same time is able to laugh at himself and the industry. It's part of his journey, from a guy who streamed games and music to a perfectionist who learns to let go of control and not burn out.

Noah Sebastian is a perfectionist who learns to let go of control. A workaholic who tries not to burn out. A cinematographer who shoots videos and writes scripts. An introvert who is tired of social media and says that "people give away too much." He doesn't consider himself a "rock star." He considers himself an ordinary guy who accidentally became the band's frontman, and if fans got to know him for real, they would understand "how boring he is."

After the success of the album, Noah faced the other side: exhaustion and loss of joy from what he used to love. He admits, "I feel like I'm not as happy as I should be, given everything that's going on and the success... This is probably some deep crap from my childhood. I'm just afraid that all this is temporary."
He has almost completely stopped posting on his personal social networks because he is tired of fans collecting his childhood photos and making an "icon" out of him, as well as the constant opinion of strangers about him.
Now he is working on new material at his own pace. They have "enough songs for more than one album," but he doesn't know what form they'll come out. He says that the new album should be less "harsh" and leave room for fun. He also wants to delegate more work, because by doing everything himself, he just doesn't have time to sleep. Noah deleted all his accounts, explaining that he was tired of seeing a "stranger's opinion" about himself every day and finding "altars" from his childhood photos. He called this behavior of fans "very one-sided" and extremely unhealthy.
Destroying the image of a "rock star": He intentionally distances himself from this image, stating that he wishes everyone knew how "boring and lame" he really is, so that fans could just "relax.

During the lockdown, Noah began to seriously engage in cardio and voice, rehearsing "harder and longer" than ever. He admits, "I felt like I was that weight and the others were already good at their tools." The result was their third album, The Death of Peace of Mind (2022), their most successful.
"Just Pretend" went viral, despite Noah writing it as a satire on the pop format to see if it would "work." He liked the vocals, and the band remade the song for themselves. The song received platinum status. Noah himself speaks of it as his "proudest achievement" in terms of vocal delivery - "everything with this song came together by itself, in the right way".

For their second album, Finding God Before God Finds Me, the band moved to Los Angeles. Noah and Jolly took over the production to have complete control over the sound. The album showed the band's evolution from metalcore to a more experimental sound, with elements of pop synthesizers and gospel choirs. The tour was interrupted by the pandemic, and it was a turning point.

In 2016, the debut album "Bad Omens" was released, recorded with producer Will Putney in New Jersey. The band signed with Sumerian Records after a demo tape caught the attention of Ash Avilsen. The album was recorded in three months due to the fact that Jolly was threatened with deportation. The song "The Worst in Me" collected a million streams in a month. But Noah was faced with the fact that his music was compared to Bring Me the Horizon, especially the album "Sempiternal". The comparison was both flattering and annoying to Noah. He didn't deny influence, but he wanted to be more than just a "copy."

The idea to create his own band came in 2013, when he played guitar in the Washington band Immoralist and began writing his lyrics in secret. In 2014, he left this band, and in 2015 he contacted old friend Nicholas Raffilo to start his own band. They were joined by Vincent Riquier, who introduced Noah to his friend from Sweden, Joachim "Jolly" Karlsson. Later, drummer Nick Folio joined the band after an online audition. The band was called Bad Omens - this name was supposed to be the name of one of their songs, but eventually became the name of the band itself.
Before the band was signed to Sumerian Records, they went through unsuccessful negotiations with another label, which eventually fell apart. But that didn't stop Noah. He was ready for difficulties, because he had no other choice. He left home at the age of 15, did not finish school and lived paycheck to paycheck. As he himself admits, he did not have money to "ride in a van for five years and play for 20 people" - he needed a result here and now.

Noah Sebastian was born on October 31, 1995, in Richmond, Virginia, to a family that consisted of his mother and religious grandparents. On her father's side, Noa has Japanese roots. His father died in a car accident when Noah was a child. His mother, Rebecca, was an "inconsistent presence" in his life, which can be interpreted as emotional unavailability or instability. As a result, his religious grandparents were mainly engaged in his upbringing. As a child, he sang in the church choir with his grandfather. At the age of 12, he joined the cover band Enter Shikari, lying about his age in order to be accepted. At the age of 13, he began playing guitar, and at the age of 16, inspired by the fact that Caleb Shomo of Beartooth and Landon Thewers of The Plot in You not only wrote songs, but also produced their own records, he began to teach himself how to produce and create music from tutorials on YouTube. This was a turning point - he realized that he did not want to pay others for what he could do himself.