Exclusive: Noah Hunt On Working With Linda Perry & Leaving The Make Or Break House

Last night on episode 2 of Make Or Break: The Linda Perry Project adorable Noah Hunt got the boot out of the house. It was a surprising twist, but maybe not for the 23-year-old Washington native. In an exclusive interview with VH1, Hunt tells us what it was like in the studio with Linda Perry, whose career he looks up to and who he’s pulling for to walk away with the recording contract on Make Or Break.

What was it like living in a house with so many different type s of musicians?

Noah: That experience was awesome. It was really inspiring to just be around people who want to do music with their lives. Being in that situation all the time was just a dream. You know, music 24/7, all the time. It was amazing.

Who did you connect with most under those living conditions? Have you kept in touch?

Noah: Mackenzie Johnson. Right when she did her song on the first day we were there, I was instantly impressed by her style and her lyrics and her flow. We actually did a song together after the show. It’s a cover of The Civil Wars’ “Dust to Dust.”

How were you feeling when you were asked to leave the house? What went through your head?

Noah: As a musician, you have these gut feelings, and my writing session with Linda, obviously she wasn’t feeling it and I wasn’t feeling it [either]. I did have mixed feelings about being released. I was relieved because I was, in my opinion, getting released from an environment where I wasn’t really given the time and space to create to my best ability. On the other hand, I left before she could really see who I was as an artist. It had that bittersweet, two-sidedness to it.

What was it like working with Linda Perry in the studio?

Noah: Linda has one style and in this industry there are many ways to get an end result. At the end of the day my music is pop music. Linda made it very clear from the beginning that that is not something that she’s really into. Yes, she’s written pop music; she’s written great hits but from the beginning, she told me that my genre of music was not her favorite. I was already a bit behind. The truth is that it probably was not the best fit for me or Linda. I’m grateful for the opportunity. It was an awesome experience — great times, awesome people.

Who out of all the musicians on Make Or Break are you rooting for to get to work with Linda on an album?

Noah: I would say my top would be Mackenzie. She inspired me the most in the beginning. Probably my second would be VanJess because their harmonies and their style are just so sick and so unique.

What can we expect next from Noah Hunt?

Noah: By September-October my [EP] will be fully released. That will be out this fall. It’s been a really awesome few months writing and recording that. And then I will have my full band put together, so I’ll be back playing the club circuit here in California. Long term in the next year, I plan to get signed to a label and get on a tour. At least the West Coast, to go all the way up and down to Washington and southern California and if that goes well then we’ll stretch our way to the Midwest and the East Coast.

We’ve discovered some video of you in high school performing the musical Singin’ In The Rain, is acting still part of your life? Who has a career you look up to?

Noah: Yeah, you know, I mean, in my eyes, someone like Jared Leto has the perfect situation. He goes and makes his kick-ass rock album, goes and tours with his amazing band [30 Seconds To Mars] and then he’ll go shoot a movie and be nominated by the Academy for it. You know, that’s a pretty sweet situation. Sometimes the music gets ahead of the acting or the acting gets ahead of the music and right now it’s been music for about a year.

What is one word you would use to describe Linda Perry?

Noah: One word to describe Linda Perry? Intense is one of the ones. There’s just so much to that woman that one word is hardly enough but intense is the first thing that pops into my mind. Hopefully that encompasses her style in the studio and her artist development.

What’s one word to describe your overall experience on Make Or Break: The Linda Perry Project?

Noah: Overall it was — overwhelming. It was overwhelming. Creatively, and emotionally and, you know, very overwhelming.

Keep up with all of Noah Hunt’s music here and be sure to tune into a new Make Or Break: The Linda Perry Project Wednesday at 10 PM ET/PT.