By Josephine Hinderman
Contributing Writer
A band in Green Bay brings a new sound that creates a unique blend of rap, soul, hip-hop, R&B and pop with its discography.
Numadik is an independent musical duo consisting of friends Jeffrey Strening (who also performs under the name True Loudy) and Jack Lewaren (also known as Judah), and together they create a style that harkens to musical creators like Jay Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Childish Gambino, Tyler the Creator, Tech N9ne, Tool, Deftones and Nine Inch Nails.
“We met through school last February, so we’ve known each other for about a year,” said Strening, the duo’s singer/songwriter. “I was already making music on my own, and at that point in time I had a video production final coming up and I knew people already doing a music video with Judah like ‘oh this seems cool.’ I’ve been doing music on and off for about 13 years, so working with Judah was a really cool opportunity.”
Having met through a friend of a friend at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (NWTC), the two indie musicians felt like they’d make a truly powerful duo and decided to make music for more than just final projects.
“It all happened so naturally,” said Judah, a singer and producer for Numadik that had his creative start in poetry and beatboxing. “We just started chatting in the hallway, [Jeff] said ‘What’s up? I heard a lot about you,’ and I checked his stuff out on Soundcloud. The reception he had for his final was so positive, and the chemistry we had was so real.”
With single songs like “Free My Mind,” “Even,” and their debut single “Roundabout” (which has a local charm in its lyrics, being about, and even filmed at, numerous roundabout attractions within the city of Green Bay) and having recently released their first album Of Love and Ego in 2022, Numadik is starting to sink its teeth into the local musical scene – and they’re only just beginning to make a local splash.
“Today’s music scene is super diverse,” said Judah when asked to describe what it’s like being a musician creating in the Green Bay area today. “There are some really talented people here, and I feel like the Green Bay music scene is starting to expand and grow. You don’t hear about people from around here hitting hard and going global, but I think that within the next couple years that might change. I think Green Bay has a lot to look forward to with the music scene. It’s really cool because local artists want to help local artists. It’s so cool to see everyone helping and supporting each other like that. Artist’s are always looking for recognition from other artists in their city. It is all local, farm-to-table, if you will, and there is some beauty in that.”
Having just released an album last year, the duo shows no signs of stopping.
In May, they have plans to release an album that Strening describes as R&B meets hip-hop while being centered on themes of love, relationships and other related circumstances.
“We are also looking at getting some live shows going in the summer,” Strening said. “We are also looking to drop some merch and apparel sometime in the near-future.”
“We’ve got plans and we are here for the long run,” Judah stated enthusiastically. “There is always that itch that needs to be scratched; you never know where it’s going to go. I would love for Green Bay to hoist us up — it’s so exciting!”
Numadik’s music is available to listen to on any major music streaming service, and to learn more you can reach out on their Instagram @numadik.official and Facebook or by visiting hyperfollow.com/numadik.