Superman Director James Gunn Shares Why Singer Nouela Is One of His Faves

Superman director and DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn recently shared his admiration for singer-songwriter Nouela, revealing a years-long personal connection to her music. Gunn detailed how her work unexpectedly soundtracked his relationship and how a major birthday surprise brought the reclusive artist back to the stage.

Eleven years prior, Gunn created a mix CD for the woman he was dating at the time, Jenn Holland. Included on the compilation was a track titled "All the Hospitals" by a band called People Eating People, which had released a single album back in 2009. The song quickly worked its way into Gunn's regular playlist rotation.

After Holland listened to the mix, she fell in love with the track and explored the rest of the band's catalog. Over the years, the couple bonded over their shared interest in the obscure group, which maintained a very small following on streaming platforms. Favorite tracks among the couple included "For Now" and "Rain Rain."

The band ultimately vanished after putting out their single album, leaving Gunn and Holland with no further information about the artists. Gunn noted that despite having fewer than 2,000 followers on Spotify, the group's music remained a staple in their household as their relationship progressed toward marriage.

Earlier in the year, Gunn decided to conduct some research into one of his favorite musical acts. Through his search, he made a major discovery regarding the mysterious group. He realized that the band People Eating People and singer-songwriter Nouela were actually the same musical entity.

Gunn noted that neither act had accumulated significant listener numbers on Spotify, yet algorithm recommendations had coincidentally placed both into his regular rotation over the years. Upon looking up his favorite song, "For Now," on YouTube, he discovered a sparse recording of Nouela performing in a bar setting, lamenting that such staggering talent had reached a relatively small audience.

During a recent birthday celebration in the Hudson Valley with family and friends, Holland arranged a pair of major surprises for her husband. The first involved a live performance by musician Rhett Miller of the Old 97's. However, the second surprise proved to be much larger in scale for the director.

Through private investigative work, Holland managed to locate Nouela Johnston in Seattle. She flew out the singer and her percussionist, Joe Mengis, to perform her catalog live. Because Johnston had spent the majority of her time focused on a corporate job, she had not performed any of her songs in more than a decade.

Gunn described the resulting evening as a revelation and one of the greatest nights of his life. When Johnston launched into their favorite track, "For Now," both Gunn and his wife immediately began weeping alongside the attentive audience, which ultimately erupted into a spontaneous standing ovation.

The director praised the dynamic, soul-enriching performance, noting that Johnston played the tracks with the passion of brand-new material and the expertise of someone performing them daily for decades.

The surprise gathering highlighted a rare return to music for Johnston, bringing her catalog back to life for a dedicated listener and a room full of emotional guests.