How the Surprise Success of ‘No One Noticed’ Turned the Marías Into One of the Breakthrough Artists of the Year

The Marías' "No One Noticed" stands as a unique phenomenon in recent music history, a track singer María Zardoya aptly calls an "anti-hit." The Los Angeles-based quartet, known for their cinematic blend of dream pop and psychedelic soul, never intended the song's languid groove and smoky, yearning vocals for single release. Its organic surge in popularity, however, granted it a life of its own with fans, ultimately propelling the band to international festival stages. During live performances, it serves as the powerful penultimate number, where Zardoya often improvises new, sometimes Spanish-language melodies over the jazzy outro, a testament to the song's evolving nature. This spontaneous creative process is central to the band's identity.

The song's genesis was equally fluid. Co-writer and producer Gianluca Buccellati recalls the demo, initially labeled "Maybe," already possessed a haunting, call-and-response structure reflecting a universal inner monologue about loneliness. The track's defining moment came when Zardoya, returning from a short break, presented a newly conceived vulnerable melody: "Come on, don't leave me / It can't be that easy, babe." This line became the emotional blueprint for the song's sweeping second half. Buccellati notes this was the clarifying moment that cemented the recording's final, resonant identity, a result of their shared philosophy of following a feeling in the studio.

This experimental spirit helped "No One Noticed," a song Zardoya initially leaked herself after resisting pressure for more upbeat material, catch fire on TikTok and cross over to pop radio. Its melancholic mood proved to have universal appeal. The track's aquatic texture, a theme throughout the parent album *Submarine*, was enhanced by guitarist Jesse Perlman's use of a signature "mood pedal" mixed with reverb and delay to create a distinctive, bubbly underwater sound. The momentum even inspired Zardoya's own solo venture, the cheekily titled *Not for Radio* project.

The band's management, Jonathan Eshak and Laura Espitia of Mick Management, sensed a shift during the *Submarine* tour, which launched with a four-night club run in Mexico City. Fans were singing every word, with "No One Noticed" showing particular promise. Eshak describes the connection as mutual, a sensation that the band and their audience were building something special together. In a strategic move to honor this growing, dedicated fanbase, the band released an extended Spanish-language version of the song in November 2024.

Espitia highlights the critical role of the band's Latin audience, noting an instant reaction to the Spanish version. She observes that the inherent drama of the Spanish language amplified the song's already potent emotion, creating a powerful sense of pride and real-time representation for many first-generation Latino fans. This deep cultural connection, facilitated by the band's bilingual artistry, has been a cornerstone of their breakthrough. The song's success is credited to writers and producers María Zardoya, Josh Conway, and Gianluca Buccellati, with key support from Atlantic Records' digital and streaming executives Alana Dolgin and Drew Maniscalco, who helped navigate the track's journey from an "anti-hit" demo to a cross-platform sensation.