Once upon a time, a kid in Boston fell in love with music. He’d pop his headphones in and “just disappear for a while.” On family vacations to the beach, that kid wore all black, listening to music on his headphones. “I was probably miserable,” says that kid now. "Oh well.”

That kid is now Tim Noyes — who grew up to create melancholy neo-pop-soul tunes as the founder of the band Handsome Ghost. (That was after a stint as an English teacher in the Bronx, and way after he became the first in his family — extended family included! — to play an instrument.) Handsome Ghost’s 2015 debut EP got more than 22 million spins on Spotify, and the band is now working on a proper full-lenth. This summer, Handsome Ghost is touring with Melanie Martinez, starting with a date today in Providence, RI. Noyes talks to Myspace about his similarities to Sting, where their name comes from, and describes his music … with difficulty and apologies.

Hometown: I grew up in a suburb of Boston, MA.

Homebase: I split my time between Boston and the front seat of a big white van. Sometimes the back seat if I'm trying to take a nap.

Why are you called Handsome Ghost?

When I played my first demos to a few friends of mine, I had some heavy effects on the vocals. One of my friends told me I sounded like a ghost. I went with Handsome Ghost. I like the idea.

Describe your music to someone who's never heard you before.

Apologies in advance, because I give a terrible answer to this question to everyone who asks me what kind of band I play in. In my humble opinion, Handsome Ghost is pop music or "indie pop music," whatever that is. I like to think though, that underneath the production — the drums, synths etc. — you can still hear the songs I wrote in my bedroom.

Who are your biggest musical influences?

I started writing songs during my freshman year of college, so a lot of my biggest influences come from around that time. Elliott Smith and Ben Gibbard come to mind first, I wore their albums out that year. They're still my two favorite songwriters. But in terms of production, my influences are always changing. There's so much innovative stuff happening right now, I just try to keep my ears open.

You say you don’t have a name for your forthcoming album yet, but what themes were you working on when making it?

There are plenty of love songs on there, because I'm a loving guy. More specifically, I wanted to focus in on the weird time between youth and adulthood, which is exactly where I am right now. It's a really odd feeling, to be stuck here in this middle ground and I thought writing some songs about it might help me figure things out. We'll see.

You used to be an English teacher, like Sting! Does that influence your music?

I did! I taught at a high school in the Bronx for a few years after I graduated from college. It was a wonderful and extremely challenging part of my life. I miss it a lot. Teaching taught me how to work hard, and I like to think I've carried that same work ethic over to songwriting, or even touring. I will say that music definitely influenced my teaching...I brought the guitar into class on more than a few occasions. That sounds really corny. The kids liked it, I swear.

What's your songwriting process like? How does the band divvy up the tasks of getting a song done?

I usually write the lyrics and the melody and then I'll take it to the band to help arrange, especially live. It really varies from song to song. The album is going to feature a few songs that I wrote with other artists too, which I'm very excited about. I thought I would hate collaborating, because songwriting is such a personal thing, but I've really come to love it, assuming the dynamic is right.

Who would you love to collaborate with?

This changes weekly, but I spent the last few days dissecting the perfection that is The 1975's "Somebody Else." I listened to that song one hundred times, it's wonderful. I'm a pretty jealous guy when it comes to other musicians, but a song that good, I have no choice but to just appreciate it. I'd love to collaborate with those guys, what a dream.

What do you do for fun?

I cheer for Boston sports teams, ideally with friends and light beer. I jog, which is not fun, but an important part of my life. I read. I watch independent films and discuss them with my film critic family.

What's the craziest thing that happens to you as a musician?

The craziest thing for me is hearing fans sing the words to my songs. That still blows my mind and I don't see myself getting used to it anytime soon. I can be having the worst day in the history of days, and if I hear people singing words I wrote about my own dumb little life at the show that night, I'm immediately a happy man.

If you were a hashtag, what would you be?

This is the hardest question I've ever had to answer in my life. #toohard

Tell us your awesome Myspace-related story.

When I first started writing songs, I was way too nervous to play them for friends, girlfriends, family, etc. The thought of sharing my music with people I was close to was completely out of the question. Instead, I sent my songs to strangers on Myspace. It just felt like the right thing to do. I got some great feedback from said strangers and Myspace ended up being a huge confidence boost. It helped get me through that first year when insecurity about my writing was at an all-time high.