Feature: Noah Kahan

Words by April Bredael

Singer-songwriter Noah Kahan is perhaps one of the most well spoken and thought out song writers of this generation; incorporating elements of pop-folk blended seamlessly with catchy chords and viral chorus’s, the artist has captivated fans across the globe with his charm, sarcasm, and effortless wittiness. 

“Trying to be out in the world and live this very busy life as a musician but also trying to remain the same kid I was when I grew up in Vermont/New Hampshire, staying humble in that way is something I struggle with, to make sure those two sides don’t fall too far apart from each other. Definitely the two sides of myself I work on.”

The singer-songwriter has been in the music scene for some time, but exploded exponentially with the release of 2019 record Busyhead featuring hits “False Confidence” and “Hurt Somebody.” Arriving back to the folk pop music scene again in 2021, the artist has just released second full length album I Was / I Am.

I Was / I Am captivates listeners from the very beginning, opening with popular single “Part of Me,” which quickly rose to become a fan favorite and has since achieved over ten million Spotify streams. 

Perhaps one of the most unique parts of the new album is that fan’s determined one of the singles. In the past Kahan shares that his motto was very much, “this is the fucking song coming out next, you have no choice, this is what’s going to happen.” Now with TikTok and Instagram reels, the fans are able to choose. After completing the album and releasing a few tracks to social media, fans quickly latched onto “Animal”; which Kahan shares was his first choice for the single as well. 

What does the creative process look like for Noah Kahan? According to him, “It’s kind of a shitshow.” The singer-songwriter shares, “I’ll wake up and be writing and think I’m going to make a really great song and sometimes it takes hours of me hating myself and thinking I stink, and then some good shit just comes out of nowhere. So it really is kind of sporadic, but I think at the end of the day it’s a matter of every day getting down and writing and putting myself through that process.” 

A natural-born writer, Noah Kahan strives to be the voice that makes people feel safer in their own bodies, lives, and world. “I hope that people feel understood by these songs, in some way,” Kahan shares. 

For more on Noah Kahan, check out his website here and follow @NoahKahanMusic on Instagram