Covid 19, the pandemic which stained our memories to the core. The global pandemic gave singer/songwriter Noah Kahan a new vision of life. Like most of us, running home to our family when the pandemic hit, to the small town you always feared you would never leave, his thoughts on the pandemic paused his plans. “It felt like we were bound by the world experience, making me feel less alone.” His most recent album Stick Season (Forever) went viral, becoming famous for its vulnerability and honesty.
After signing a record deal in his teenage years, Kahan has found a way to create music which connects with all of his fans differently. He had a breakthrough in 2022 with Stick Season. Previously his song False Confidence went viral for a performance between two dancers Kaci Rice and Sean Lew.
Kahan also grew his career using the platform TikTok, to share verses of the newest songs he had been writing. You’re Gonna Go Far connects to everyone who had to choose themselves: “So pack up your car, put a hand on your heart, say whatever you feel, be wherever you are”. For all the long-distance daughters, this symbolises the heartache of leaving your family, but having to leave a town which was no longer your home.
Kahan’s most famous phrase – which he often refers to – is lying to his therapist for years, after going to therapy in his early teens to help with depression and anxiety. In some way, we have all done this, lying to ourselves or a therapist until we’re ready to face it. Sharing and exploring his experience with alcoholism, insecurities, and divorce.
In the lead-up to Kahan’s album release in the summer of 2023, the excitement around the wholesome album was everywhere. With his extended album returning to the charts, No Complaints and Dial Drunk went viral for their wholesome lyrics, heartbreak, homesickness, and the feeling when you just need to scream is what that album is. It’s a sense of understanding, from someone who spent years denying the truth about himself. It opened the gate to feel everything.
Kahan’s Stick Season (Forever) will live with his fans forever, including the growth of his career, leading to collaborations with Post Malone, Gracie Abrahms, Hozier and Sam Fender.