Noah Kahan: Relatability with a Refreshing Sound

photo by Aysia Marotta

Noah Kahan is one of those artists who has had my attention from the absolute beginning of his career. In 2017 he released his first single title “Young Blood” and I absolutely fell in love with that song. At the time I had been going through many life changes, as well as working on healing my own personal issues and at the time, this song truly spoke to me. However, it is one thing to just put out a song with a catchy folk-pop sound for listeners to enjoy, but it is another thing to take it a step further and infuse some deeper lyrics into such a catchy beat. That whole description has continued to be seen throughout Noah Kahan’s work as an artist.

For some background, Noah Kahan is a 25-year-old Vermont native who has been writing songs since he was 8 years old. He always had interest in music and began working with a school friend to produce music at age 17, where he eventually caught the attention of his current management, Drew Simmons of Foundations Artist Management. He signed with Republic Records in 2016 and since then has released many singles, two full length albums, and an EP. His most recent release is the single titled “Stick Season” after giving fans a teaser of it in an Instagram Live debut of this song back in 2020.

Photo from meeting Noah Kahan during his first tour in 2018.

As I mentioned earlier, I have been a fan of Noah Kahan since the very beginning of his career and this recent release of “Stick Season” continues to solidify him as a tremendous songwriter in my book. Something that I think sets Noah’s music apart from many other indie/folk artists is how well he conveys emotion and vulnerability in his writing. With his breakout single, he was able to express both the excitement of entering adulthood, as well as the difficulty and doubt that comes with navigating it. In his most popular song to be released so far, “Hurt Somebody”, he wonderfully describes the hurt that comes with actually being the bad guy in the relationship. Many songs sing of heartbreak and hurt from relationships, but few are able to portray the mix of feelings that come with hurting someone. Another remarkable thing about this song is how honest and wise he is regarding this subject at such a young age.

Since releasing that first single in 2017, Noah has continued to gain popularity and really make a name for himself within indie/folk music. However, despite his rise in popularity and success, his music has continued to stay true to himself and to the sound that made people become fans. He very easily could have “pulled an Ed Sheeran” and just make money grabbing catchy songs without digging deeper into the surface (see my beef about Ed Sheeran here). Instead, he has consistently put out music with honest lyrics about his experiences with life, love, and gaining fame. In his song “Mess” he digs deeper into understanding how the success in his music career has changed him, while also longing for the simplicity of before. This whole song helps put into perspective how much his life has changed and provides a sort of bittersweet “you don’t know what you have until it’s gone” feeling. I also find the fact that he wrote so vulnerably about his experience instead of painting this picture of an extravagant life, has actually proven how humble and real he is.

Because of his ability to continue writing real and honest songs about his experiences, I continue to find myself hearing lines in his songs that make me stop and think a little more. In the song I mentioned earlier, “Mess”, he has a lyric that states “I guess the stage was my mask, I forgot the way I looked before I wore it.” That line stood out to me because as an average Joe who has no idea about performing, it is interesting to hear this take on separating the real person behind the artist on stage. Probably my most favorite lyric of his to this day is a line from his song “Young Blood” that says “I spend nights stitching up the loose threads of my soul, in the morning I'm bulletproof.” In that one lyric, he was able to convey a range of experiences, whether it be dealing with depression and getting up every day and pushing through, or even just working on healing your personal demons in order to continue working towards a better version of you. Because of his ability to produce a lyric that speaks to individuals with different experiences and still have that unity of relatability, it makes it even easier to appreciate his writing.

photo by Aysia Marotta

So now with this newest release of “Stick Season” ahead of his anticipated next album, I am absolutely excited for this next album that he claims will be more on the folky side. “Stick Season” also helped calm any doubts I could possibly have about his direction with his music. “Stick Season” displays a beautiful level of artistry by comparing the inevitable changing of seasons to the process of overcoming a heartbreak or the ending of a relationship. At the surface of this song, you can feel his hurt from the ending of his relationship, but after a listen or two, you can realize that there is also the beginning of acceptance of this new phase of life for him. Similar to the changing of the seasons, we as humans have to go through seasons as well, regardless of if we want to or not.

If you haven’t given Noah Kahan’s music a listen yet, you certainly need to! Don’t let his airy melodies fool you into thinking that he won’t dig deep and provide that authentic vulnerability we all crave. If you want to feel heard and understood, but still have a fun sound to accompany it, then his music is for you.

Thanks for reading!