Noah Kahan (/ˈkɑːn/KAHN; born January 1, 1997)[2] is an American singer-songwriter who signed with Republic Records in 2017. His breakthrough single, "Hurt Somebody", achieved gold status in the United States and charted in multiple international markets. The single and EP of the same name preceded the release of his debut album, Busyhead (2019). Within five years two more albums followed: I Was / I Am (2021) and Stick Season (2022), the second of which went on to be his mainstream commercial breakthrough and led to his nomination in 2023 for the Grammy Award for Best New Artist.
Early life and education
Kahan was born in Strafford, Vermont, where he was grew up on a 133-acre tree farm.[3][4] His Jewish father taught him to play guitar while his Christian mother, who wrote parenting guides for a living, taught him to write.[4][5] Kahan has stated that his Jewish roots play a large part in his identity.[6] He was the third of four children.[7] Kahan began writing songs at age eight and uploaded them to SoundCloud and YouTube, where his music began to gain exposure. He received his first guitar at age 10.[8]
In 2018, Kahan was featured on the song "Tough" by Quinn XCII. The song was released on December 11, 2018. In 2019, he released his debut album, Busyhead.[4] The album featured the single "Hurt Somebody" featuring Julia Michaels which peaked at number 24 on the Billboard Hot Rock chart, marking his first appearance on any US charts. Kahan returned to Vermont at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. There, he wrote his EP Cape Elizabeth over the course of a week, releasing it in May 2020.[4] In late 2020, he returned to Los Angeles, where he worked on recording his second album, I Was / I Am .[4] The album was released on September 17, 2021. The album did not have any mainstream hits.
2022–present: Stick Season and breakthrough
In October 2020, Kahan began posting viral TikTok videos showcasing the first verse of what would become the hit single "Stick Season". Over the next two years, he uploaded more snippets of the song and teased other songs from his forthcoming third studio album, leading Stick Season to become viral before it was even released.[4] On July 8, 2022, he finally released the full version of the song to the public. Kahan says "Stick Season" is the kind of song he wanted to write, moving away from his pop heavy projects in the past to a folk centric project. He released the single "Northern Attitude" prior to the album's release.[14]
On October 14, 2022, Kahan released his third studio album, the 14-track Stick Season, which was produced by Gabe Simon.[15] The album debuted at number 14 on the Billboard 200, his first appearance on the chart[16] launching him into mainstream success and helping make him a recognizable figure within the music world. On June 9, 2023, Kahan released a deluxe version of the album titled Stick Season (We'll All Be Here Forever), which features seven additional tracks, including an extended version of the single "The View Between Villages".[17] After the release of Stick Season (We'll All Be Here Forever), he released tracks on the album with added collaborations from other artists, starting with "Dial Drunk" with Post Malone. Additional collaborations include "Call Your Mom", with Lizzy McAlpine; "She Calls Me Back", with Kacey Musgraves; "Northern Attitude", with Hozier; "Everywhere, Everything", with Gracie Abrams; and "Homesick", with Sam Fender.[18][19][20][21][22][23]
On January 5, 2024, "Stick Season" became number 1 on the UK Singles Chart marking the first number 1 of the year and Kahan's first chart topper of his career.[26] In February the single also hit number 1 on the Australian ARIA charts.[27] In February 2024, "Stick Season" hit a new peak on the Billboard Hot 100 at 10, the highest position of Kahan's career.[28] In late January, Kahan revealed a final version of the Stick Season album, Stick Season (Forever). Also produced by Simon, the new rendition of the album contains all the collaboration projects since the release of Stick Season (We'll All Be Here Forever), including a new track titled "Forever" and two new collaborations on "You're Gonna Go Far" with Brandi Carlile and "Paul Revere" with Gregory Alan Isakov.[29] The album also included a new version of "Northern Attitude" in collaboration with singer Hozier. The expanded album was released on February 9, 2024.[30] In the same year, Kahan announced a live album, Live from Fenway Park, which was released on August 30.
Vermont governor Phil Scott proclaimed Thursday, September 19, as “Noah Kahan’s Busyhead Project Day” in Vermont. Kahan founded the Busyhead Project as an initiative to provide resources and information to Vermonters struggling with mental health issues. Kahan performed a sold-out benefit concert that night having all proceeds going to Vermont-based mental health organizations.[31]
He has experienced anxiety, depression, and body dysmorphia throughout his life and began attending therapy as a child.[32][4][7] He writes music about his mental health, however he is known to make light of his struggles with jokes on social media and in concert.[33]
He has two dogs; a German Shepherd named Penny who often goes on tour with him[34] and Junebug, who he got as a puppy. On his official TikTok account, Kahan admitted in a video that the only song of his that he listens to is "Maine" off of a 2020 EP called Cape Elizabeth.
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