You might know Noah Kahan by his many nicknames coined by fans: there’s “Folk Malone,” “the Jewish Ed Sheeran” and “American Hozier.” The singer has pretty much resurged the indie folk genre after dropping his 2022 album Stick Season, with its lead viral single of the same name.
Keep reading to learn more about Noah.
Who Is Noah Kahan?
Noah, 27, is from Strafford, Vermont, and was born on January 1, 1997 (a Capricorn!). His hometown is the inspiration for a lot of his music, as Stick Season is inspired by his Vermont upbringing, with “Stick Season,” lamenting “I love Vermont” in the chorus.
“There’s real beauty and nuance to living in New England – it feels like you’re in a bubble and it’s f–king freezing and people are mean, but what trumps that all is how absolutely peaceful and gorgeous it is there,” he told Billboard in October 2023. “I wanted the perspective to be that of hope toward the end of the record — because I think the ultimate message of this album is that there is real beauty in small towns.”
He first started writing music when he was 8 years old, eventually catching the attention of his now-manager at age 17. He signed with Republic Records in 2016, where he released his debut album Busyhead in 2019, his sophomore album I Was/I Am in 2021, and eventually, Stick Season.
After lead single “Stick Season” went viral (commercially and on TikTok), Noah released the album’s deluxe edition, subtitled Stick Season (We’ll All Be Here Forever) in June 2023. The deluxe album featured an additional seven songs.
He’s since collaborated with huge names, such as Post Malone (a full-circle moment for someone nicknamed “Folk Malone”), Zach Bryan, Kacey Musgraves and Lizzy McAlpine. He was nominated for his first Grammy for Best New Artist in 2024.
Noah is open with his struggles with anxiety and depression, and has spoken about how writing about these topics has proved to be therapeutic for him.
“I’ve been struggling with anxiety and depression for as long as I can remember,” he told an Australian news outlet. “I didn’t know what it was until I got into high school. Then, when I started releasing music and seeing it connect with others, I realised it wasn’t something I had to be ashamed of and that people were actually connecting to my music. So it’s a real thing and it’s a really hard thing I have to deal with all the time and it sucks, and it’s shitty. Sometimes it feels like everyone around me is doing well and I feel like I’m kind of missing something. But what’s great is music gives me an outlet to express it and it helps other people. So [anxiety] has its ups and downs.”
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