ARTIST STORY
NOAH KAHAN.
Noah Kahan makes songs in which small places become big enough for an entire life. For him, roads, trees, winters, and houses are never just background. They hold everything that people try to leave behind.
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Open in Spotify ↗From Vermont, Noah Kahan grew into a voice for people who simultaneously want to leave and long to return. His breakthrough came not by making his world bigger, but by writing with increasing precision about the place he comes from.
A record to listen to further is The Great Divide by NOAH KAHAN on vinyl. On the NOAH KAHAN artist page, you will find records and other entry points for further listening.
A VOICE AMONG THE TREES.
Kahan grew up in Strafford, a small village in Vermont. His father taught him to play guitar; his mother wrote books and showed him what language can do. As a child, he began making songs himself. Later, he uploaded early recordings to SoundCloud and YouTube, far from the usual centers of the music industry.
After a record deal and opening act tours, his debut Busyhead appeared in 2019. The record showcased a sensitive pop songwriter with a sharp eye for anxiety, relationships, and self-image. Hurt Somebody had already brought him an initial international audience, but the production still frequently placed his voice in the broad landscape of modern pop.
On 2021's I Was / I Am, his writing became more personal, while Kahan continued to search for the right musical environment. The real turning point occurred when the world temporarily became smaller. During the pandemic, he returned to Vermont. There, place, season, and ancestry became the heart of his music.
ONE THING YOU DIDN’T KNOW.
AN EP IN ONE WEEK.
In 2020, Kahan wrote the songs for Cape Elizabeth in about a week. The understated EP was released without a major campaign, but it already showcased what would later become central: acoustic space, geographical details, and emotions that are not resolved before the song ends.
THE SEASON THAT LINGERS.
Stick Season began as a fragment that Kahan shared online. The title refers to the bare period in New England after the leaves have fallen and before the snow covers everything. It became the perfect name for his music: an interim period where nothing is made beautiful anymore and everything remains visible.
The song grew slowly and then everywhere. When the album appeared in 2022, it sounded as if Kahan had finally removed the distance between his voice and his environment. Mandolin, acoustic guitar, and folk arrangements carried lyrics about home, guilt, mental health, and the fear that leaving is not the same as escaping.
The deluxe versions made the world of Stick Season even larger. Collaborations with artists including Hozier, Post Malone, Gracie Abrams, and Sam Fender brought in new voices without losing the local color. What began as a deeply personal album became a shared language for a massive audience.
Noah Kahan writes about homesickness as if it isn't a longing for a place, but for the person you once were there.
FENWAY BECOMES HOME.
In 2024, Kahan played two sold-out nights at Fenway Park in Boston. For an artist who built his identity around small places, the stadium was not a break with the past. It felt like an enlarged version of the same community: thousands of people collectively singing back words about isolation.
The concerts were released as Live From Fenway Park and marked the moment when his breakthrough no longer seemed temporary. At the same time, Kahan remained open about anxiety, depression, and the confusion that success can cause. Through The Busyhead Project, he also linked his platform to support for mental health organizations.
THE DISTANCE AFTER THE BREAKTHROUGH.
With 2026's The Great Divide came his fourth studio album. The title suggests distance: between then and now, between home and the road, and between the public figure and the person who has to land after a tour. The music maintained the narrative directness of Stick Season but allowed more space for rock and larger arrangements.
The record proves that his formula is not simply "Vermont with a mandolin." Kahan uses landscapes to make internal movement visible. A porch, a pond, or a dark road becomes meaningful because someone is missing, a conversation hasn't been held, or an old version of yourself is being left behind.
His strength ultimately lies in recognition without becoming generic. The details are his, but the doubt can belong to everyone. As a result, large venues with Noah Kahan don't feel like distance. They sound like thousands of individual memories sharing the same chorus for a moment.
THE FACTS
STRAFFORD, VERMONT
2022
2024
ESSENTIAL DISCOGRAPHY
The complete studio album discography of Noah Kahan. EPs, deluxe versions, and live albums fall outside this overview.
- 2019Busyhead
- 2021I Was / I Am
- 2022Stick Season
- 2026The Great Divide
FAQ
Where is Noah Kahan from?
Noah Kahan is from Strafford in the U.S. state of Vermont. The landscape and life in small towns in New England play a large role in his songs. He uses that environment to write about belonging, leaving, and the feeling of being left behind.
What does Stick Season mean?
‘Stick season’ is the period after the autumn colors and before the first snow, when the trees are bare. Noah Kahan also uses that Vermont interim moment as an image for stagnation and change. In the song, he links it to a relationship and the feeling that life is moving on elsewhere.
What is Noah Kahan's first album?
His first studio album is titled Busyhead and was released in 2019. It includes songs such as Mess, False Confidence, and Hurt Somebody with Julia Michaels. The record captures an earlier, more pop-oriented phase than the heavily folk-influenced Stick Season.
What is the difference between the versions of Stick Season?
The original Stick Season was released in 2022. We’ll All Be Here Forever from 2023 expands the album with additional material. Forever from 2024 adds, among other things, collaborations and the song Forever. When looking for an LP, check the full release title and tracklist: the content is not the same for every version.
Which song did Noah Kahan make with Hozier?
Noah Kahan and Hozier created a version of Northern Attitude together. The original solo version was already on 2022's Stick Season. The version with Hozier appeared later, as part of Kahan’s series of collaborations around that album.
What is Noah Kahan's The Busyhead Project?
The Busyhead Project is an initiative that Noah Kahan started in 2023 to support mental health organizations and increase awareness of the subject. It is named after his debut album Busyhead. The project stands alongside his music and is not a separate band or album title.
Read more in FOLK.
THE FINAL WORD.
HOME IS NOT A SIMPLE ANSWER.
Noah Kahan did not turn regional folk into a nostalgic postcard. His Vermont is cold, beautiful, oppressive, and hard to let go of. Precisely that contradiction gives his music power. He doesn't write to point the way home, but to show why some places always travel with you.
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