NPR

Noah Kahan on TikTok fame, his sold-out arena tour and taking his mom to the Grammys

Noah Kahan went from writing a pandemic album on his parents' farm in rural Vermont to selling out an arena tour and being nominated for best new artist at the Grammys.
"It's like a combination of feeling like you're in a dream and feeling like you're finally living your dream," Noah Kahan says of his arena-sized fame.

The Beatles taught us about Liverpool, England and Abbey Road. Prince had Minneapolis. Bruce Springsteen rooted us in New Jersey. For singer-songwriter Noah Kahan, it's all about Vermont and New England.

His 2022 gold-certified album Stick Season has hooks and chord progressions reminiscent of the pop-folk songs of artists like Mumford and Sons and The Lumineers, with lyrics like, "I was raised on a little light." With a virality fueled by TikTok and his Gen Z fan base — who call themselves "Busyheads" in reference to his first studio album — Kahan has shot to arena-sized fame, performing on Saturday Night Live, selling out most of his 2024 tour and landing a best new artist Grammy nomination this year.

"It's like a combination of feeling like you're in a dream and feeling like you're finally living your dream," he says.

His latest release is an iteration of that reimagines the songs with collaborators he's met along the way: , and are among them. "It's one final era, which I have just loved living in and never want to leave."

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR4 min read
Tornadoes Collapse Buildings And Level Homes In Nebraska And Iowa
Tornadoes wreaked havoc Friday in the Midwest, causing a building to collapse with dozens of people inside and destroying and damaging hundreds of homes, many around Omaha, Nebraska.
NPR4 min readSocial History
What Abortion Politics Has To Do With New Rights For Pregnant Workers
A new regulation to protect the rights of pregnant workers is the subject of an anti-abortion lawsuit because it includes abortion as a pregnancy "related medical condition."
NPR5 min readWorld
Blinken Tells China It's In Their Interest To Stop Helping Russia
NPR's Steve Inskeep speaks with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken following his talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and top Chinese officials in Beijing.

Related Books & Audiobooks