Noah Kahan

With high-profile 2023 collaborations with the likes of Zach Bryan, Kacey Musgraves and Post Malone under his belt, it may seem Noah Kahan’s role as the cross-genre, all-star matchmaker is a novel one.

However, the Vermont native’s been doing this from the start. Kahan’s first major hit, ‘Hurt Somebody’, was originally released as the solo lead single from his 2017 EP of the same name, before it was reimagined later that year with Julia Michaels. This duet went on to become Noah Kahan’s first Gold-certified single, and served as the folk prodigy’s first tentative step into the mainstream consciousness.

‘Hurt Somebody’ clearly laid out the Noah Kahan blueprint - rewardingly vulnerable introspection, sugar-coated with infectious, uptempo melodies and atmospheric production. The following year, Noah Kahan’s debut album, Busyhead, doubled-down on the fast-emerging artist’s determination to probe thorny topics surrounding anxiety and depression. Since its release, the record has given rise to Kahan’s Busyhead Project, which seeks to help those struggling with mental health issues.

This enchanting openness continued on Noah Kahan’s critically acclaimed follow-up album, I Was / I Am. However, it was his 2022 full-length, Stick Season, that caused the long-haired crooner’s popularity to truly explode.

Stick Season viewed Noah Kahan’s home-town through two tussling lenses - on the one hand, there is the rose-tinted nostalgia for its simpler, peaceful surroundings; on the other, many songs are coloured by a distinct sense of cabin fever and fidgety angst born from the COVID-19 years.

After releasing the deluxe version of Stick Season with the addendum ‘We’ll All Be Here Forever’ in June 2023, Kahan started teasing an entirely unexpected collaboration with global phenom, Post Malone.

This duet, an updated version of one of the many Stick Season highlights, ‘Dial Drunk’, would ultimately turn out to be the first in a string of blockbuster link-ups. As well as re-recording ‘Call Your Mom’ with Lizzy McAlpine and ‘She Calls Me Back’ with Kacey Musgraves, Noah Kahan guested on Zach Bryan’s September stand-out, ‘Sarah’s Place’. Tantalisingly, Noah Kahan has confirmed he has more collaborations on the way, with fans hoping he’s already hit the studio with one of his main musical influences, Hozier.