“He's Such a Force to Be Reckoned With”: Folk Prodigy Hazlett Pays Tribute to Noah Kahan Ahead of BST Hyde Park 2025

As the excitement continues to build for Noah Kahan's BST Hyde Park show, Hazlett has underlined to Holler how much he's looking forward to opening for Kahan next week.

Hazlett - the stage-name of Australian-born, Sweden-based singer-songwriter, Mitchell Hazlett Lewis - is establishing himself at the forefront of folk's next wave of chart-toppers.

The up-and-comer has a satisfying penchant for hazy, cushioning sonics, as he showcases across his recent trio of singles, ‘doing my best’, ‘blue jean’ and ‘tell me something’, all of which appear on his forthcoming album, last night you said you missed me.

Across his new project, Hazlett's layered, atmospheric vocals are surrounded by warm, acoustic guitars and ethereal, yearning synths, with the genre-blending artist nimbly weaving together vibrant sonic strands from alt-pop and Autumnal folk tapestries.

At times, his vocals feel like fleeting shadows being cast across a cosy, dimly lit room, with Hazlett's shape-shifting harmonies gently coming into focus, before darting back to another corner. It's the kind of enchantingly enigmatic ambience that Bon Iver has long been synonymous with, but with slightly more lucidity and sparseness.

Speaking to Holler, Hazlett reflects on his musical upbringing, before toasting Kahan as a more recent influence, “I'd say sonically I was probably quite set in my ways, having grown up on Springsteen, Neil Young and then Bon Iver before Noah came along - but ever since I heard ‘Maine’ for the first time I became a huge fan”.

The ‘Monsters’ singer-songwriter modestly expands, “He's such a force to be reckoned with so I have a whole lot of adoration for him. It's been a beautiful thing to follow the journey from the outside looking in. When it's all said and done if I can hold even the smallest candle to the career he's already had I'll be a happy lad”.

Driven by his alt-folk sound - and, inevitably, aided by his long hair, beard and outdoorsy, ‘granola-boy’ aesthetic - Hazlett has drawn widespread comparisons to Kahan.

He even poked fun at this perceived likeness when announcing his addition to the BST Hyde Park 2025 line-up, sharing a fan's Instagram DM donning him, ‘Noah Kahan from Wish’.

There are certainly moments where Hazlett's wintry palette bleed into the Fall hues of Stick Season, but there's no question that the ‘Old Salt’ crooner is carving his own, distinctive path that, in reality, doesn't really sound like anyone else in today's landscape.

There's an underlying sense of hope and optimism, embodying Hazlett's overarching mantra of “Everything happens for a reason”. This feels refreshingly atypical of the contemporary folk scene, which is often characterised by intense introspection and despondence that can err on the side of wallowing.

Of course, there is still depth and despair in Hazlett's music, but when you experience these moments of gloom, it feels like there will be a brighter day in a few songs’ time.

BST Hyde Park will provide a huge platform for this rising star, with Hazlett admitting - understandably - that he feels a sense of trepidation ahead of the blockbuster show, “Well I was trying to not be too nervous about it but when you put it like that now I definitely am! But of course I'm super excited for it! It will definitely be one for the memoirs and I'll have to take plenty of photos and videos to send back home to mum and dad. I've actually never set foot in Hyde Park so that knowing my first visit is going to be to play the biggest show of my life is quite surreal”.

Hazlett concludes by musing, “As for my set, I'll be bringing in the band for this one instead of my usual solo set so you can still expect my usual generous dose of moody feelings but this time with plenty of room for folky jams and vibes with the crew. It will be a taste of what's to come on tour in Europe later this year...”

Hazlett returns to Europe in November for a keenly awaited run of shows in Sweden, Norway, the UK and more. With his sophomore album, last night you said you missed me, arriving on September 12th, it's already shaping up to be a break-out year.

As the folk resurgence shows no signs of slowing down, Hazlett joins the impressive new generation of boundary-pushing artists - such as Gigi Perez, Chance Peña and Michael Marcagi - who are following in the footsteps of Noah Kahan, Hozier and Bon Iver by redefining and remoulding the genre on their own terms.

Watch Hazlett perform alongside the likes of Gracie Abrams, FINNEAS, Lily Fitts, Maya Lane and more on July 4th at Noah Kahan's BST Hyde Park show in London, UK.