WATCH: Noah Kahan and Gigi Perez Perform Stunning Cover of Olivia Dean's ‘Man I Need’ in Mexico

During Noah Kahan's blockbuster headline set at Out of the Blue Festival in Cancún, Mexico last night (Sunday, January 11th 2025), the ‘Stick Season’ hitmaker brought out a dazzling array of folk-leaning stars and up-and-comers, including Gigi Perez, Michael Marcagi, Max McNown, Sam Barber, Tiny Habits and GoldFord.

Every song on the setlist featured a special guest, with Kahan kicking off the headline set with a galvanising rendition of ‘Dial Drunk’ with ‘Indigo’ singer-songwriter, Sam Barber.

Then, ‘Scared to Start’ singer-songwriter Michael Marcagi emerged for a cover of Counting Crows’ ‘A Long December’, with Max McNown joining Kahan for his Stick Season stand-out ‘Paul Revere’ later in the set. The highlight, though - aside from the group performance of ‘Stick Season’ for the finale - was undoubtedly Kahan and Gigi Perez’s electrifying cover of Olivia Dean's viral hit ‘Man I Need’.

Dean has been taking the music industry by storm over the past year or so, with her 2025 record, The Art of Loving, being one of the most critically acclaimed and beloved projects of the year. ‘Man I Need’ has cemented itself as one of the biggest hits from that record, with the song finding Dean crooning longingly to her prospective partner across a soulful, jazz-infused instrumental.

Kahan and Perez have given Dean's infectious track a folk-inspired twist, with the introduction of a playful banjo giving the song a novel feel. Their vocals combine seamlessly, with their friendship radiating throughout the unexpected performance.

It's not the first time Kahan and Perez have joined forces, with the Vermont native bringing out the ‘Sailor Song’ prodigy during his iconic BST Hyde Park set in London last summer. They performed Kahan's haunting tribute to a friend struggling with suicidal thoughts, ’Call Your Mom’, in front of around 60,000 adoring fans.

We're hoping Kahan and Perez might one day drop a studio track together, perhaps as part of the former's eagerly anticipated new album, which is rumoured to be arriving in the Spring. During his first Out of the Blue set last week, Kahan performed the live debut of another unreleased offering, ‘Haircut’, as the excitement continues to build ahead of his long-awaited Stick Season (Forever) follow-up.

For more on Noah Kahan, see below: