Noah Kahan dives into time in Music City, Grammy nomination and mental health

Noah Kahan's star rose throughout 2023 as the "Stick Season" singer embarked on an extensive tour, released musical collaboration upon collaboration, garnered a Grammy award nomination and recently performed on "Saturday Night Live," which he called "one of the greatest moments" of his career.

The Americana-folk singer-songwriter, known for "She Calls Me Back" and "Dial Drunk," has always enjoyed a cult following. And now he's bringing Americana music into the limelight.

The Vermont native and ex-Nashvillian sat down with The Tennessean to reflect on his year of accomplishments, detail his on-the-road lifestyle and chat about where much of his music career began: Music City.

Kahan's time in Nashville: 'It was really special'

Nashville's Ascend Amphitheater was one of Kahan's favorite tour stops of the year on the "Stick Season" tour, largely due to surprise appearances from performers Gregory Alan Isakov and Hozier. But they weren't the only reasons the tour stop meant so much to him.

"Performing back in the town...it was really special," he said.

Kahan remembers sitting in his dad's house in Vermont, writing music, and thinking that Nashville is where it all happens for musicians. After receiving a record deal in Vermont, he packed his bags and moved to Nashville after graduating high school in 2017.

"I went to Nashville, and started collaborating and started co-writing and started getting a chance to kind of see the music industry for the first time," Kahan said. "And I learned a lot about what it's like to be a musician and to be a songwriter, and fell in love with writing for myself and fell in love with writing for other people."

He remembers how artists in the city influenced his work, like how he listened to Kacey Musgraves' 2018 album "Golden Hour" on repeat, noting how Musgraves walks the line between country folk and Americana. He remembers playing the East Room years ago to a crowd of about 15 people. He remembers performing at a slew of open mic nights, singing in bars and attempting to win people over.

Now, after performing in Nashville in October, he's returning to the city in 2024 to play Bridgestone Arena for two nights. "It's just like so cool to look back and think about where I came from and what it looked like a few years ago compared to what it looks like now," he said.

After Kahan's move to Nashville, he toured extensively, which forced him to move back to Vermont a year later. His career then took him to New York City, Vermont during the pandemic, and he eventually landed in Boston.

"I feel like it's really Nashville that's the only place I've ever felt truly at home. I've been in a lot of places, but a lot of them I felt like an outsider. Nashville is one place that I felt like I belonged and I really love it there."

How Kahan's career took off in 2023: Year of collaboration

Since he left Nashville, Kahan has become one of the biggest voices in Americana.

"I've always had a lovely fan base and a lot of opportunities, but this year here, it's been a whole new level," Noah said. He added that his team has worked tirelessly to reach these new heights. "It's been really cool. It's been a really wholesome, special year for us."

Kahan's year, as he noted, is not one he has accomplished alone. After all, 2023 was his year of collaboration.

This year, Kahan released "Everywhere, Everything" with Gracie Abrams, "Northern Attitude" with Hozier, "She Calls Me Back" with Kacey Musgraves, "Sarah's Place" with Zach Bryan, "Call Your Mom" with Lizzy McAlpine, "Dial Drunk" with Post Malone and "We're All Gonna Die" with Joy Oladokun.

It's hard for Kahan to pick a favorite collaboration, but his time with Hozier sticks out. The two first appeared onstage together in October at Kahan's Nashville show.

Later, Kahan released his revamp of "North Attitude" with Hozier, the same song they performed in Nashville together.

"I've been a fan of Hozier my whole life and have lived his music," Kahan said of his time collaborating with Hozier. "It's just one of those moments of like meeting your heroes and having them be really awesome as a person and an amazing as a musician as well."

Kahan told The Tennessean he has something in the works with Isakov — the folk singer. He's the other guest from Kahan's Nashville show. For now, details are hush-hush.

When it comes to dream collaborations, Kahan hopes to one day work with Phoebe Bridgers, Justin Vernon and Bon Iver.

And just last month, Kahan was nominated for a 2024 Grammy award for Best New Artist. In the category, he sits alongside collaborator Gracie Abrams, Fred again.., Ice Spice, Coco Jones, Victoria Monét and Nashville's own Jelly Roll and duo The War And Treaty.

Kahan reflected, "A Grammy nomination has been the first thing that I felt like fully proud and fully able to process and fully able to be really excited about. Waking up every day and being like 'I am Grammy nominated now.'

"It's such a cool thing to tell myself and some that I've always really wanted secretly."

Kahan's mental health advocacy and self-care on tour

On top of his Grammy nomination and busy tour, Kahan also launched a mental health initiative: The Busyhead Project, which shares a name with his 2019 debut album.

Kahan has always been vocal about his relationship with therapy and medication surrounding mental health topics. Both in his performances and conversations with the media, Kahan speaks openly about his mental health and actively works to reduce stigmas.

Kahan aimed this year to raise $1 million for the project. He raised double that, and the numbers are climbing. The project works with a variety of national and local organizations to increase conversations, amplify discussions around mental health and democratize resources. The Busyhead Project also highlights local organizations achieving meaningful work on tour.

While Kahan helps others through advocacy, his vulnerability and openness is one reason fans relate to him. After an extensive, worldwide tour, Kahan is transparent about continuing to work on his own mental well-being.

"It's a constant struggle," he said. "Again, I think the worst thing to do is to pretend you have all the answers because then you expect yourself to be happy all the time and feel like you're a failure for not. So, I try to be really patient with myself when I can and just allow myself to feel what I'm feeling."

On tour, Kahan prioritizes eating well and is grateful for access to therapy. He also has a full-time tour pup, a German Shepherd named Penny. But most importantly, he turns to his loved ones.

"The worst place to be when you get tense, and you curl into a ball and keep people away from you, and let those feelings kind of multiply," Kahan continued. "What helps me stop that is opening up and talking to people that I trust and love."

For more information on Noah Kahan, his music and the 2024 tour, fans can visit noahkahan.com.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Noah Kahan: Folk artist talks SNL, 'Stick Season', mental health