06 Oct 5 Crazy But True Facts About Noah Kahan

5 Crazy But True Facts About Noah Kahan

Noah Kahan seemingly went from indie singer-songwriter to one of the biggest names in music overnight.

But there’s a lot more behind the guy who gave us “Stick Season.”

Here are 5 crazy-but-true facts about Noah Kahan you might not know.

1. He Grew Up in a Tiny Vermont Town

Noah Kahan grew up in Strafford, Vermont, a small New England town with a population of roughly 1,000 people.

That rural Vermont upbringing became a huge part of his musical identity — small towns, cold winters, complicated relationships and wanting to leave home while somehow still missing it.

Sound familiar?

That’s basically the emotional universe of Stick Season.

2. “Stick Season” Started With a Tease on TikTok

Before “Stick Season” became a massive hit, Kahan shared part of the unfinished song on TikTok.

Fans loved it.

The reaction was so strong that it helped convince him the song was worth finishing and releasing.

It eventually became his signature song and helped transform his career.

Not bad for a song preview on social media.

3. “Stick Season” Is a Real Vermont Expression

Kahan didn’t invent the phrase.

In Vermont and other parts of New England, “stick season” describes that awkward period after the colorful fall leaves have dropped but before winter snow really arrives.

The trees are basically just sticks.

Kahan turned that gloomy in-between season into the title of a song — and eventually an entire album — about feeling emotionally stuck between stages of life.

4. He Started Writing Songs When He Was a Kid

Kahan didn’t suddenly decide to become a songwriter after high school.

He has said he began writing songs when he was around 8 years old.

By his teenage years, he was already posting music online and seriously pursuing songwriting.

Years before millions of people were singing his lyrics back to him, he was a kid in Vermont trying to figure out how to turn his thoughts into songs.

5. He Was Nominated for Best New Artist Years After His First Album

Here’s how strange the music business can be.

Kahan released his debut album, Busyhead, in 2019.

Yet at the 2024 Grammy Awards, he was nominated for Best New Artist.

How can someone with multiple albums already released be considered “new”?

Grammy eligibility isn’t simply based on when an artist releases their first record. It’s more about when they achieve a significant breakthrough into public prominence.

For Noah Kahan, that breakthrough was enormous.

From Vermont to Arenas

Noah Kahan’s rise proves that sometimes the most specific stories connect with the biggest audiences.

Small towns. Bad winters. Relationships. Family. Anxiety. Growing up. Wanting to leave. Wanting to come home.

He took life in rural New England and turned it into songs heard around the world.

What’s the best Noah Kahan song?

“Stick Season”? “Dial Drunk”? “Northern Attitude”? “Orange Juice”? “All My Love”?

Let us know.

And keep listening to Planet 105.1!