Noah Kahan

Noah Kahan's music is inextricably linked to his biography, and that's the whole damn point.

He sings about the backroads of New England, people he's loved, lost and driven away. He sings about his own flaws, heartbreakingly enumerating them night after night to a stadium crowd that is singing every word with him.

The reason the whole thing works is not because by the end of the show you're empathizing with Noah. You are, but that's superficial. What lurks beneath is the denial that manifests as hope. "Look at him, he's so sweet and beautiful and charismatic. Surely he's not that bad. I'm flawed just like him, but he's alright, so I must be too".

Maybe this is an overly pessimistic reading of Kahan and his fans. Maybe that premise is ultimately true. Humans are flawed, pobody's nerfect, but Kahan gives us a path to secular salvation with his shimmering guitar and baritone swagger.

Or maybe the point isn't to solve his or your problems. Maybe the point is to just confront them, cathartically reflect while screaming the lyrics, and walk a Vermont trail with Noah.