The Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter returns with a song debuted on tour, signalling the next chapter in a career shaped by Vermont roots and slow-building success.
by Paul Cashmere
Noah Kahan, the Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter whose quiet rise has become one of the most significant breakout stories of recent years, has announced the release of a new single, The Great Divide.
The song, arriving on January 30 via Mercury Records, marks Kahan’s first new music since his 2022 breakthrough album Stick Season, which transformed him from a rising indie artist into a global star.
Kahan first performed The Great Divide during his We’ll All Be Here Forever Tour in 2024. Fans immediately responded, and the song quickly became one of the tour’s most talked-about moments. The official release now answers a demand that has been building since the track’s first live appearance.
The Great Divide represents the next phase of a career defined by slow, deliberate momentum rather than instant, manufactured success. Kahan has repeatedly built his audience through live performance and word of mouth, a trajectory that reached its peak with Stick Season and its platinum title track.
Kahan was born in Strafford, Vermont, on January 1, 1997, and grew up on a tree farm. His early life has informed much of his songwriting, a blend of rural observation and emotional honesty. He learned guitar from his father, Josh Kahan, and credits his mother, Lauri Berkenkamp, with teaching him to write.
Kahan began writing songs at eight and uploaded them to SoundCloud and YouTube as a teenager. These early releases were a first glimpse of the songwriter’s signature style: plainspoken lyrics, melancholic melodies and a gift for turning personal detail into universal feeling.
After signing with Republic Records in 2017, Kahan moved between New York, Los Angeles and Nashville. His debut album, Busyhead, arrived in 2019, and its single Hurt Somebody became his first major breakout, achieving gold status in the United States.
Kahan’s breakthrough came in 2022 with Stick Season, an album that built momentum gradually through viral clips and touring rather than a traditional promotional blitz. The title track became a slow-burning phenomenon, eventually reaching number one in the UK and Australia and entering the Top Ten on the Billboard Hot 100.
The album’s success brought a series of high-profile collaborations, including reworked versions of tracks featuring Post Malone, Hozier and Sam Fender. Kahan’s evolving catalogue was further expanded with Stick Season (Forever) and a live album recorded at Fenway Park.
In 2024, Vermont Governor Phil Scott declared September 19 as “Noah Kahan’s Busyhead Project Day,” recognising Kahan’s advocacy work for mental health through the Busyhead Project.
The Great Divide arrives at a moment when Kahan is no longer simply a breakout artist, but a major presence on the global music stage. His 2025 Glastonbury performance further cemented his international standing, introducing his catalogue to audiences beyond North America.
The Great Divide is released January 30 on Mercury Records.
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