Vermont’s global superstar returns with his first taste of a highly anticipated fourth album, reflecting on life, success, and the ties that bind.
by Paul Cashmere
Two-time GRAMMY®-nominated, multi-platinum singer-songwriter Noah Kahan has unveiled his long-awaited new single, “The Great Divide,” marking the first release from his forthcoming fourth studio album of the same name, due April 24 via Mercury Records. The song offers a deeply personal reflection on Kahan’s journey from his Vermont roots to worldwide acclaim and sets the tone for an album that promises to balance vulnerability with expansive, anthemic sounds.
“The last five years have been the single most challenging, complicatedly beautiful, and life-altering of my career,” Kahan explained. “I was somewhere I understood, and suddenly I was somewhere completely foreign. I was living in the opportunity I always wanted but felt disoriented and unsure of whether I deserved it. Writing for this album was a balancing act of trying to go back in time and move forward in the same moment. Songwriting has always been the way I reflect on my life, and I hope these songs show you a glimpse of what this journey has looked like.”
Those experiences form the backbone of The Great Divide, written in the wake of Kahan’s career-defining Stick Season era. Released in 2022, the 4x Platinum album and its 8x Platinum title track propelled the Vermont-born artist to global recognition, earning multiple GRAMMY® nominations, billions of streams, and headline shows at landmark venues including sold-out nights at New York’s Madison Square Garden and Boston’s Fenway Park.
Recorded across a variety of locations-from a secluded farm outside Nashville to Gold Pacific Studio in Nashville, and Aaron Dessner’s Long Pond Studio in New York-The Great Divide was produced by Kahan’s long-time collaborator Gabe Simon, along with GRAMMY®-winning producer Aaron Dessner. The project explores Kahan’s evolving relationship with family, friends, and his sense of self, while maintaining the emotional honesty that has become his signature.
The lead single, “The Great Divide,” finds Kahan creatively re-centred for the first time since Stick Season. Beginning with a quiet reflection, the song builds to a soaring crescendo, capturing themes of childhood friendship, guilt, separation, and the complicated truths that define personal history. “You know I think about you all the time / And my deep misunderstanding of your life…” Kahan sings, setting the tone for an album that turns isolation into connection.
Noah Kahan’s rise from Strafford, Vermont, to international acclaim is a story of steady artistry and deep introspection. Born on January 1, 1997, Kahan grew up on a tree farm and began writing songs at the age of eight. His father, Josh Kahan, taught him guitar while his mother, Lauri Berkenkamp, encouraged his writing. Early influences ranged from Paul Simon to Mumford & Sons, and he first gained attention online via SoundCloud and YouTube before signing with Republic Records in 2017.
Kahan’s debut album, Busyhead (2019), introduced the world to hits like “Hurt Somebody” featuring Julia Michaels. His follow-up, I Was / I Am (2021), expanded his folk-pop sensibilities, but it was 2022’s Stick Season that propelled him into global stardom. The album became a cultural phenomenon, with its title track topping charts in the UK and Australia, achieving a new peak of number 9 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and spawning multiple collaborative versions with artists including Post Malone, Kacey Musgraves, Hozier, and Sam Fender.
Beyond music, Kahan has been a passionate advocate for mental health. His Busyhead Project has raised over $5.5 million to support mental health initiatives in Vermont, earning recognition from the state’s governor and a sold-out benefit concert. Kahan’s music has always reflected his own experiences with anxiety and depression, yet he brings humour and humanity to these discussions, creating a connection that resonates globally.
With The Great Divide, Kahan enters a new chapter, blending lyrical introspection with expansive production and storytelling that remains unmistakably personal. The album promises to explore themes of identity, distance, and the invisible threads that connect people, reaffirming Kahan’s place as one of his generation’s most compelling songwriters.
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