Exclusive: Noah Kahan Was “Scared Sh*tless” of Nashville, Not Anymore

Noah Kahan thinks Nashville gives him too much credit. Kahan, who performed on the Academy of Country Music Awards earlier this year, is nominated for musical event of the year at the CMA Awards with Kelsea Ballerini for their collaboration “Cowboys Cry Too.” He recently performed at Ryman Auditorium for the Americana Music Association’s 23rd Annual Americana Honors & Awards and is one of the headliners for the Pilgrimage Music and Cultural Festival this weekend in Franklin, Tennessee.

But Kahan doesn’t seem so sure what all the fuss is about regarding him.

“I literally wake up late for my alarm every day, stumble out of my house smelling gross, and just look at my Google calendar and go wherever I’m told,” Kahan told American Songwriter. “What I do love is, I love songwriting so much. I love storytelling. I think Nashville does appreciate stories and great songs.”

He wants to ensure people don’t think he’s implying he’s great, just that he has a huge passion for songwriting. Music City appreciates passion.

“That’s been really cool, and I’ve felt very welcomed by everybody here in the Americana community, the country community, and the pop community,” Kahan said. “There’s a lot of great people in Nashville,  and I have formed connections with people that I’ve admired for years. It’s been really cool. I think hopefully good people are awarded for that, and I’ve met so many great people, and it’s been amazing to be a part of.”

Noah Kahan Asks, “How Can I Tell My Story”

This weekend, Kahan will help Pilgrimage Music and Cultural Festival celebrate its 10th anniversary. Kahan will headline on Sunday at the Park at Harlinsdale in Franklin, Tennessee. Other headliners are Dave Matthews Band, Hozier, and NEEDTOBREATHE.

Kahan noted that Kevin Griffin from Better Than Ezra is a festival founder—and Griffin was his second co-write in Nashville.

“I got here scared shitless,” Kahan said. “I had no idea what a writing session was. I’d never written with anyone else in my entire life. And to play that festival is a real full circle moment for me.”
Kahan said he’s grown from that scared kid into a “scared mid-to-late 20s kid.”

“To be able to headline in the city that I’ve played so many shows and spent so much time here, it’s really, really cool,” he said. “There are so many great artists, and I’m honored to be a part of it.”

As far as making an Americana album—Kahan isn’t sure anyone actually plans to do that. It happens organically.

“I don’t think anybody sits down and says, ‘I have to make an Americana album,’” he said. “Maybe they do; they edit and adjust.  But, I think they just want to tell their story, and it comes out, and the backdrop of music is a natural progression of rock and roll, country and folk. It all kind of melds together, but I never went in making an album thinking it was going to be nominated for any awards. I always ask, ‘How can I tell my story?’”

Pilgrimage Music and Cultural Festival is Sept. 28-29 at the Park at Harlinsdale in Franklin, Tennessee. Tickets start at $289 and are available here.

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