Noah Kahan's rise to fame was years in the making, but his breakout onto the global stage happened seemingly overnight. The problem with such a rapid ascension is that it can put pressure on you to keep the momentum going.
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For Noah, that pressure led to concerns over the longevity of his career.
"I was always on stage thinking, 'When is this going to end? How am I going to do this again?'" he told Mark Savage of the BBC in a recent interview.
Unfortunately for Noah, those concerns didn't manifest in a productive way. Instead, they contributed to writer's block, locking him in a difficult loop of worry and frustration. After a quick getaway to Joshua Tree, Noah was diagnosed with OCD, leading him to step away from writing music for a short time.
"I got too attached to this idea that my value came from what I created. So when you're not creating, it feels like you have no value," he told Mark Savage.
Between his diagnosis and his writer's block, he eventually made the decision to go back on medication. The results of that choice quickly became apparent; not only was his writer's block gone, but his whole outlook on creating music began to shift.
"I tortured myself for years, not going on medication because I didn't know if I could make music if I'm happier, if I don't have that darkness within me," he continued in his interview. "But the medication gives you a break from those obsessive feelings and lets you live in reality for a second. It helped me realize I don't need to be in pain to make music."
Noah Kahan Released His Fourth Album on April 24
Noa's decision to go back on medication appears to have paid dividends, as he released his fourth studio album on Friday, April 24. The release, titled The Great Divide: The Last of The Bugs, has 21 new tracks and is already being labeled as a "vulnerable" release, where he shares more of himself with his ever-growing fanbase.
The album has already been a huge success on Spotify. Every song has earned millions of streams in the opening 48 hours. However, the album-titled track "The Great Divide" has already jumped out on top. It's drawn 109 million streams, while "Porch Light" is second with 56.3 million.
Noah's new album and its immediate success are proof that he's here to stay. Hopefully, that will help him stop worrying about his fame and career moving forward.
