Noah Kahan

“It's not lost on me how rare it is to have your own truth be what has led to wider success.”

“Dedicating my craft to opening up about my mental health has provided me with an arsenal to live a meaningful life, and to not be defined by the chemicals in my brain.”

“There was a really positive environment in my household around a conversation about mental illness, and that helped me never really feel that discomfort around writing about it.”

“I was surrounded by nature growing up, which lent itself to an appreciation for space and nature, but also an understanding of what it's like to be isolated and to be alone.”

“I like to think that storytelling is something that can always bring success, if you tell it in the right way and if you tell it with the right intention.”

“When I was a kid and I would hear an artist talk about their depression, it would change my whole life and I would fall in love with that artist for being honest. I try to do it hopefully for some other kid out there.”

“I go through days of anxiety when I can't sleep or eat, and I wonder if I'll ever feel better again.”

“When I would write songs that were more pop-y in a studio, I would go home and write a song that was more folk-y just for me because I felt like I was accessing that inner child.”

“A big part of my childhood was being surrounded by friends and family.”

“The coolest thing about 'Stick Season's' success - I guess I can say that without sounding too conceited, hopefully - is I've had all these amazing artists reach out, co-sign, or tell me they like the music.”

“My dad and I played 'Father and Son' by Cat Stevens at an old folks' home in Hanover, New Hampshire - which probably wasn't the best choice for an old folks' home, since it's all about how old people don't understand the youth.”

“I was never really interested in writing about big love stories or breakups. I was always exploring myself and my feelings and how people might be feeling in this life.”

“I'll never sit here and complain about what I do for work. I barely even consider it a real job, but it is work. And it's hard, because not a lot of people can understand what it's like.”

“I wrote a song about how I hated Wednesdays, and I played it at my school talent show. It definitely made people concerned for me, and a lot of my early songwriting was very sad and dark and involved things that I was miserable about as an 8-year-old, which I can't imagine I had much to complain about.”

“I always thought that I could be, like, a funny actor.”

“Writing something down that I'm struggling with makes it feel less scary or more manageable.”

“I've definitely gotten to a place of complete surrealism where I feel like I'm living in 'The Truman Show' or something and everyone is playing a joke on me.”

“Forever is a long time.”

“My goal is to live as close to my parents as possible.”

“It's hard to describe how lonely it is to have everybody think that you're succeeding, and to feel that you're barely managing.”