Noah Kahan at “Noah Kahan: Out of Body” Premiere during the SXSW Conference & Festivals held at the Paramount Theatre on March 16, 2026 in Austin, Texas.
Hutton Supancic/SXSW Conference and Festivals via Getty Images
Noah Kahan might be one of the most self-aware people making music right now.
“I’m a little emotionally raw,” he noted to a crowd of several hundred in a small Sixth Street bar Monday night, during an intimate 30-minute performance fresh off the red carpet of the South by Southwest premiere for his documentary “Out of Body.”
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As a native Texan, it’s rare to come by folks who are as proud of where they come from as Texans — but Kahan’s one of those folks. He loves being from New England, and he also hates it.
After singing “Homesick” and “Maine” — again, a self-aware New England boy — he commented on the seasonally inappropriate weather, saying he was used to “tacos and swamp-(expletive).” At SXSW, the temperature dropped 60-plus degrees between Sunday and Monday. This is his first time at the Austin fest, he said, despite playing Austin City Limits Music Festival and the TV show and the Moody Center and and and — yeah, he’s a star.
It felt almost wrong to be in a Kahan crowd so small — he sold out stadiums last year, he told us. But having seen one of those stadium tours, they felt as intimate as this show — especially when he broke into his third song, “Growing Sideways,” a song about mental health, therapy and “ignoring your therapist,” he said.
It’s the song that never fails to make me cry. “I’m terrified that I might never have met me,” he sings — a sentiment that anyone who’s ever thought they might not want to hack it anymore can recognize — a gratitude and amazement for the simplicity of just … being here.
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‘He wanted to share his whole world.’
Noah Kahan at “Noah Kahan: Out of Body” Premiere during the SXSW Conference & Festivals held at the Paramount Theatre on March 16, 2026 in Austin, Texas.
Hutton Supancic/SXSW Conference & Festivals via Getty Images
Kahan said he felt emotionally raw coming off the documentary screening, where on the red carpet he jokingly lamented how sore his cheeks were getting from smiling.
“My life’s so tough,” he said with an exaggerated pout.
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Kahan gives off an air of approachability rare for someone of his level of fame. He shares his thoughts, philosophies and emotions behind a blend of folk and indie-pop melodies that fans find irresistible.
When director Nick Sweeney pitched the documentary, he said sharing Kahan’s journey through tour life via film, not music, would allow audiences to empathize with him on a deeper level.
Kahan told the American-Statesman that it required something different from him. Although he’s not shy about sharing himself through music, the camera brings fans closer to the singer than most have ever been.
“Out of Body” reveals the less glamorous parts of tour life for Kahan.
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“I kept waiting for him to push back and be like ‘I don’t want to talk about that,’” Sweeney said. “Or, ‘Let’s not go there.’ And it never happened… He never said anything was off limits. He wanted to share his whole world.”
‘Stick Season’ saved Kahan’s life in some ways, he said.
Noah Kahan performs on Monday, March 16, 2026, at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas.
Katey Psencik / American-Statesman
It wasn’t that Kahan wasn’t terrified, however. He said there were “a lot of moments” when he felt scared or unsure, as the line between his personal and public persona blurred.
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Although Kahan has written songs about his family dynamics, he said they’ve never been so involved in a personal project before. They decided as a group to go through with the documentary, and the Vermont native was grateful for his family’s honesty and openness.
“It can be scary, but I think the vulnerability is what really helps people connect to you,” Kahan said. “I think it’s important to do what scares you.”
With the documentary striking so close to his core, Kahan emphasized remaining authentic, intentional and offline when around his loved ones. His public persona stems from a friendliness that makes those around him feel at ease. But “Out of Body” goes beyond the quips, lyrics and musicality that Kahan reveals to the public.
The result is a story without the structured narratives that an album can provide. What remains, Kahan says, is an experience of togetherness that he and his family experienced when watching it for the first time.
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“I’m just hoping that it provides that for somebody else,” Kahan said.
Togetherness is easy for his fans to feel, especially gathered in a small venue like the one Kahan played Monday night.
“This song changed my life and, in some ways, saved my life,” he said before launching into “Stick Season,” the song that catapulted him into fame. He didn’t think he’d keep making music much longer if he kept hitting walls — like canceling shows in Texas because he didn’t sell enough tickets — but the song, and the documentary, are proof that Kahan will scale those walls.
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His first album in roughly five years comes out April 24 — and “if you don’t like it, I will go into hiding for 100 years,” he said. No pressure.