Noah Kahan, Blake Rose

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Noah Kahan

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media release: Vermont singer and songwriter Noah Kahan releases his anxiously awaited sophomore album, I Was / I Am, today—listen HERE. The 10-track album features his newest single, “Someone Like You” feat. Joy Oladokun, accompanied by the official video also out today—watch HERE.  

On the album, Noah says, “I can split my life into two parts. There is a defined and pronounced before and after within my consciousness that has become ever so clear to me in these long months of forced self-reflection. I started my journey here so fearful of changing, of losing the part of me that I felt was vital to staying grounded and unique. Somewhere in the last few years, I’ve had to let go of that fear, and allow growth, for better or for worse, to happen. This album is about examining that growth and measuring the difference from who I was when I started and who I am still becoming now. I’ve spent 4 years touring, traveling, experiencing things I would have given limbs for when I was a kid. I’ve lost friends. I’ve made lifelong connections with people I would never have otherwise gotten a chance to meet. I have failed so often and have had small successes that make it all worth it. I’ve fucked up, and I’ve lost people close to me. I don’t know if I’m ‘better’ or if I’ve regressed, I just know that I’ve grown. This album is about acknowledging that growth.”  

On collaborating with Nashville singer and songwriter Joy Oladokun, Noah says, “Working with Joy on this song was one of those experiences that I’ll always remember and be grateful for. She is an incredible artist, and she was really natural on camera which made me jealous! I love her and her music and am so grateful for her involvement on this song.” Joy chimes in, saying, “When a folk-pop god like Noah Kahan calls, you come running.”  

Noah Kahan took two years of milestones and transformed them into I Was / I Am, alongside his Busyhead collaborator and Grammy Award-winning producer Joel Little (Taylor Swift, Lorde, Shawn Mendes, Jonas Brothers, Khalid) and engineer Mark Rankin. Preserving his commitment to vivid lyricism, Noah crafted the new music with faster tempos and sweeping hooks, recharging his overall vision.  

He says, “While writing this record, I’ve taken stock of who I am as compared to who I was when I started and what that means, for better or worse. I do have some perspective. I’ve also lost a lot. I’ve lost people close to me for different reasons. I’ve lost friendships. I lost my dog. Those experiences haven’t necessarily hardened me, but they’ve made me incredibly grateful for what I have now. The biggest change is a little bit of clarity in terms of who I am and the person I want to end up being. The songs on the record represent a new understanding of myself.”  

I Was / I Am features Noah’s previously released anthemic singles, “Part of Me” and “Godlight,” and “Animal,” which capture his signature storytelling and evocative lyrics. The tracks have amassed over 12 million combined streams to date and received praised from the likes of Billboard, SPIN, Entertainment Tonight, and many more.  

This fall, Noah will embark on the I Was / I Am North American headline tour.

Noah Kahan has quietly emerged as a homegrown phenomenon with a combination of vivid songwriting and powerful performances (as well as a razor-sharp sense of humor on social media). He’s racked up over one billion streams across his catalogue, picked up a Gold Certification for “Hurt Somebody” feat. Julia Michaels, and performed on television shows such as The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Late Night with Seth Meyers, and TODAY. His 2020 Cape Elizabeth EP garnered critical praise from across the globe, and not to mention, he’s collaborated with a slew of artists, from Chelsea Cutler to mxmtoon to Quinn XCII to Gryffin.

Musician and songwriter on the rise, Blake Rose returns today with “Movie,” yet another stellar cut off his forthcoming debut EP, ‘A World Gone By,’ set for release on October 8^th via AWAL Recordings.  

The song arrives alongside an official music video, which was directed by Sean Hollihan (who previously worked with Blake on the “Casanova” video) Check out the official music video HERE.   

Speaking about “Movie,” Blake reveals, “Movie is about putting your life into perspective and questioning your current situation by imagining yourself on your deathbed. For me, it’s about trying to show someone you care about that the relationship they’re in is toxic,” he explains. “Sometimes we tend to wallow in familiarity even if it’s hurtful. It feels too scary to venture outside of that because it’s uncomfortable

but ironically that’s exactly what we’re trying to escape. You don’t have to settle for the life you think you deserve, you deserve so much more.”  

“Movie” serves as the follow up to “Casanova,” which was praised by V Magazine for bringing a “tried-and-tested recipe for power, pump, and grit” and Billboard, who proclaimed “Blake Rose may very well take off soon,” hailing “Rose's crisp vocal” and calling it “a pure pop single about playing the game of love.”  

Speaking about “Casanova”, Blake explained, “Casanova is about constantly falling too hard and too fast for people because you desperately want to be in a relationship, which ultimately ends up pushing them away. It also explores how we all feel when we’re surrounded by everyone in our lives getting into relationships and the pressure that comes with not wanting to be left alone. It's easy for us to become entranced by the idea of a person just so we're not lonely and then find out that they're not who we expected them to be.”  

Blake Rose is also readying his live set, before hitting the road this Fall on American singer-songwriter Noah Kahan’s upcoming North American I Was/I Am Tour. The 38-city tour kicks off in St. Louis on October 14 before concluding December 19 in Phoenix. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit www.blakerosemusic.com.  

Both “Movie” and “Casanova” before it offer a first taste of new music to come from Blake in 2021, following a series of official remixes for his hit single “Lost”, including fresh takes on the track from Lucian, Sarcastic Sounds and NASAYA. The original version of “Lost” has already amassed more than 60 million combined global streams to date.  

“’Lost’ is a realization of letting someone go who you never should have,” Blake explains. “I wanted to give a visual ride through this emotion by describing the emptiness you feel when stumbling upon reliving certain moments in your life that you once shared together, discovering how lost you are without that person.”  

To date, Blake has amassed over 150 million combined global streams across his entire catalogue, which include the singles “Lost,” “Ordinary People,” “Rest Of Us” and “Gone,” which was accompanied by a stunning live rendition, taped in Los Angeles, pre-lock-down, that has already surpassed half a million views. Complete with string arrangements, the video showcases the young Australian artist, songwriter and producer’s effortless ability to perform live; with his Buckley-esque vocals, luscious electric-guitar-driven melodies, and knack for writing insanely infectious alternative pop songs. “I try to give listeners an experience,” he reveals. “I take a lot of time with every element to make sure I’m creating a world people can immerse themselves into. Whether the narrative is precise or ambiguous I try to attain a certain level of depth with each song that I hope people can latch onto and let it be as much a part of their own story as it is mine.”  

Born in Australia and based in Los Angeles, Blake Rose’s sound is anchored in luminous and lush six-string conjurations, offset by sparse beat-craft, off-kilter plugins, in-the-box wizardry, and soulful intonation. “The guitar is generally the driving link between the songs,” he goes on. “It’s how I typically write. Everything starts there.”  In just over a year, Blake Rose has gone from busking in the streets of Perth to becoming one of the most exciting new artists to emerge in recent years. He catapulted into the spotlight in 2019 with self-penned, self-produced gems such as his debut ‘Hotel Room,’ which Spotify touted on New Music Friday, with the follow-up track, “Lost,” further igniting a buzz. Now, with the addition of “Casanova” to his arsenal, Blake further solidifies his potential as a global force in music.   

More new music and special announcements from Blake Rose, coming soon.