Alt-folkie
Noah Kahan was nominated for Best New Artist at the 2023 Grammy Awards, six years after the release of his debut single "Hurt Somebody."
Kahan wrote his first songs at the age of eight, and after building a following on YouTube and SoundCloud, he signed to Republic Records in 2017, releasing the
Hurt Somebody EP early the following year. He penned the title track in collaboration with
Scott Harris. "'Hurt Somebody' is about the paralyzing fear of not being able to cut loose ends - even if it's ultimately for the greater good," Kahan told
Billboard following the single's release. "Ending things can be painful, and 'Hurt Somebody' illuminates the inner dialogue of trying to stomach the weight of that decision."
Kahan would go on to release a duet version of "Hurt Somebody" with singer
Julia Michaels, but we're featuring the original recording in KORD. Both versions demonstrate the scope of Kahan's vocal talents: isolate his lead performance to fully appreciate his phenomenal technique and control.
"Hurt Somebody" went gold in the U.S. and charted in multiple international markets, but Kahan didn't really break through until he began posting snippets of songs in progress to his TikTok channel, building widespread anticipation for the 2022 release of his third studio album,
Stick Season, which debuted at number 14 on the
Billboard 200. "For a generation defined by therapy-speak, [Kahan] addresses grief, depression, anxiety, nostalgia and personal failure without resorting to clichés," writes Makena Gery in a 2023 profile for
Boston magazine. "His songs use specifics to broach trauma and universal struggles; in turn, they contribute to healing, just like therapy."
