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As a native of Strafford, Vt., who also recently lived in Watertown and was first signed as a musician while attending Hanover High School in New Hampshire, New England has long been the heart and soul of Kahan\u2019s music. The Green Mountain State crooner admitted in the documentary that he was \u201cclose to giving up music, or at least giving up hope\u201d while struggling to break out as an artist living away from his home state in 2019, but was reinvigorated creatively when he moved back in with his family in Vermont during the pandemic.<\/span><\/p>\n Being back home with his parents and siblings led to him making music about Vermont while in his home state, eventually leading to the creation of his hit album \u201cStick Season,\u201d with the title track of the same name blowing up thanks in large part to his embrace of TikTok during the COVID era.<\/span><\/p>\n However, the success of the record and subsequent touring led to Kahan\u2019s move to Nashville with his then-girlfriend Brenna, now his wife, and their pet dogs. Kahan revealed in \u201cOut of Body\u201d that he missed the Upper Valley area following the move, and that the new surroundings led to more career pressure.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI see Vermont as where I\u2019m from, and Nashville is where I kinda have to be for work stuff,\u201d Kahan said in the documentary, noting that he tried to make the new house \u201cfeel like as much like our Vermont as we can.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Kahan also admitted that he was worried that he needed the familiar surroundings of his family and Vermont in order to make music, with the documentary later showing the musician struggling to record a song while working in Nashville following the conclusion of his 2024 tour.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m trying to run away from a lot of stuff right now,\u201d he said. \u201cI think I\u2019ve realized that there\u2019s some insurmountable goal that I\u2019ll never reach.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Kahan fans know that he can get pretty personal with his music, and the documentary shows how tough family moments have impacted him over the years.<\/span><\/p>\n The singer-songwriter opened up about the good and the bad of his childhood, as well as his parents splitting up when he was an adult, in 2020. However, they still live down the road from each other in Vermont, with Kahan calling it \u201ca pretty cool situation as far as divorce goes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Revealing that there was \u201clots of laughing, lots of fighting\u201d when he was growing up, Kahan found refuge in making music in his bedroom. And while there were many bright moments, one of the darker chapters for the family came when Kahan\u2019s father, a former Ironman world champion and network engineer, suffered a bicycle accident. Kahan was in eighth grade at the time, getting some candy at a chocolate shop in Hanover, when he got the call from his mother.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt changed everything,\u201d Kahan said in the documentary, noting how his father was in a coma and couldn\u2019t move his legs for a while following the accident. \u201cIt was a before and an after in our lives, where you can see, \u2018Oh, this is where it all \u2026 started to unravel.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Kahan got pretty candid about his complicated relationship with his father in the documentary, shedding a tear as he described the guilt he felt over being annoyed or frustrated with him, noting that his dad became \u201cslightly more short-tempered\u201d following his accident.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI feel like a lot of it is because I can\u2019t figure out a way to let my dad be who he is,\u201d Kahan said, later explaining that he wants to apologize to him for being selfish and judgmental of him over the years. \u201cI\u2019m way too hard on my dad.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The father and son duo share a nice moment toward the end of the film, playing guitars together while singing the Cat Stevens classic \u201cFather and Son.\u201d <\/b><\/span><\/p>\n As an advocate for mental health issues and the founder of the Busyhead Project nonprofit, Kahan doesn\u2019t shy away from talking about his own challenges. Specifically, the film explored Kahan\u2019s struggles with body dysmorphia.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve always just really hated the way I looked\u201a” he said in the documentary, criticizing his appearance following a show at New York\u2019s Madison Square Garden. Kahan went on to explain how he would binge eat when he got stressed, or wouldn\u2019t eat at all some times out of guilt, noting that the topic of body image hasn\u2019t been something he\u2019s talked openly about much in the past. \u201cIt\u2019s something I\u2019ve struggled with, like, my whole life.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n While he\u2019s \u201csilently struggled\u201d with the issue for nearly 15 years, <\/b>Kahan has been impacted more by his body dysmorphia over the past couple of years as he\u2019s gotten more attention. Even though he\u2019s made self-deprecating jokes about his appearance, he doesn\u2019t appreciate criticism of how he looks by others or folks online.<\/span><\/p>\n Kahan also credited his mother for recommending he take up therapy in high school when he began to have feelings of depersonalization, dissociation, depression, and anxiety that he said weighed \u201cheavy on me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The documentary later showcased his strides with his mental health, as well as the success of the Busyhead Project, in particular, spotlighting a September 2024 benefit concert in Vermont for the nonprofit where Senator Bernie Sanders made a special appearance to introduce Kahan.<\/span><\/p>\n The documentary offered a behind-the-scenes look at Kahan\u2019s 2024 performances at Fenway Park, which he called \u201cthe biggest show of my life.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The film opens ahead of his Boston shows, with the singer-songwriter admitted that he was \u201cexcited beyond belief but super nervous and stressed\u201d over his vocals holding up for the concerts.<\/span><\/p>\n Despite his anxieties, Kahan ended up turning in stellar sets, even bringing his family out onstage at one point. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s really magical that you get to live out a dream you had when you were walking through the woods when you were a little kid,\u201d Kahan said in the documentary of singing at Fenway.<\/span><\/p>\n However, in the months following the Boston shows, Kahan revealed that his mental health hit a low point, and he struggled to record new music in Nashville. He admitted that he felt \u201ctired of being somebody else.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t recognize myself. It\u2019s so weird,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n Toward the end of the film, Kahan and Brenna are seen back in Vermont looking for a new place to live in their old haunt of the Upper Valley area.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBeing up here, it\u2019s like I don\u2019t have to think about music all the time. I don\u2019t have to be confronted with my career all the time,\u201d Kahan said. \u201cAround here, people aren\u2019t like, \u2018How are your streaming numbers?\u2019 You know? They\u2019re like, \u2018How are your folks?\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n While he doesn\u2019t think moving back to Vermont will solve his mental health issues, it does seem to help inspire him to get back to his music again, ending the documentary on a high note.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI know that I\u2019m most happy when I\u2019m home and when I\u2019m making music,\u201d Kahan said.<\/span><\/p>\n Matt Juul can be reached at matthew.juul@globe.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nNoah Kahan opens up about parents\u2019 divorce, impact of father\u2019s accident<\/b><\/h4>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The film doesn\u2019t shy away from his mental health and body image struggles<\/b><\/h4>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Living the dream at Fenway Park and moving back to the Upper Valley<\/b><\/h4>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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