Inside Noah Kahan’s The Great Divide Listening Party - By The Fans Magazine Exclusive

Words & Photography: Jenna Stoch

There is something special about being in a room full of people who all understand the same feeling.

That was exactly the atmosphere at Noah Kahan’s listening party for his new album, The Great Divide. Attending on behalf of By the Fans Magazine, I walked in expecting good music, emotional lyrics and maybe a few tears. What I got was an album experience that felt warm, honest and deeply human.

Noah Kahan’s journey has been anything but overnight. He uploaded his first YouTube video at just eight years old, had two albums that never quite landed the way he hoped, and then came Stick Season in 2022, the project that changed everything. Since then, his music has reached unbelievable heights, with billions of streams and a fanbase that seems to grow more passionate by the day.

Now, with The Great Divide, Noah seems to be stepping into a new chapter while still holding onto the raw, reflective storytelling that made people fall in love with him in the first place.

The listening session kicked off with the title track, “The Great Divide”, which was also the first song he wrote after picking up a guitar again following the massive success of Stick Season. A Rolling Stone journalist described Noah’s music as something that takes you either to therapy or for a walk in the woods, and honestly, that feels like the perfect way to describe this album.

The moment “The Great Divide” began, people instantly started singing along from the very beginning. It was one of those moments where you could feel the tears coming before they even arrived.

Next came “American Cars”. There was something nostalgic and cinematic about it, with a little bit of Taylor Swift-style storytelling energy coming through too.

“Doors” was met with a lot of excitement from the room. It has a melodic rock, open-road feeling to it. It feels big, emotional and made for long drives.

Before playing “Downfall”, the presenter introduced it by asking, “Have you ever been pissed with an ex?” which immediately got a laugh from the room because, obviously, the answer was yes. The song itself feels like one of those road trip tracks about a relationship slowly fading away. The start of the chorus had people gasping, and I genuinely got chills at one point. So far, this was my personal favourite. The ending also had a really cool beat that gave the song an unexpected lift.

Then came “Porch Light”, written from the perspective of his mother. One lyric that stood out was, “Whatever made you famous made you sick,” which carries that classic be-careful-what-you-wish-for feeling. What makes Noah so interesting is that even though he has reached this huge level of success, he rarely seems to sing about fame from only his own point of view. Instead, he reflects on it through the people around him, his friends, his hometown and his family. During this song, people were singing along and it honestly felt like a family karaoke session.

“Haircut” continued that grounded feeling. It seemed to be about how the people around you are often the ones who keep you steady, especially when life starts changing quickly.

“Dashboard” brought a different kind of honesty. The simplest way to describe it is that it’s about how certain people are just… not great. It had that classic Noah bluntness, but still wrapped in clever songwriting.

One of the most emotional moments of the night came with “Dan”. The song captures the feeling that sometimes having a beer with an old friend won’t fix the world, but it can make things feel a little better for that moment.I was definitely holding back tears during this one. The lyric, “Where do we go when we die, I wouldn’t mind right here,” really stayed with me.

“We Go Way Back” felt like a hug. It had that warm, comforting feeling that makes you think of people, places and memories you didn’t even realise you missed.

The listening party closed with “Deny Deny Deny”, which brought a more upbeat energy. It was such a lekker song to end on and honestly felt like the track that would play during the end credits of a rom-com that just ended in the most satisfying way.

The event also included a Kahoot competition, which added a fun and light-hearted touch to the night after all the emotion in the room.

Overall, The Great Divide feels like a continuation of what Noah Kahan does best: taking ordinary human feelings and turning them into songs that feel personal to everyone listening. Across the 17-track album, including three singles, he explores fame, friendship, heartbreak, family, memory and the strange way life keeps moving even when we are still trying to make sense of it.

It is emotional, grounded, sometimes funny, sometimes painful and very easy to connect with. More than anything, it feels like Noah Kahan is still inviting us into his world, just from a slightly different place than before.

And based on the way the room sang, laughed, gasped and quietly held back tears, fans are more than ready to follow him across The Great Divide.

A special thank you to Roshika at Universal for the invitation.