Noah Kahan Shares Insights on His Honest New Documentary at Billboard House @ SXSW
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Noah Kahan, known for his emotionally resonant indie folk music, is set to reveal more about his life in an upcoming documentary. Titled Noah Kahan: Out Of Body, the film will be released on Netflix and explores Kahan’s experiences during tour, studio sessions, and everyday life with his family.
During an interview at The Billboard House at SXSW on March 15, Kahan spoke with Billboard’s co-chief content officer Jason Lipshutz and director Nick Sweeney about the film. “I’m nervous,” Kahan admitted to the audience. “I feel like being vulnerable in music is something that’s always come really naturally to me. I think it was a lot harder for me to open up in that way knowing that it would be an examination of my life and my family… it’s important to approach the things that make you feel vulnerable or scared, because a lot of people want to connect with that.”
Sweeney emphasized that while the documentary initially centered on Kahan’s music, it evolved into a narrative about personal challenges and introspection. “What I noticed from the first conversation is that Noah is really willing to go there; there’s nothing that was off limits,” Sweeney remarked. “As we got further into filming, I was constantly waiting for him to say, ‘I don’t want to talk about that,’ and it never happened.”
The film also intimately features Kahan’s family, including his parents and siblings. “I think I had a lot more fear for it than they did,” Kahan reflected. “They were very willing… and I think it created a lot of conversations between me and my family that maybe we wouldn’t have had without the impetus of a documentary.”
In addition to family insights, the documentary includes reflections from residents of Kahan’s hometown of Strafford, Vermont, offering perspectives on the impact of having a musical figure from their community. Kahan shared, “What’s really important about talking to people from Strafford is the perspective on what life is like there… My career has obviously brought more people there, but they’re still living as the same people.”
He highlighted a particularly memorable scene where locals were asked if they listened to his music, to which many responded, “Not really.” Kahan found humor in the moment, noting it underscores the enduring essence of his hometown amid his celebrity. “This is a place where people have been and will be for hundreds of years, and one indie folk singer/songwriter isn’t going to change the whole architecture of the town,” he said.
The documentary also captures Kahan as he creates his upcoming fourth studio album, The Great Divide, set for release on April 24. Kahan described personal breakthroughs during the documentary’s filming that significantly influenced his new music. “It was incredibly cathartic… it allowed me to go into the writing process for my album in a way that felt more honest and less guarded,” he concluded.
