Yahoo Lifestyle ‘Stick Season’: How Noah Kahan’s Love Letter to Vermont Went Viral Before He Even Recorded It in the Studio
A breakup song and a love letter to his home state of Vermont, Noah Kahan’s “Stick Season” had a longer road to chart glory than most. The story begins deep in the pandemic, when Kahan teased the opening verse on Instagram, instantly striking a chord with lonely and isolated followers. He performed the song live in 2021 and released it the following year as the lead single and title track of his third album.
That was only the beginning. “Very early on it became clear that ‘Stick Season’ was touching a nerve and turning casual listeners into superfans,” says Ryan Langlois, general manager of Kahan’s management firm, Foundations Music. The response wasn’t lost on his label, Mercury Records. “Fans were demanding the song,” says Alex Coslov, Mercury exec VP. “We knew ‘Stick Season’ would be a hit before we released it.”
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But nailing the recording was key. Enter producer Gabe Simon, who stayed true to Kahan’s vision. “It became about keeping the song simple while moving it forward,” he says.
With the song in the can, the conversation turned to strategy. “Noah wanted to speak about his hometown and paint a picture that was vivid and specific to Vermont,” manager Drew Simmons says. Mercury brought in digital agency the Trenches to collaborate on teasers, content and prerelease strategy.
By 2023, “Stick Season” had spawned an Olivia Rodrigo cover and cracked the Billboard top 10 in the U.S. Kahan’s collaborators put the song’s success down to its authenticity. “Coming out of the pandemic, people craved that more than anything — music that doesn’t ignore feelings but embraces them,” Simon says.
Songwriter: Noah Kahan Producer Gabe Simon
Label: Mercury / Republic
Hitmakers:
•Ben Adelson, GM, Mercury Records
•Alex Coslov, EVP, Mercury Records
•Ryan Langlois, GM, Foundations Music
•Drew Simmons, manager & partner, Foundations Music
•Gabe Simon, producer
Publishers: Sony Music Publishing, Secret Meadow Songs
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