Noah Thompson won ‘American Idol' in 2022 and was immediately catapulted to fame at the age of 20.
After releasing his EP ‘Middle Of God Knows Where', Thompson has embarked on a new part of his journey by releasing music independently. His first taster was ‘Upbringing', a song that gives fans a better understanding of his life, and new single ‘Demons In My Whiskey' is a deeply personal track that is garnering plenty of attention.
I recently caught up with Noah to talk about his new path as an independent artist, discuss life after ‘American Idol' and talk about how he found his voice in his music…
You've recently embarked on a new part of your journey as an independent artist. What's that transition been like for you?
I've told everybody I've spoken to… obviously, ‘American Idol' has changed my life in ways that I could never have done myself. I was just a small-town kid from Kentucky, and all I really knew how to do throughout my life are the two things I learned from my Dad; pick up a guitar and play a little bit or do construction. At the end of the day, I'm beyond grateful for ‘American Idol' and everything it's done for my career, because it got me here to Nashville and I've been writing songs ever since. I'm beyond grateful for everything I got out of the show and the people I met throughout the show. I still stay in contact with the producers and they're all very good to me.
I felt like personally I just needed to become independent, just because I needed that time to hone in on myself and my craft and what it was that I really wanted to say as an artist. I struggled with that for a long time and it put me in a mindset where I was almost depressed because I didn't want to just put music out just because. I wanted to write songs that I really loved and I knew that when I put that song out, that I really truly loved (it) and I I knew in my heart the song is me, and hopefully people can relate to it. I felt like I just genuinely needed that time to hone in on myself.
When you win a show like ‘American Idol', I can imagine there are lots of people that want to have their say in your career and the music you put out. As an independent artist you get to call the shows. What is that like for you?
Honestly man, it's the best feeling in the world. I'm completely appreciative to ‘American Idol' and the team that I had beforehand that came from ‘American Idol'. In a sense I did struggle with (that), but looking back on that, I'm grateful for every opinion that took place in the songs that I chose. Looking back on those songs now, I would have never done those songs so I know in my heart that all that was supposed to happen. It feels good now. I know what I want to say as an artist. After becoming independent, I'm going into the room, I have ideas and I know what I want to write about. When a song comes out and it's exactly how I imagined it, I'll sit and listen (to it) for months. I love (it) before we even think about putting it out. It's really just my manager and I, so it's got my creativeness completely opened up, and I can just be myself.
Your first release as an independent artist was ‘Upbringing'. Why did you decide that was the perfect song to reintroduce yourself?
I feel like a lot of people (during my time on ‘American Idol') portrayed me to be just this (one thing), a father. I have a son, and he's everything in the world to me and I'm doing all this for him, but at the end of the day, I didn't really get to show people who I really was. I was just a scared kid and I had no idea what I was doing. I got thrown into that show and I had no idea what to think. We were pumped about getting a Golden Ticket to Hollywood, we didn't know anything about ‘American Idol'. I was scared to death. I had no idea. I'd never sang in front of people before. I'd never done anything like that before. I felt like a lot of people portrayed me to be this thing that I really wasn't and (‘Upbringing') is more or less like a statement song for me. Getting to release that was almost a sense of relief. It was like, ‘okay, now you guys really get a little bit more of an understanding (of who I am)'.
I've listened to music my whole life, but I've always listened to music that I really related to. After the two years of me coming off of the show, I was finally like, ‘what do I want to say? Who do I want to be? What kind of crowd do I want coming to my shows?'. When I finally asked myself those (questions) it was easy right then and there to just know. It was almost like God thing for me; I was sitting here on this couch I'm sitting on right now. I had put myself in this mindset for almost two years and I stressed 24/7 because I'm such a perfectionist man in so many ways. I've always been that way and I can't help it. I'm just completely so hard on myself. When I finally just asked myself that it was just one of those things that was just easy. It was an easy answer. I just knew right then and there what I want to say.
Going from your EP to ‘Upbringing', you can see a huge amount of progression. Now you've released ‘Demons In My Whiskey', which is such a personal song for you. What's the story behind that?
I love that song very much. I wrote it with two awesome songwriters – Kasey Tyndall and Lucas Scott in Nashville. The song is about a buddy of mine, which I've made recent posts about but nobody gets the full detail about it. When we wrote that song, it was two days after we had buried him. I went back to Nashville and it was really all I could think about. I didn't really feel like going in that day and writing songs, but I did, and I'm glad that I did. I didn't necessarily go in there thinking I want to write a song about him, but I was sitting there just talking to (Kasey and Lucas) about him. It was all I could really think about at the time and I was explaining them how he just passed. I was telling them about how once he passed, I was looking back at all these old pictures of us, our friend group growing up, and we'd all be smiling and having a good time. You get to looking at him, and it was almost like he was just out of the world or zoned out, almost like he had some demons.
I believe it was Kasey that said, ‘what if we just write Demons In My Whiskey?' His name was Steven. He was the sweetest guy in the world but he was also the craziest dude you'd ever met, just absolutely crazy. He did not care for (anything), just wild as you can possibly get. He wouldn't want me to write some sappy sad song. It is a sad song, but it's a real song and a dedication to him and that certain time period. I had plenty of conversations with him before he had passed, about him being brass and stuff. It's more like a dedication song to him.
What are your plans beyond these two singles? Are you working up to an EP or an album?
Man, to be honest, I would love to do a full-on album. That's the intention. I'm still writing every day, trying to as much as possible. We're doing a lot of things right now and I'm just trying to stay as busy as I possibly can with everything going on. I'm an independent artist; it's just my manager and I (who are) figuring out things as we go. We got a team of people and we're building on that, but it's just been her and I for a long time now. I've been writing songs non-stop, and I want everything to fit the pieces, I guess. I want everything to fit together like a puzzle so it just all makes sense sonically and lyrically. I want everything to come together as one.
It seems like things are heading in the right direction with your recent releases, and you also got a cut on Luke Combs' new album. How did it feel to have ‘Front Door Famous' on the ‘Fathers & Sons' record?
Dude, that's something I wake up every day as soon as I get off the couch, I just put my hands straight up there (laughs) you know what I mean? We started on that song when I first started coming to town and I was staying in Airbnbs, coming back and forth from Kentucky. I hadn't got a place down here yet and I was just writing with anybody that would write with me at the time. I got in the room with Nick Columbia and Blake Densmore, it was us three that started on the song, and it was originally about my little boy. I'd always loved that song so much. I've gone back and listened to it throughout the years but I didn't think it would end up in Luke Combs' hands.
Nick had reached out to me and asked every so often if I was okay with him pitching it. I said, ‘I'd love to see if somebody would want to put their own perspective on it' but not thinking Luke Combs would end up getting to do that. When (Nick) messaged me and he sent me a voice memo, I probably listened to that for a month and a half before Luke even put it out. I couldn't even believe it. I still can't believe it, man. It's the best feeling in the world. Knowing my little boy is always going to be able to listen to that and know that I was a part of the write of that song, that's definitely a bucket list thing for me, man, for sure.
It must be validating for you as an artist that you have a star as big as Luke Combs wanting to record your songs. You must feel you're heading in the right direction?
Yeah, 100%. Like I said earlier, I was very down on myself for about two years straight. In the song ‘Upbringing' you can kind of feel that in a sense. I wanted to write a real song. ‘Upbringing' came from a place (where) I was doing all these wrong things and trying to not think about all the baggage I was carrying from ‘American Idol'. I was drinking all the time and just doing a bunch of stupid crap I shouldn't have been doing, and you can hear that in the song. It gives everybody a sense of how I grew up and I knew I wanted to do that. Being so hard on myself, like I am, getting to hear something so great as Luke Combs has cut your song is very much of a confidence booster. For me, especially because I'm extremely hard on myself. When I heard that news, it was one of the best things I've ever heard.
It must give you the confident to pitch your songs out to more artists too as I imagine you have a catalogue of songs you've not recorded?
For sure, 100% man. I'm completely open as a writer, to writing for other people. I want to because I've been doing this about three years now. I've always written songs, but my songs were obviously horrible before I moved to town (laughed). I've been learning and taking any bit of advice I can from anybody since I've been here as a writer and as an artist in general. I feel like I've been able to work on my craft and as a writer. I'll get to come home and I'll start on things or ideas on my own, and then bring them to the room and write about it. Even if it doesn't come out as something that I would necessarily cut, I feel like it's a pretty good song that somebody would potentially want to do something with. I'm always proud to get to be a part of something like that either way.
How are you feeling about taking your music international?
Oh god, dude, I would love it. If you can get me to stop playing shows in Kentucky. I'll do it in a heartbeat (laughs). No, I'm just kidding! In all seriousness, we're trying to play anywhere we can. I want to stay as busy as possible. At the end of the day, I got a family to support and obviously I love doing music. I'm finally at a point in my career where I'm putting music out that I genuinely love, and it seems like people are really relating to it. I'm completely open to that.
We'd love to have you on this side of the pond, and I would love to see you live!
Oh, that's awesome, man. I appreciate that brother, for real. Thank you.
Noah Thompson's new single ‘Demons In My Whiskey' is out now.
