I met Noah in 2017. Here's footage of him asking to not be a one hit wonder!
I am from small town, NH, and discovered Noah's music around 2015. One of my favorite songs, still today, is "Young Blood." Later, in 2017, I had the pleasure of watching him open for The Strumbellas in D.C. I belted out the lyrics to all of his songs while most other people in front of me were silently appreciating his music - clearly hearing him for the first time. His photographer, who was in the crowd, heard me and kindly asked if I wanted to MEET Noah backstage, rather than seeing the main act.
That led to a 6 hour hang with Noah in his green room. Noah was everything you'd expect: humble, funny, witty, down-to-earth, and caring. We talked about growing up in New England, his newfound exposure to celebrity, and mental health. At one point, he told me "if even one person hears my music and feels happier, or decides to not kill themself, that will make this all worth it." He affirmed my desire to go into medicine and help people, as his sister was doing at the time, and just was generally so grateful I was into his music.
I was planning to go to medical school then, and I’m a doctor in Boston now. Noah's music has had a profound influence in my life as I've navigated through adulthood and the journey of improving my own mental health. It's provided me with immense pride in my upbringing as a brown dude from a place no one has ever heard of in NH.
I hope that one day I'll be able to connect with him again. For now, I figured I'd surface this old clip. I'm headed to day 2 of his Fenway show on Wednesday and can't wait to meet more veteran fans at the show!
As a small request, if you're on TikTok or Insta and would be willing to repost, like, or comment on my post, it would be awesome so he could know how much of an impact that night had on my life!