'I am the least cool guy at the party': Noah Kahan opens up on feeling imposter syndrome at Grammy Awards

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Noah Kahan has opened up on lacking self belief when it comes to his skills or accomplishments among high-achieving individuals at the 2024 Grammy Awards. The 27-year-old singer was nominated at this year's show on February 4 for best new artist, going up against stars like Ice Spice, Jelly Roll and Victoria Monét, who eventually took home the prize.

Even though Kahan wrote on Instagram that he considered it the "privilege of a lifetime" to be a part of the Grammys, he opened up about his anxieties surrounding the day in a new interview with The Guardian.

What did Noah Kahan say?

“I was sitting by myself, like: ‘Whoa, I am the least cool guy at the party right now.’ My mom is killing it, everyone around me is killing it," said Kahan, who brought mother Lauri as his date. "It played into this idea that I have about myself — which isn’t healthy — that I don’t belong,” he added.

The musician has been quite vocal about his struggles with anxiety and mental health. Last year, he launched The Busyhead Project which supports organizations that increase mental health awareness. Still, his anxieties weighed on him and Kahan told the outlet that accepting his recent success is something he's still learning how to do.

"I could have gotten up and said hello to somebody — it's my own making," he said, adding "It's one of those things that I need to work on, finding out how to feel deserving and worthy."

Kahan released 'Stick Season', his third album, in October 2022 following the viral TikTok success of its title track. Since then, he's released two iterations of the album, most recently 'Stick Season' (Forever), which includes duets of fan-favorite tracks with stars like Kacey Musgraves and Sam Fender.

He's currently on his We'll All Be Here Forever Tour which is set to run through September and has notched a number of accomplishments in recent months like a performance on 'Saturday Night Live.'

Noah Kahan on his sudden rise to fame

In another new interview with the New Yorker, Kahan explained the duality of his sudden rise to fame, and how it's weighed on him. 

"It's hard to describe how lonely it is to have everybody think that you're succeeding, and to feel that you're barely managing," he said, adding "I'm so f*****' lucky and privileged to be in this position. But I still feel like every other human being: stress, anxiety. Recently, I've felt more of that than I've wanted to."