In the midst of country musicās watershed moment on the mainstream charts, artists like Noah Thompson are remaining steadfast in their unflinching honesty. Thompson ā the winner of American Idolās 20th season ā showcases that knack for introspective songwriting on his new single, āUpbringing.ā Written in an environment that felt like therapy, itās fittingly reflective as he solemnly confesses, āI'm way too young to feel this hungover.ā Steeped in the tradition of a genre that has historically grappled with personal demons, his most autobiographical single is also his best work to date.
On September 20th, Thompson is slated to perform at the Mobilize Recovery bus tourās Los Angeles launch event. Hosted in partnership with End Overdose, itās a night in celebration of recovery and overdose prevention, so weāre grateful to have Thompson deliver an intimate set on stage which will of course include āUpbringing.ā In anticipation of his performance, we spoke about the release of his new single, the excitement of writing with Luke Combs, and why itās essential to have conversations about recovery in the public eye.
End Overdose: Congratulations on your new single! Being just over a year since your āMiddle of God Knows Whereā EP, how does it feel to have this track out?
Noah Thompson: Honestly, l feel the best right now about my music at this point in my career than Iāve ever felt. Although Iām extremely proud of my very first project Middle of God Knows Where, this new realm of songs that Iāve been working on are completely me and who I want to be as an artist.
EO: Your track co-written with Luke Combs, "Front Door Famous," also debuted this year. Was that a bit of a full-circle moment artistically? And how would you compare your collaborative process with your solo songwriting?
NT: Never in a million lifetimes would I ever think I would have an opportunity to say that I have a Luke Combs cut. That song started out when I basically first started coming back-and-forth from Nashville and I was staying in Airbnbs at the time. Itās crazy to think two years after we started that song, that Luke would hear it and put it on his new album Fathers and Sons. I just made the decision to become an independent artist and I fully believed that everything was downhill for me from there, but it wasnāt long after I made that decision that I heard about Luke cutting our song; more like a god thing if you ask me. I find myself digging a lot deeper into the lyrics of songs I personally write on my own rather than writing with other people.
EO: What inspired you to perform at the Mobilize Recovery launch event? What should fans and new faces expect from your set?
NT: I honestly have a soft spot for people that want to turn their lives around, especially when it comes to addiction. I come from a family of addicts, so Iāve seen a thing or two throughout my life. My first job straight out of high school, I worked for a company called Addiction Recovery Care (ARC) and met some of my greatest friends that I still talk to till this day. For this particular event, I feel like we have a lot of songs that touch on addiction and struggle, things that Iāve dealt with myself and just things that I feel like arenāt talked about enough in music in general.
EO: Why do you think it's important to not only have a public conversation around recovery, but outright celebrate it with the support of musicians like yourself?
NT: I simply think itās important because I truly think that music is healing. Iāve had many conversations with recovering addicts that have told me music has saved their lives in so many ways.
EO: With the momentum of "Upbringing" and additional tour dates ahead, what does the rest of 2024 have in store for you?
NT: At this point right now, Iām just trying to stay as busy as possible with my music and writing the best songs I possibly can. We are trying to plan as many shows as possible also.