It’s crazy how just one year can make a difference in someone’s life.
In 2022, Kentucky native Noah Thompson was working in construction when one of his friends convinced him to audition for the twentieth season of American Idol. After making it through multiple rounds and capturing the hearts of millions, the 21-year-old found himself winning the entire competition, securing a record deal and making frequent trips to Nashville to begin creating his first-ever project with original music.
“I’ve really learned a lot just from touring. I have such great people in my circle as far as my band goes. I try and lean on my family a lot more nowadays just because it’s not easy,” Noah told Celeb Secrets host Juliet Schroder backstage at CMA Fest 2023 in Nashville last month. “There’s a lot of things that go into it that a lot of people don’t see, it’s a lot of mental stuff. I lean on my family a lot nowadays. It’s how I stay grounded.”
Earlier this summer, fans were able to finally hear what he’s been working on for the past year with the release of his first-ever EP Middle of God Knows Where on June 9th. Proving that he’s not just a one hit wonder from a reality TV show, the exemplary debut project shows what he’s capable of thanks to powerful vocals, innate songwriting ability and southern charm with a splash of rock.
“This EP has been something I’ve been working on forever — it feels like it anyway,” Thompson says with a smile. “I’ve been working on it for over a year now and it’ shout the first project I got to put out ever so I’m jus super excited about it. I’m really looking forward to seeing how people feel about it.
“Before ‘American Idol’ or anything, I’ve never been to Nashville. I had a buddy sign me up for the show and we just kind of went into it out of the blue and seeing what would happen. I just kept going and going and going, and then all of a sudden, I ended up winning the thing somehow. I moved to Nashville and I’ve just been writing every day and touring as much as possible. I’m very blessed.”
For The Middle of God Knows Where, the listener is taken on the journey of the ups and downs of a relationship. It features the romantic “One Day Tonight,” which instantly propelled to insane popularity and to No. 1 on iTunes All Genre and Country charts upon release and is still racking up an over 1 million on-demand streams per week; “She Gets It From Me;” the humble-and-kind “Make You Rich;” and his stunning career-changing cover of Rihanna’s “Stay;” along with two cuts co-written by the budding artist — “Us No More” and the title track “Middle of God Knows Where.”
Just yesterday (July 13), the construction worker-turned country star dropped the music video for the title track of the project, which is both exceptionally relatable and emotionally haunting. Co-written with Alison Veltz and producer Eric Arjes, the boisterous track takes the listener on a ride through the city of heartbreak and the aftermath of emotions and questioning when an ex leaves.
Plus, it’s the first of four videos to be released from the heart-hitting project, which begins to weave the passionate ups and downs of a relationship and the somber and devastating end.
As for what’s next, Thompson will continue to perform his original songs on the road while already looking ahead to make more music for his passionate fans.
“I’ve definitely thought about continuing to put out more music. I don’t know as far as what’s to come, I’m just doing the thing,” he laughs. “I’m writing as much as possible and hopefully working on an album soon too.”
“I 100% want to get a full-length album out by the end of the year,” he continues. “I’m just trying to stay as busy as I possibly can and just writing nonstop. Writing with other people is almost spiritual… it’s a good way to cope with a lot of things and get stuff out. I’d definitely love to get an album out there as soon as I can.”
For more on Noah’s music, make sure to watch our full interview with the rising star from CMA Fest below.
You can connect with Noah by giving him a follow on Instagram at @noahthompsonmusic.
LISTEN TO “MIDDLE OF GOD KNOWS WHERE” HERE:
For more news on your favorite Country stars, visit CelebSecretsCountry.com. For more coverage from CMA Fest 2023, click here.
