Noah Kahan & Kelsea Ballerini caught up with Billboard's Tetris Kelly at the CMA Awards 2024.
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00:00I was just telling Noah how lucky he is to get to walk around with Kelsey all night.
00:09I feel the same way.
00:10No, what you don't understand is the way that I, when we met, it was a Grammy event, pre-Grammys
00:17this year, and I was doing soundcheck at an event that we were both singing at, and the
00:22whole time I was like, guys, if Noah walks in for soundcheck, will someone let me know?
00:25Because my only, I don't know why I'm holding a microphone when you have one, my only goal
00:29tonight is to meet Noah Kahn.
00:30I'm such a fan, so I feel giddy and thrilled to know you now, and to be friends, and then
00:36collaborators.
00:37I mean, let's talk about that collaboration.
00:38First I saw you guys perform at the ACMs, obviously, with that mashup.
00:41So was that kind of where it maybe started?
00:43Like when did we decide to do this song?
00:45We had decided before.
00:47We decided before.
00:48She sent me this amazing, amazing song.
00:49I fell in love the first time I heard it.
00:51It spoke to so much of what I was going through in my own life, and what I like to talk about
00:54as an advocate for mental health.
00:57And we decided to do the mashup because it felt like, you know, more fitting than what
00:59we were going through in our careers at the time, but I'm so glad we finally got a chance
01:02to perform this song, because it's so great, and it speaks to everything I care about as
01:05an artist, and Kelsey represents, you know, great songwriting and great messaging, so.
01:09I mean, what was that writing session like?
01:11You know, it's a song that I wrote the first verse and the chorus on my back porch by myself,
01:15and then I brought it in to Elisa Vanderheim, my producer, and we finished it out like a
01:22year and a half ago, a year ago.
01:25And we knew it was a contender for the first single, but it's a song about toxic masculinity,
01:30and I thought it could mean a lot more if there was a songwriter, artist that would
01:34like truly go there, and like write that side of the perspective into it, and knowing his
01:40music so well, I was like, if he's into it, he would be the one, and so I just shot my
01:45shot.
01:46I just...
01:47Hey, sometimes you gotta do that.
01:48I really did, and I'm so grateful I did.
01:49And then...
01:50I mean, it's so beautiful, like the song speaks to such an important message, and felt really
01:54easy for me to write.
01:55I wrote it in literally eight minutes before my show in Toronto, and I was like...
01:57That's dumb.
01:58It felt so great.
01:59That's amazing.
02:00The fact that he wrote that verse in eight minutes, I'm furious.
02:01I'm furious.
02:02Well, that's what I gotta know now, is like, maybe will there be a country album, more
02:05music from the both of you?
02:07I think...
02:08I love great storytelling.
02:09Country music has always exemplified great storytelling, so I think that storytelling
02:11will always lead the way for me.
02:12Yes.
02:13If I throw a pedal steel in there, I throw a pedal steel in there.
02:15Okay.
02:16Period.
02:17And if I have a banjo or a beat drop, it doesn't matter.
02:18A banjo or a beat drop, wow.
02:20It doesn't matter.
02:21Let's go.
02:22I love you guys.
02:24Thank you so much.
02:25Good to see you again.
02:26Of course.
02:27Good to see you, man.