Arzen Rose Dulzura

Noah Kahan’s ‘The Great Divide’ is the indie-folk hit we needed

Article (news)

Push Team

<p>&quot;I hope you throw a brick right into that stained glass, I hope you’re with someone who isn’t scared to ask.&quot;</p><p>There’s something both tender and destructive about the way Noah Kahan opens “The Great Divide” — a line that feels like a quiet rebellion against silence, distance, and everything left unsaid.</p><p>Another song on loop for Filipino indie-folk listeners as Noah released “The Great Divide” on January 30, and it has since resonated with fans worldwide. According to Luminate, the track earned 19.3 million official U.S. streams, 3.3 million radio audience impressions, and 5,000 sales in its first week — proof that Noah’s storytelling continues to find its audience.</p><p>Noah Kahan first had his hit for his folk-pop album, “Stick Season,” released in 2022 where it tackles about feeling left behind and trapped, and seeing the other side of a place you once thought was perfect. The song gained viral attention on TikTok. This became his stepping stone to where he has reached and finally now able to release “The Great Divide.” </p><p>“Noah Kahan implies the ‘great divide’ refers to the feeling of simultaneous physical closeness and mental isolation that emerges from a gap in understanding of another person’s internal struggles,” noted from an online review from The Bucknellian.</p><div><iframe class="instagram-media" id="instagram-embed-31" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/DUDw2sqkYU2/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=768&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A31%2C%22os%22%3A17044278%2C%22ls%22%3A165500.5%2C%22le%22%3A165504.09999996424%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="0" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-31" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px;min-width:326px;padding:0px;position:absolute"></iframe></div><blockquote class=" instagram-media-registered" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/DUDw2sqkYU2/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" id="instagram-media-payload-31" style="background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15);margin:1px;max-width:540px;min-width:326px;padding:0;width:calc(100% - 2px)"><div style="padding:16px"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DUDw2sqkYU2/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="background:#FFFFFF;line-height:0;padding:0 0;text-align:center;text-decoration:none;width:100%" target="_blank"><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:row;align-items:center"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;flex-grow:0;height:40px;margin-right:14px;width:40px"><br/></div><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:column;flex-grow:1;justify-content:center"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;margin-bottom:6px;width:100px"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;width:60px"><br/></div></div></div><div style="padding:19% 0"><br/></div><div style="display:block;height:50px;margin:0 auto 12px;width:50px"><br/></div><div style="padding-top:8px"><div style="color:#3897f0;line-height:18px">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding:12.5% 0"><br/></div><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:row;margin-bottom:14px;align-items:center"><div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;height:12.5px;width:12.5px;transform:translateX(0px) translateY(7px)"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;height:12.5px;transform:rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px);width:12.5px;flex-grow:0;margin-right:14px;margin-left:2px"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;height:12.5px;width:12.5px;transform:translateX(9px) translateY(-18px)"><br/></div></div><div style="margin-left:8px"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;flex-grow:0;height:20px;width:20px"><br/></div><div style="width:0;height:0;border-top:2px solid transparent;border-left:6px solid #f4f4f4;border-bottom:2px solid transparent;transform:translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"><br/></div></div><div style="margin-left:auto"><div style="width:0px;border-top:8px solid #F4F4F4;border-right:8px solid transparent;transform:translateY(16px)"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;flex-grow:0;height:12px;width:16px;transform:translateY(-4px)"><br/></div><div style="width:0;height:0;border-top:8px solid #F4F4F4;border-left:8px solid transparent;transform:translateY(-4px) translateX(8px)"><br/></div></div></div><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:column;flex-grow:1;justify-content:center;margin-bottom:24px"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;margin-bottom:6px;width:224px"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;width:144px"><br/></div></div></a><div style="color:#c9c8cd;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center;text-overflow:ellipsis;white-space:nowrap"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DUDw2sqkYU2/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="color:#c9c8cd;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none" target="_blank">A post shared by Noah Kahan (@noahkahanmusic)</a></div></div></blockquote><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><p>Just like the songs that he usually writes, “The Great Divide” also starts with serene acoustic guitar strums. But as the lyrics begin to unfold, it greets us in a gut-wrenching and nostalgic way of telling a story about a relationship from the past — one he still thinks about. It is written from the perspective of someone who is bound for acceptance ahead, as it talks about wishing them well.</p><p>All throughout, the song carries a quiet sense of letting the other person move forward, explore the world on their own terms, and become who they’re meant to be, even if it means growing apart. From a calm opening to an intensified mid-song build, this symbolizes the sudden realization of facing the reality of what you have been through — and how it continues to linger.</p><p> “Didn&#x27;t expect to feel this nostalgic for an old best friend today, but I think I might send this song to her and tell her it&#x27;s how I feel. Thank you for doing the thing where you sing the words you wish you could say,” a netizen commented.</p><p> For his Filipino fans, “The Great Divide” is something to look forward to — a first glimpse of the emotions, stories, and growth Noah will share in his upcoming album this April.</p><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-29" src="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTvXWe_kWNT/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=768&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A29%2C%22os%22%3A17026592.199999988%2C%22ls%22%3A165500.5%2C%22le%22%3A165504.09999996424%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="847" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-29" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><p>&quot;The Great Divide&quot; is not just his single but also an album he is about to release on April 24th. Noah shared via Instagram, “The songs are the words I would say if I could. They are the fears I dance with in the moments before I drift off to sleep. The music here is my best attempt to delve deeper into the people, places, and feelings that have made me who I am. I am grateful for all of it, for all of you, for listening to them, if you choose to do so.”</p><p>Stream &quot;The Great Divide&quot; on Spotify and watch its official music video via YouTube.</p><div> </div><div><em>—By Jhezirae Alcantara, PUSH ABS-CBN Intern</em></div><div><em> </em></div>