It might be stick season, but Noah Kahan has a lot to celebrate these days.
The singer-songwriter, 26, is fresh off his first Grammy nomination — for best new artist — and just ticked off yet another bucket list item as he was announced as the musical guest for the Dec. 2 episode of Saturday Night Live.
Kahan reacted to the news on Instagram by resharing the SNL promo image — which announced that he’ll appear on the episode hosted by Emma Stone — and then resurrecting an old tweet of his from 2021 where he expressed his deep desire to appear on the late-night show one day.
“I wanna perform on SNL.I don’t even care if it’s an off-brand version called Sunday Night Live just get me on the show I’ll do anything,” the folk-pop singer wrote in the post.
He wrote in the caption of the Instagram post, “rub your eyes,” as he shared his shock at earning a slot on the famed show.
The “Dial Drunk” crooner also made several posts on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Saturday expressing his excitement, including a simple, “Snl snl snl oh my god,” and he also shared a photo of himself as a young boy with the caption, “This guy’s playing SNL.”
In a more sentimental post, Kahan recalled an interaction at an open mic session he played at several years ago and how the event’s host had told him while they were both in the bathroom, “It’s a real tough business and I’ve seen lots of talented people not make it.”
“I’d never felt so hopeless about my career,” Kahan said of the man’s comment.
Though he’s not new to writing and performing, the last two years have been life-altering for the Vermont native. Since he released his third studio album, Stick Season, in 2022, he’s gone from a struggling songwriter living in his parents’ home during the pandemic to a Grammy-nominated, chart-topping viral sensation. He is gearing up for his first stadium tour in 2024, the We’ll All Be Here Forever Tour, which will hit cities across the U.S. and Canada after several weeks of shows in Europe.
He’s also made fans in some big names, including Olivia Rodrigo, who covered his viral hit in the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge — to which he said it’s “her song now” after her powerful rendition set the internet ablaze.
Kahan now also has collaborations under his belt with Kacey Musgraves on “She Calls Me Back” and Post Malone on a “Dial Drunk” remix, and his duet with Hozier on “North Attitude” dropped Friday.
As he looks ahead and considers what’s next, Kahan feels a little nervous, admittedly.
“ I definitely feel a lot of pressure,” he told at the TIME100 Next Gala in New York City last month. “Every time I make a song, I’m like, ‘The next one’s going to suck,’ and I think I just need to keep trying. I don’t know. Maybe if it stinks, it stinks, but what I’m happy about is I’ve gotten myself in front of a lot of people, and I’ve lived out some dreams. If this is the last time I get a chance to do it, then I’ll be happy to have had the chance at all.”
The fame has made the stakes much higher than they were when he released the hit album, so now Kahan wants to make sure that whatever comes next is just right.
“I just want to wait and feel very excited about whatever’s next in terms of an album because before Stick Season, I felt like I was just putting music out just to put it out,” he shared. “When I made Stick Season, I had such a strong focus, and I want to make sure I find that again.”
Of his career trajectory, he said, “It keeps getting more crazy as more time goes by, and I’m very, very excited that people still care.”
He added, “To be a year out and have people still enjoying it, excited about it and giving a s — — about me, it’s pretty fun, and I’m just grateful.”