Noah Kahan Premieres The Great Divide Video At Grammys

On Sunday night, as the world tuned in to the 2026 Grammy Awards broadcast, viewers were treated to an unexpected and emotional moment: the premiere of Noah Kahan’s new music video, “The Great Divide,” during a commercial break. The Vermont-born singer-songwriter, already a two-time GRAMMY nominee and multi-platinum artist, used the high-profile slot—co-produced with Mastercard—to launch the title track of his much-anticipated fourth studio album, also called The Great Divide. The album is set for release on April 24, 2026, via Mercury Records, and the single is already sparking conversation across the music industry and among fans worldwide.

For Kahan, this project represents a deeply personal journey. In a statement released alongside the album announcement, he reflected, “The last five years have been the single most challenging, complicatedly beautiful, and life-altering of my career. I was somewhere I understood, and suddenly I was somewhere completely foreign. I was living in the opportunity I always wanted but felt disoriented and unsure of whether I deserved it. Writing for this album was a balancing act of trying to go back in time and move forward in the same moment. Songwriting has always been the way I reflect on my life, and I hope these songs show you a glimpse of what this journey has looked like.” According to Mercury, those years saw Kahan’s star rise meteorically, propelled by the runaway success of his 2022 album Stick Season and its 8x Platinum single, which earned him sold-out shows at iconic venues like Madison Square Garden and Fenway Park.

“The Great Divide” marks Kahan’s creative re-centering after the whirlwind of fame. Produced by Gabe Simon (known for work with Dua Lipa and Lana Del Rey) and GRAMMY-winner Aaron Dessner (Taylor Swift, Bon Iver), the album was recorded at a secluded farm outside Nashville, Gold Pacific Studio in Nashville, and Dessner’s famed Long Pond Studio in New York. This setting, as Kahan revealed in a social media post, allowed him to reconnect with his roots: “The music here is my best attempt to delve deeper into the people, places, and feelings that have made me who I am.” He even shared that some of the writing took place “next to a pond in Guilford, Vermont,” underscoring the influence of his rural upbringing.

The music video for “The Great Divide” encapsulates the album’s themes of friendship, mental health, and the search for belonging. As reported by The Hollywood Reporter and The Boston Globe, the video features Kahan traversing a convenience store, riding in a car, and running through fields—scenes interspersed with flashbacks to his childhood and moments with an old friend. The narrative is rich with subtle details, including Easter eggs for devoted fans: the album’s release date appears as a gas station price, and a bulletin board references “Northern Attitude,” the opening track from Stick Season. The video ultimately ends on a hopeful note, showing Kahan embracing his lifelong friend, a visual metaphor for healing and reconciliation.

Lyrically, “The Great Divide” is a heartfelt exploration of the complexities of mental health and friendship. The song’s driving rhythm and vivid imagery—like “cigarette burns on the same side of our hands”—paint a picture that is both specific and universal. Kahan addresses a former friend who struggled with mental health and religious trauma, singing, “I hope you settle down, I hope you marry rich. I hope you’re scared of only ordinary s**t.” The chorus, as noted by The Boston Globe, “devastatingly exemplifies the act of loving someone with mental illness, wishing that they carried smaller, more manageable burdens.”

This new single continues Kahan’s tradition of giving voice to the joys, fears, and loneliness of rural America. The “great divide” referenced in the song serves as a powerful metaphor for the brink of mental struggle, with lines like, “You inched yourself across the great divide / While we drove aimlessly along the Twin State line.” The track’s sweeping guitar layers and Kahan’s sincere vocals drive the song beyond the five-minute mark, building emotional intensity without feeling overwrought. As the video closes, the hug between Kahan and his friend humanizes mental illness, portraying it as a complex reality rather than a fatal flaw.

The collaboration with Mastercard is more than just a marketing move—it’s part of a broader effort to connect with fans in meaningful ways. Mastercard, which previously partnered with Lady Gaga to premiere her Grammy-winning “Abracadabra” video during the 2025 awards, is offering special ticket access for cardholders to Kahan’s newly announced North American tour, scheduled for summer 2026. While specific dates and cities have yet to be released, fans can sign up for updates on Kahan’s website. To celebrate the video’s premiere, Mastercard and Kahan have also launched a sweepstakes beginning February 2, inviting cardholders to spot Easter eggs in the video for a chance to win exclusive prizes. Details are available at priceless.com/noahkahan.

For those who have followed Kahan’s career, the anticipation around The Great Divide is palpable. The album promises to expand his sound while remaining anchored in the vulnerability and honesty that have defined his previous work. The project explores Kahan’s evolving relationships with family, friends, home, and his own sense of self. According to Mercury, the album “transforms isolation into connection through vulnerable honesty,” a sentiment echoed in both the lyrics and visuals of the title track.

Adding to the excitement, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Kahan is set to release a documentary film with Netflix ahead of the album’s launch. Directed by Nick Sweeney, the film will chronicle Kahan’s life in the wake of his breakout success with Stick Season, offering fans a behind-the-scenes look at the pressures, triumphs, and introspection that have shaped his recent work.

Sunday’s Grammy Awards appearance was not Kahan’s first brush with the Recording Academy. He was nominated for Best New Artist in 2024 and for Best Country Duo/Group Performance in 2025 for “Cowboys Cry Too,” his collaboration with Kelsea Ballerini. This year, “The Great Divide” itself was nominated in three categories, a testament to Kahan’s growing influence and the resonance of his music with both critics and audiences.

As the world awaits the full release of The Great Divide and the details of Kahan’s summer tour, one thing is clear: Noah Kahan is not just chronicling his own journey—he’s inviting listeners to reflect on theirs, bridging the distance between past and present, pain and healing, with every lyric and note.