Noah Kahan Opens Up About His Deeply Personal Netflix Documentary — and Almost Kept It Hidden

Noah Kahan Almost Didn't Want the World to See His New Netflix Documentary

For someone who built his career on emotionally honest songwriting, Noah Kahan still found himself deeply uneasy about how much of himself ended up on screen. The Vermont-bred singer-songwriter, 29, is the subject of a brand-new Netflix documentary — and he'll be the first to admit he coped with his nerves by convincing himself it might never actually be released.

"I'm scared of opening up like this," Kahan told The Hollywood Reporter with a laugh, seated on a porch alongside director Nick Sweeney during a recent Zoom conversation.

What to Expect From Noah Kahan: Out of Body

Debuting on Netflix on April 13, Noah Kahan: Out of Body is a 90-minute film directed by Sweeney that traces Kahan's life in the wake of his explosive rise to mainstream fame following his 2022 breakthrough album, Stick Season. What begins as a potential concert film — centered on his landmark sold-out shows at Fenway Park — quickly evolves into something far more intimate.

"When we first started making the film, we really had no idea what we would be capturing," Sweeney explained. "I thought that if all we got was this extraordinary tour and Noah playing this hugely significant show at Fenway, what an amazing film that would be. As we got started, I realized there's actually so much more going on."

Rather than delivering a standard behind-the-scenes music documentary, Out of Body peels back the curtain on Kahan's inner world — his sense of identity, his deep connection to New England, and the complex web of relationships that shape who he is.

"As Nick came along and started filming, a lot more came up to the surface," Kahan said. "We started to realize it was going to be something a little bit bigger than just a tour documentary."

Noah Kahan Speaks Candidly About Body Dysmorphia

Among the documentary's most powerful moments is Kahan's frank discussion of his long-standing struggles with body dysmorphia and disordered eating — topics he has rarely addressed so openly before.

"I always have felt physically ugly and facially ugly, mentally ugly," he says directly to the camera in the film. "I don't know what I look like. No clue."

The Grammy-nominated artist's willingness to voice these deeply personal insecurities adds a layer of vulnerability that goes well beyond what most musicians choose to share publicly.

Family at the Heart of the Documentary

Kahan's family plays a central role throughout Out of Body, and the film doesn't shy away from the complicated emotions involved. Known for weaving his family's story into his music — sometimes without asking for their blessing first — Kahan reflects on a particularly sobering moment when his mother sent him a message after he made an offhand joke about his parents' divorce during a live show. The text quietly revealed that her feelings had been hurt.

"I felt so bad about how it made my mom feel in that moment, but I think that was really important to talk about on camera because I'm not sure I would have had the courage to bring it up otherwise," Kahan shared.

Rather than deepening any wounds, the documentary appears to have served as a catalyst for healing. "Watching this documentary was a blessing because we got to see each other on camera. We got to confront these feelings. We couldn't all hide from them," he said.

A Father-Son Story at the Film's Core

Perhaps the emotional centerpiece of the entire documentary is Kahan's relationship with his father. The singer reveals that his dad was involved in a serious, life-altering accident when Kahan was young, and he opens up about wanting to apologize for how "selfish and short-tempered and judgmental" he had been toward him over the years.

"Him loving this documentary changed our relationship. It could have been so tricky," Kahan said. "He just loves me and wants me to be happy."

The singer admits that, at its core, the story of him and his father may be what the documentary is truly about. "I always cry when I talk about my dad. I don't know what it is," he confessed. "It made me feel good to talk about."

Vermont: More Than Just a Backdrop

Kahan's roots in New England — specifically the stretch between Hanover, New Hampshire, and Strafford, Vermont — are woven throughout the film. Sweeney and his small crew spent considerable time driving through the Vermont landscape, capturing the shifting seasons as a reflection of Kahan's own emotional journey across the year of filming.

"The thing I really love is how honest people in Vermont are. They really are no bullshit," Sweeney said, noting the pressure he felt to represent the region with genuine authenticity.

Kahan, for his part, admitted his relationship with Vermont felt complicated during the filming period. "I was scared that when I would come back, I'd feel like a tourist or that I wouldn't belong," he said.

The documentary also includes a touching sequence in which Kahan visits his childhood music teacher and spontaneously writes a new song in that familiar space — a moment that bridges his past and his evolving future. Glimpses of his forthcoming album, The Great Divide, releasing later this month, are also woven throughout.

A Message of Self-Reflection for Viewers

The film closes with Kahan back in the recording studio, creatively renewed after a year of profound personal reckoning. Both he and Sweeney hope audiences walk away feeling inspired to confront their own unresolved questions.

"It's not about a magical fairytale ending — it's just trying to understand the things that you're going through, name them, and approach them," Sweeney said.

"I hope that you make that phone call, or you look in that mirror, and if you don't like what you see, ask why," Kahan added. "Ask those initial questions and approach the things that scare you."

Noah Kahan: Out of Body begins streaming on Netflix on April 13.