After the runaway success of “I’ll Be The One,” it seems Noah Schnacky knew it would take quite a song to top 11 million streams. So, the country music start decided to release two. Noah just released a multi-single release: “Comeback,” a creative blend of pop and country that will please fans of both, and the hazy, almost deconstructed country song that is “Where’d You Go.” On the first, Noah turns the concept of “Comeback” on its head by inserting a space. “They’re all waiting for my comeback / they don’t know that / miss you so bad / girl, I can’t breathe / ever since you left my arms girl/it’s been hard, girl,” he sings, before adding, “the only thing I need to come back / is you to come back to me.”
“I was in a relationship for about a year,” Noah tells HollywoodLife when explaining what led the song’s creation. Noah said that he had to ultimately pick between two loves – the relationship, and country music. Eventually, he picked country. “It was hard to let it go because there was no good reason to. I just got to the point where I had to decide between my career or giving the relationship the time it deserved.”
The second half of this multi-single release is a question he seemingly answered in the first. “Where’d You Go” is as wide as the skies of Texas (which is funny, since Noah hails from Minneapolis, Minnesota.) The brilliant production, which Noah credits to Dann Huff and Mark Holman, allow his voice enough room to stretch its wings and truly soar. It’s a deeply emotional song, full of longing, and wondering, “What If?”
Noah spoke with HollywoodLife over email about his songs. He revealed how a conversation with his father helped bring “Comeback” to life, how his hometown has found its way into his music, and how his American heart is full of love for his fans overseas in the UK.
HollywoodLife: The lyrics on the chorus of “Comeback” are smart with how you play with the word “comeback.” Do you remember the “Ah-HA!” moment when you realized how turning “comeback” into “come back” would make such a killer hook?
Noah: The idea actually came from a conversation I had with my dad. I was just coming out of a relationship, and I mentioned to him that I needed to have my “comeback.” He mentioned ‘you that you could mean two things by that,’ and the light bulb in my head went OFF at the idea.
Did anything (or anyone?) inspire this song?
I was in a relationship for about a year that inspired the song. It was hard to let it go because there was no good reason to. I just got to the point where I had to decide between my career or giving the relationship the time it deserved. I felt I needed to see through my passion, country [music], and I let go of the relationship as a result. That was a hard time for me.
In “Where’d You Go?” there’s a lot of “big empty space” in the song – like, there are hints of banjo and steel guitar. What was the motivation to make it like that? Was it meant to mirror the lyrical content?
The whole song is based on a dream I had when I was a young kid. I had a dream about a girl that I believe might’ve been a vision of my future wife. I don’t remember much about her, but I remember what it felt like to be around her. Pure bliss. The idea behind the production was to take a country song and pair it with the emotion of the song, which is almost a “dream state.” I give a lot of the credit to the incredible work Dann Huff and Mark Holman did in producing the track.
Minneapolis is a bit of a sleeper town – in that often, everyone sleeps on it — when it comes to creating great music. Prince is from there. The Replacements (and Husker Du from nearby St. Paul) originate there. If you were to pick out the “Minneapolis” in your sound, what would it be, if anything?
I think that the Minneapolis in my sound would be the genuine heart behind my music. It’s hard to run across unkind people up there, and I think that shines through my music.
You made your UK live debut at the 2019 Country To Country festival (and were set to return to this year’s event before it was postponed.) What’s the most significant difference between a UK country fan and a US one? And can we expect a UK-themed song from you someday?
I thoroughly enjoy every trip I have to the UK. Being a songwriter and a storyteller at heart, I’ve never met an audience that is more receptive to those stories than my fans in the UK. I think that’s what keeps me coming back!
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Noah’s music is out now.
