Noah Thompson Discusses The Personal Story Behind ‘Upbringing’ and Embracing Independence In His Career [Exclusive]

Noah Thompson intentionally stepped away from releasing new music and took a significant break from social media to focus on personal growth and determine the future direction of his career. After a lot of reflection, he’s back stronger than ever with his most raw and vulnerable release to date, “Upbringing.” 

This tune was penned by the American Idol winner with Lalo Guzman and Josh Dorr and produced by Lukas Scott. With the help of these creatives, Thompson is stepping into a new chapter with more freedom than ever as “Upbringing” marks his debut as an independent artist. 

At the time of the writing session earlier this year, the “Middle of God Knows Where” singer was in the midst of a journey of self-discovery and found himself at a low point. Thompson used this struggle and uncertainty to determine what kind of artist he wanted to be moving forward and how he was going to reflect that through his music. The result is a song that gives listeners an unfiltered look into his childhood and snippets of what he was going through at the start of the year when bad decisions were at the forefront of his life. 

“The idea of the song initially came about because I had certain people when I first moved to Nashville that had certain opinions about me and it kind of put me in a place where I wanted to just show them, you know, this is truly how I grew up. I want to just give fans a different insight into how I was raised and things like that,” Thompson told Country Now. “But at that certain point in time, also, I was just going through a lot and making all the wrong decisions and everything like that and you can kind of hear that more in the chorus of the song. In the beginning, it gives you a little bit of insight on how I grew up and everything I like.”

Just as he explained, the heart-pounding tune begins by revealing details of his “tough upbringing,” like his grandma buying him cigarettes at 15, getting in bar fights at 21, and struggling with anger without knowing how to handle it. As his gritty vocals come to life in the intense chorus, Thompson showcases that despite all the challenges he has faced, he’s still determined to turn things around and show the world that there’s a lot more to him than meets the eye. 

“I’m way too young to feel this hungover/ How do I keep this ship from sinking/ I swear I only hear the devil on my shoulder/ He keeps leading me straight into the deep end/ Deep in the whiskey like my family tree/ Wanna be the one to rewrite history/ Can’t help but pour one down drain the glass I’m thinking/ Hard stuff goes with a tough upbringing,” Thompson sings on the chorus. 

Noah Thompson bears his soul with the promise to make a change to better his life and lead by example. Without a doubt, the Kentucky native is stepping into the best phase of his career so far, demonstrating that he deserves to stay and keep sharing his stories for years to come.

More New Music On The Way

This is the first time Thompson has been open up about his story to this extent and it offers a preview of what’s in store for his next set of releases that are set to drop before the end of the year. 

“Obviously, ‘Upbringing,’ for me, it’s more of a statement song. Like I said earlier, it gives everybody an insight on how I grew up and what I was battling with for about a year or so of my life and just the struggle of it,” he explained. “We got a couple of other songs coming out that are more based on struggle and just in life in general. I’m really trying to wrap this whole project that I have in store for you guys that’s all about life and struggle in general, but I’m super excited about every song that we have that we’re potentially about to put out.”

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These forthcoming tunes are the result of Thompson’s decision to part ways with his label and become an independent artist. He explained that this choice opened his eyes and allowed him to sit down and have an honest conversation with himself. 

“I feel like I kind of just needed to become independent because it just cleared my mind and let me finally start to write the songs that I wanted to write and say the things that I wanted to say as an artist and just for my own self,” he shared honestly. “It’s definitely been the best decision for me personally, but I’m grateful for everything that got me to this point in my life, especially American Idol because had it not happened, none of it would be going for me to begin with. So, yeah, I’m grateful for the whole journey, everything that’s happened, even the downfalls of everything, but in the same sense, I’m glad I made a decision.

While he’s filled with appreciation for the music and the opportunities that have gotten him to this point, Thompson is ready to show a whole new side to him. Taking this leap into vulnerability might be daunting, but he’s more eager and enthusiastic than ever to embrace honesty, hoping that fans will grow alongside him and gain a deeper understanding of his backstory.