Singer-songwriter Noah Kahan said he once considered leaving his music career to become a golf-course groundskeeper.

The revelation highlights the mental health toll that rapid global stardom can take on artists, even those achieving peak commercial success.

Kahan discussed these struggles during a Rolling Stone cover-story interview filmed on a rural farm in Tennessee. He said he also considered working as a substitute teacher during a period when he struggled to find joy in his profession.

The singer felt significant pressure following the success of his breakout hit “Stick Season” and the release of his album, The Great Divide, which reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 [1]. This professional peak coincided with a personal decline in his well-being.

In March 2026, the artist reached a breaking point regarding his career trajectory [2]. "Last March, I called my manager, and I was like, 'Dude, I just don't know if I can do this. I can't find any joy in this,'" Kahan said.

He described a feeling of exhaustion with the demands of his public life. "I was just sick of it," Kahan said.

The desire to pivot to manual labor or education served as a response to the overwhelming nature of his fame. By seeking out roles like groundskeeping, Kahan sought a detachment from the pressures associated with the music industry.

“"I just don't know if I can do this. I can't find any joy in this."”

Kahan's experience underscores a growing trend of high-profile artists speaking openly about the 'price of fame.' Despite achieving the industry's highest metric of success—a Billboard 200 No. 1 album—the disconnect between commercial achievement and personal fulfillment can lead to severe burnout and a desire for anonymity.