American Idol Winner Noah Thompson Added to Country Music Highway
Pamela Hall
The Ashland Beacon
The Country Music Highway is iconic in Eastern Kentucky for being the area from which many country music stars call home. Stars such as the Judds, Tom T. Hall, Loretta Lynn, Ricky Skaggs, Keith Whitley and many more grew up in the rolling hills and “hollers” that are prevalent in the area. According to www.kentuckytourism.com, the U.S. Route 23 region has produced more professional country artists than any other region per capita.
American Idol winner Noah Thompson from Louisa is the most recent addition to the Country Music Highway. Noah grabbed the whole nation’s hearts with his down-home country boy charm.
Noah began playing guitar and singing when he was about 13 years old. His father played in a local band and Noah decided to learn to play.
“I was heavily influenced by my dad,” Noah said, “and still am to this day.”
Noah would sit in his room and play and sing, hardly even letting his family ever hear him. A co-worker and friend, Arthur, heard him and decided to submit a video audition of Noah to American Idol. From there, Noah was invited to audition in front of producers. There were about three auditions in the process before Noah and Arthur flew to Austin, TX where Noah auditioned for American Idol judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan.
“We really had no expectations of going further,” Noah stated. “I was very nervous and star-struck. I almost had a panic attack.”
Of course, everyone knows that Noah got the golden ticket to go to Hollywood. The Hollywood week, which was actually two weeks, was a totally different experience for him.
“It was rough,” he recalled. “We hardly got any sleep. They call it boot camp because it’s so hard.”
The time in Hollywood is a sort of testing ground for producers to see who they feel has the capability, talent, and fortitude to deal with the pressure of being on American Idol. It was very obvious that Luke Bryan in particular was pulling for Noah and saw something in him that he knew would appeal to viewers.
Luke was correct. Despite the fact that Noah had very little performance experience compared to most of the other contestants, he made it to the live shows where fans voted him through every week. And in the finale, of course, Noah was named the winner of American Idol.
“It was insane,” Noah said with a laugh. “I was completely in shock and freaking out! One minute I was named American Idol, and the next I was boarding a plane to New York to be on Good Morning, America the next day!”
Despite the trials of the Hollywood “boot camp” and being nervous about the live shows, Noah is thankful to have been a part of American Idol.
“It was an amazing opportunity,” he related. “It’s given me a fan base that I never would have had.”
Local fans had an opportunity earlier this month to see Noah perform in person when he appeared in Huntington on July 3rd for Dawg Dazzle, presented by 93.7 The Dawg and Kindred Communications. The outdoor concert drew nearly 20,000 people from the Tri-State area.
“Playing Dawg Dazzle was amazing,” Noah said. “The crowd made me feel so welcome and loved. I appreciate Kindred Communications for having me. It’s one I won’t forget.”
“Kindred Communications was thrilled to be able to have Noah Thompson for Dawg Dazzle,” said Mike Kirtner, Owner and CEO of Kindred Communications. “The event brought a record crowd. We were happy to provide a night that will make great memories for everyone.”
Noah recently relocated to Nashville where he is focusing on writing songs, along with his touring schedule. He released an EP last month called “Middle of God Knows Where”, and is working toward recording another project. Without a doubt, we will be hearing more from Noah Thompson.
Who will be the next rising star for the Country Music Highway? It just might be you!