Noah Kahan brings mom to Grammys: "The person I look up to the most"
LOS ANGELES - Noah Kahan may not have scored the Grammy award for best new artist, but as his mom said on the red carpet Sunday, he's already a winner.
The "Stick Season" singer-songwriter and Watertown resident has been saying for months how excited he was to bring his mother, Lauri Berkenkamp, to the ceremony. In an interview before the show, Kahan said it was "surreal" to find out he was nominated.
"My mom's been telling me since I was 13, but I didn't believe her until I heard it," the 27-year-old told the Recording Academy.
R&B singer Victoria Monet took home the best new artist trophy in the category that also included Jelly Roll and Ice Spice.
"He's already won. We got here, he did exactly what he promised to do and he promised it to himself. I'm so proud of him," Berkenkamp said. "He's been writing songs since he was 8. . . I never once doubted that he would get here someday. It's been wonderful.
Kahan's songs about growing up in New England have made him popular all over the country. And he said none of his success would have been possible without his mom's help.
"My mom was with me, driving me to all the open mics around the upper valley of Vermont and New Hampshire," he said. "She has been there for every show where no one was there ... my mom is my closest ally and the person I look up to the most."
Kahan will fulfill another dream of his this summer - playing two concerts at Fenway Park.