Noah Kahan believes that he would never have been the artist he is if his mother, Lauri Berkenkamp, had not raised him the way she did.
The 29-year-old folk-pop musician contributed to the book What I learned from mom which includes essays from public figures – including Kaia Gerber, Cindy Crawford, Chelsea Clinton and more.
For his essay, the North attitude hitmaker wrote that one of the lessons he’s always remembered from his mother is “You don’t have to like everyone, but you have to be kind,” as per People Magazine.
In an excerpt from the book, Kahan writes, “My mother’s belief in kindness was too firmly planted to be disturbed by my challenges of ‘But what if they really stink?’ and ‘Even if they’re a serial killer?’ I knew what she meant. Kindness was a sacred pillar of her worldview and an undeniable constant in the way my mother approached the world.”
The Strawberry wine the singer went on to say that his mother made no difference to whom she showed her kindness, and that was the case with his dreams of becoming a musician.
Kahan added that his mother sat through several sessions where he sang out of tune, driving him to and from open-mic sessions at hotels and clubs where he could hone his singing craft.
Not only did Berkenkamp nurture her child’s passion for the craft, she also helped him write.
Recalling a fond memory, Kahan wrote, “Occasionally, in my mid-teens, I’d get stuck on a particular word, unable to figure out how to complete a rhyme while staying within the parameters of the larger lyrical concept. I’d roll it around in my head and on my tongue for hours, literally banging my head against my desk until I couldn’t think of my brain anymore, and I couldn’t think anymore. distracted, and my mother asked what I was working on upstairs in my bedroom, I told her I was stuck on a word to complete a rhyme and then I spoke immediately she wanted the answer.
In addition to being a mother, Berkenkamp taught English at the University of Vermont and wrote 13 books, which is why she was able to help Kahan write his songs.
“I could use the proof of her love for me as a way to find my own love for what I was doing and could use that faith as a reason to keep going,” Kahan wrote of her mother.
The book What I learned from mom will be released on March 31.
