Living the dream: Omaha native Noah James chasing stardom in country music

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — Five years ago, Noah James was stuck at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, doubting his ability to write music.

But today, his music has more than 18,000 monthly listeners on Spotify.

He attributes his growth to simply starting.

“I guess just singing, for starters,” he said. “I didn’t know how to record, how to play guitar, write a song, this was March of 2020.”

Encouraged by friends, family, and his fiancée, James found the motivation to keep going.

“I stuck with it. I don’t know why, but I stuck with it, and I wanted to play live,” he said.

Playing live is exactly what he did, and he moved straight into the heart of Nashville to do so.

Like many success stories, it wasn’t all glitz and glam from the start; he had to work at it.

“I didn’t have a clue what I was doing. I didn’t know how to play downtown on Broadway. I didn’t know, still didn’t know how to really write a song,” he said.

James figured it out, and in no time, he was performing on stages in Nashville, including Tootsies, Honky Tonk Central, and Tanks.

His music reflects emotional depth by blending country grit with classic rock.

After two years in Nashville, the Omaha native decided to return home for a break, but did not stop again.

He auditioned for The Voice and made it to LA, but was cut before the blind auditions.

Although he didn’t win the competition, he wrote a song while there, “Playing with Fire,” which is his most popular song to date. Amidst its success, he kept writing.

“Wrote some new ones, mixed them together, to see what sounds good. And I just started pushing it, and a couple of them hit, and I couldn’t be more grateful,” he said.

Social media is helping him to stay connected with his followers.

“Because I’m just like you,” he said. “Being able to share that through a platform with over a billion people on it. They’re following me on this journey because they want to see someone make it out.”