‘Idol’ Winner Noah Thompson Shares Inspiration Behind His Latest Single

“American Idol” season 20 winner Noah Thompson is sharing what inspired his newest single “Kids Like Me.” “I instantly just fell in love with it, man,” the country singer told AL. “I knew I wanted it to be this acoustic, raw kind of thing.”

Lyrically, the song holds a deep meaning for Thompson, 23, as it reflects the way he felt in his younger years. “It was just a song about growing up quick and not knowing which way to turn,” he explained. “You don’t really necessarily have anybody else to lean on other than yourself.”

“Kids Like Me” is the title track of Thompson’s latest EP that he released in May. According to Thompson, after writing the song with two of his Nashville pals, he was inspired to create the rest of the album. “… something just kind of clicked,” the singer shared on his YouTube channel.

He continued, “I knew right then and there I wanted to write an entire project about that same concept … about struggle in life, the good things, the bad things.” Thompson called “Kids Like Me” “the most honest … real, vulnerable song I’d written.”

Thompson’s Rock Roots

While Thompson’s music has an unmistakable country sound, he has drawn some inspo from the rock music he grew up listening to. “Growing up, with my dad I’d listen to Foo Fighters, Daughtry, Nickelback,” he shared. “I had those kinds of guys to look up to on the rock side.”

And because Thompson is focused on lyric-driven music, he looked to some other favorites of his as well, including singer-songwriters David Gray and Ryan Adams. “Guys that could just write a song, sit there and just sing and play guitar and hold a whole room,” Thompson explained.

As for his 2022 cover of the Rihanna song “Stay,” Thompson was hesitant at first to tackle it. “I was like, nah, man. That’s a girl song, you know what I mean?” he admitted. After performing the song on “Idol,” Thompson had a change of heart. “… it ended up becoming my whole moment on the show. That song changed things for me and kept me in the game,” he said.

Thompson’s Recent Big Honor

On May 31, Thompson made his debut on the Grand Ole Opry stage. He was presented with the invitation during the season 23 finale of “American Idol” by country superstar and fellow “Idol” alum Carrie Underwood.

Thompson was honored to play the Opry, calling it “the most incredible thing I’ve ever gotten to do.” But he was also thrilled to meet Underwood and had nothing but praise for the singer.

“She’s the sweetest human being … She’s got the best soul,” Thompson told AL. “But for her to be the one to ask me, that was a big deal for me, man.”