‘Idol’ Winner Noah Thompson Releases Honest New Single, Sharing ‘Different Side of Myself’

Harnessing the freedom to express himself fully now that he’s an independent artist, having parted ways with his record label in 2024, season 20 “American Idol” winner Noah Thompson released a new single on January 10, 2025, that he says shows “a different side of me.”

The new tune, “Here Lately,” is a continuation of his efforts to be transparent about how a challenging childhood influenced him to start making some choices he regretted since winning “Idol,” hoping to provide some “insight on how I grew up and what I was battling with for about a year or so of my life and just the struggle of it,” he told Country Now.

In August, he released “Upbringing,” revealing the harsh realities of his own upbringing, which included access to cigarettes and alcohol at an early age.

Noah Thompson Says He Hopes Fans Find New Tune ‘Uplifting’

Thompson, who moved to Nashville after his “Idol” win, teased his new song in an Instagram video on January 2, sharing that he’d spend the past month “back home” with his family in Kentucky and was inspired to release “Here Lately.”

“This song right here is a very special song to me,” Thompson told his followers, before playing a snippet of the tune. “It’s kind of a different side of myself that I haven’t got to share. With ‘Upbringing,’ it was a very different side of me that I never got to share with y’all. This one’s kind of in the same vein, but it’s more of the uplifting side of it.”

“I know around this time of year, a lot of people kind of go through depression and whatnot with the seasons changing and everything,” he continued. “So I figure, what better of a time to share this song, but it’s more just about, you know, losing yourself and finding yourself again … I hope you guys can relate.”

Lyrics to Noah Thompson’s ‘Here Lately’

Here are the equally heart-wrenching and uplifting lyrics to “Here Lately”:

I’ve been using alcohol to smooth out all the edges
My two feet can’t even figure out what my next step is
Last week I put down the drink
Poured the last half down the sink and it seems
That lately

I’ve been breathing
Hell I still have sleepless nights
But I’ve been thinking
That it’s gonna be alright
I was almost too far gone
Good Lords bringing me back home
Where these eye can cut through all the crazy
So I’ve been here lately

I forgot what it was like to stop and smell the roses
And it turns out when you slow down you remember where you’re going
I’ve got friends pushing daisy’s up
Can’t stand to lose the ones I love that saved me
So here lately

I’ve been breathing
Hell I still have sleepless nights
But I’ve been thinking
That it’s gonna be alright
I was almost too far gone
Good Lords bringing me back home
Where these eye can cut through all the crazy
So I’ve been here lately

I’ve been trying can’t say it ain’t been tough
But man, I’m finally feel like things been looking up

On January 3, Thompson wrote to fans on Instagram, “I hope that in some way or another you know someone that may possibly need to hear this song or maybe yourself needs it.. as always thank you so much for your continued support.