When Olivia Rodrigo stopped by BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge last month, she covered Noah Kahan. Now, Kahan has returned the favor, appearing on Live Lounge himself to perform a rendition of “lacy” from Rodrigo’s latest album, GUTS.
Joined by an acoustic band, with backing vocals from the group Tiny Habits, Kahan delivered an impassioned version of “lacy,” carrying the rise and fall of Rodrigo’s melody with a smooth falsetto. As they reached the tune’s climax, the steady backbeat, plucking banjo, and four-part harmonies came together to build a wall of warm, folksy sound.
“I would be happy for the rest of my life to cover Olivia, she’s an amazing person, an amazing artist,” Kahan told the BBC, before explaining that he chose to cover “lacy” because it’s “so beautiful and it highlights what I love so much about Olivia’s lyricism, it’s very dynamic and it just makes you feel an emotion we’ve all experienced before.”
The “lacy” cover arrives after Rodrigo covered the title track from Kahan’s third album, Stick Season, during her own Live Lounge performance in October. Speaking about the cover, Kahan said: “I was so honored by her and so inspired by her… Olivia covered it and honestly I was just willing to give her ‘Stick Season’ as a song after that.” Then, performing his own version of the tune, Kahan said it was a bit “nerve-wracking” to follow-up Rodrigo. “Now, I’ve got to try and match up to it,” he said.
Beyond covering each-other, Kahan also expressed interest in collaborating with Rodrigo in a greater capacity. “I would love to work with Olivia,” he said. “I’d love to write a song with her.”
Kahan’s Live Lounge performance arrived at the tail end of his UK tour. Next year, he’ll embark on an international tour of Australia and Europe before coming back stateside for a North American leg. Check out the full list of his upcoming dates, and grab your tickets here.
Meanwhile, Rodrigo is gearing up to hit the road next February with the massive “GUTS World Tour.” Check out her upcoming dates, and secure your seats here.