19-year-old country music singer and Baton Rouge native returns home to headline The Texas Club this weekend

After performing across Europe and having his original song featured in a major television series, rising country artist Noah James is coming home to Baton Rouge to headline one of the city’s most iconic venues Saturday night. 

His performance at the Texas Club will come just one day after he’s set to release his new EP Coming Home Again and a week after wrapping shows in Stockholm, London, Berlin, Oslo and Rotterdam. 

19-year-old James grew up in a musical household, with a father who is a professional jazz drummer. He says he played instruments at a young age and performed at the school where his dad taught music with his four siblings. 

His passion for music didn’t return until his mid-teens when he discovered country music. 

“Most people growing up in Baton Rouge and in Louisiana in general definitely grow up on country,” he says. “But my mom didn’t listen to country at all, and my dad didn’t either. I grew up on a lot of pop. Michael Jackson was huge for us.” 

At 16, he says he started listening to Zach Bryan and Noah Kahan, artists he calls a “gateway” into the country genre, opening him to others like Tim McGraw, Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson and George Strait.

“I’m still the only one in my house walking around listening to country music,” he says. 

Discovering different artists and songs gave him a lot of inspiration for his own music. James says he started learning guitar, and after about five months, he began posting covers on TikTok.

“I didn’t do it just to get traction. I did it because I loved it. I just kept posting. I didn’t really care if thousands of people didn’t see or hear my originals, but at least a few hundred people did,” he says. Over time, he began blending covers with original songs as well to show his identity as a singer-songwriter. 

Modern platforms like TikTok have made it easier for artists to share their work with new audiences. James says most of his fans find him through that or Spotify, where users can discover emerging artists on public playlists. 

Almost a year after the release of his first song “Set Free,” his music was featured on the series premiere of the new Yellowstone spin-off series, Marshals on March 1. He says he knew it was a possibility, but didn’t find out his music made the cut until he watched the premiere and heard it himself.

“I was speechless,” he says. As a longtime fan of Yellowstone, James says he often told his family how the show helped introduce audiences to new artists, and getting his own music featured became a goal of his.

His recent European performances also introduced him to new crowds. While performing abroad, he says the fans have a noticeably different energy than the crowds in the U.S.

“They’re very attentive,” he says. “They’ll wait until the whole song is over before they cheer, instead of throughout.” 

Now, as he focuses on his recent release and that upcoming headline show at The Texas Club, he says his new EP project is about growth, both personally and musically. 

“The EP is really about growth in life, in experiencing life, in my writing and in my music,” he says. 

One song, “Talk To Johnny,” imagines what he would ask Johnny Cash if he could. He says, “It’s about asking for advice on how to do this whole thing I’m doing, how he’s done it so amazingly.” 

Coming home to play his music at The Texas Club is a dream come true for James.

“As soon as I turned 18, I went to the Texas Club as often as I could to see my favorite artists,” he says. He finds it surreal to play at the venue and follow in the footsteps of the people whose posters line the walls. 

Despite pressure and the fast-paced environment of performing, James says he doesn’t get nervous but is extremely excited instead.

“When I get up there, it’s like a whole different person comes up. It’s just really exciting to put on a show,” he says.

Purchase tickets to see Noah James this Saturday, March 21, at the Texas Club. Use code “Noah” to get two for the price of one. Stream Coming Home Again, out on Friday.