Having recently relocated from Grundy, Virginia, to Benton, Tennessee, The Singing Barber, also known as Noah Peters, is captivating audiences throughout America. He not only showcases his exceptional singing abilities but also demonstrates his skill as a barber, making him a truly unique talent. This budding country star has gained attention on social media, particularly on TikTok, where he shares videos of himself working as a barber while singing country classics like “Neon Moon” by Brooks & Dunn, “As Good as I Once Was” by Toby Keith, “Heart Like a Truck” by Lainey Wilson, and more, all while attending to his clients.
To learn more about Noah Peters himself, including his social media stardom and what the future has in store for him as a musician, read below.
How did Noah Peters Get Into music?
Admitting that his father grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee and attended Gibbs High School with Kenny Chesney, music has always been something that Noah Peters has had on his radar, sharing the story about how he started to seriously pursue it in a YouTube video titled The Singing Barber | A Conversation with Noah Peters shared by Storytellers of Appalachia.
“I’ve sang my whole life. My mama said that before I could talk, I would just hum until I fell asleep, so music has been my everything my whole life. I can’t remember a time that I wasn’t singing when I was a kid. I was getting recognized by some southern gospel people. They would hear me sing at churches and be like, ‘Wow, this kid’s got some potential,’ but it never really took off the ground,” he spilled, prior to sharing the turning point in his musical journey.
“When I was a young kid in Pineville, Kentucky, before I moved to Tennessee, a man named Andy Williams, a sheriff in Pineville, Kentucky, started singing with me and my brother and my dad, and he taught us different harmonies and southern gospel and that is what took it off of the ground… Ever since, we’ve never stopped singing, and luckily now that I’m 23, I’m booked up every weekend singing somewhere,” the soon-to-be country star continued.
With social media becoming more and more popular as the years have progressed, Peters experienced a second turning point in his musical journey when he started sharing videos on TikTok that combined his career as a barber with his true passion, ultimately amassing more than 800,000 followers on the platform.
How did The Singing Barber become a viral sensation?
While his vocals are nothing short of spectacular, Peters did not get discovered until his videos started to get some traction via TikTok, delving into the details in the same interview.
Revealing that his clients, as well as viewers via TikTok, gave him the nickname The Singing Barber, Peters dished, “I was cutting hair one day and people that started coming in started just labeling me as The Singing Barber… I’d sit down and [a client] would say, ‘Any old music,’ and I’d sing old music. Some kid likes Bruno Mars, he’d come in, hear some Bruno Mars. By the time I got on WCYB because I had a video go viral on Facebook singing ‘Tennessee Whiskey,’ everybody in the world knows me as The Singing Barber.”
Admitting that he “appreciates people that listen to his stuff” and encourage him to follow his dreams, Peters admitted that he is not sold on the nickname just yet, however, The Singing Barber has been a catalyst for success within the country music industry nonetheless.
Who or What inspires Noah Peters?
Aside from sharing covers via social media of him singing country classics like “Head Over Boots” by Jon Pardi, “Feathered Indians” by Tyler Childers, “Wait In The Truck” by HARDY and Lainey Wilson, and more, the rising country star has been working on some tunes of his own, drawing inspiration from artists like Ray Charles, Michael Bublé, Elvis Presley, and more singer/songwriters who he identifies as “country blues” artists.
As far as his songwriting goes, Peters admitted to drawing quite a bit of inspiration from his late wife named Kailee, who was diagnosed with cancer and died just three months after they tied the knot. “Marriage was perfect, and I made a lot of mistakes that I had to learn from, and she had a whole lot of forgiveness in her. Through our relationship and our marriage, everybody goes through things, but I never expected to lose her, and so my inspiration now is to just do it with everything in me,” he revealed to Storytellers of Appalachia.
The Kentucky native continued,” There’s always going to be naysayers and things like that, but what she did for me and our love that we had for each other and the forgiveness and the ups and downs taught me a whole lot, and I have a new way of living now. I’m a completely different person than I was when we were married, and losing her taught me that you just got to give it your all and life is short, so forgive people, learn from your mistakes, and keep going.”
Believe it or not, Kailee told her husband to open his own barbershop before she died, something in which Noah Peters has fully embraced ever since she passed away.
Plans and Goals for the future
As far as the future goes, Peters admitted that in the next five to ten years, he would love to do music full time and be able to financially take care of his family without a worry in the world. “One day I want to put out an album and maybe do a record at the barbershop” he gushed, sharing something in which his 815,000 TikTok followers would absolutely adore.
In addition to this, “In five to ten years, I want to change the whole dynamic of how people view God,” Peters spilled, straying away from music for a second. “I want people to know that there’s still people out there struggling that can still serve and show people that there’s hope. Giving somebody hope is one of the best things you can do, so in five to ten years, not only with my music, but as an influencer, I want to give people hope. COVID and all that has absolutely destroyed people’s whole dynamic of life, and a lot of people feel hopeless, so my goal is to change the dynamic of the world… there’s more to life than being drug down by the things that have happened.”
Noah peters Earned A golden Ticket To Hollywood On American Idol
Speaking of the future, after individuals in the comment section consistently begged for Noah Peters to apply for American Idol, the social media sensation finally auditioned in front of judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan for season 21 of the beloved competition series.
The 24-year-old Tennessee native auditioned for Idol with a stunning cover of Rascal Flatts’ “I Won’t Let Go.” Joined by a guitarist, strumming an acoustic guitar, the viral sensation and country music singer belted out the lyrics to the country hit while showcasing his impressive vocals.
During his audition, he also gave American Idol alum Colin Stough a haircut and delivered a cover of Chris Stapleton’s “Broken Halos” with Stough in his barber chair as the Idol judges watched on from their panel.
Praise From American Idol Judges
The Idol judges then praised The Singing Barber’s audition before they revealed his fate on the show.
“I think that when I heard you sing just a little bit of ‘Broken Halos,’ when you were cutting, you were kind of not thinking about it, and it was oozing out of you [and] I really want you to visualize that when you sing… that you’re just back at the shop just giving a trim. I just don’t want you to overthink,” Katy Perry said. “You’ve got some sweetness to your voice, some soul, some purity. But it’s definitely going to need a blunt edge here and there. Okay? Or some layers. Either way, it’s going to need some chip chop.”
Lionel Richie was next to make comments on his audition. “Don’t get psyched out. You have a quality in your voice. That’s fantastic. But more importantly, relax. I know that’s hard to say. Trust in who you are and what you sound like. You stay true to your lane. And you’ll be onto something,” he stated.
Luke Bryan didn’t say anything about his Idol performance. Instead, he prompted the star-studded panel of judges to vote. He ultimately earned three ‘yes’ votes from Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan, earning a golden ticket and advancing to Hollywood week.
Following his extraordinary American Idol audition, where he advanced to Hollywood Week, Noah Peters (also known as The Singing Barber) opened up about how “excited” his is for this life-changing opportunity.
“I’ve never shook while cutting hair before, but it happened today. I’m so excited. I now get to put Colin Stough on my client list. Today was amazing,” he told viewers. “When you’re from a small town and nothing really happens, singing in front of big stars is a whole nother ball game for me. My life’s going to change is pretty nerve-wracking. But I’m so excited for this!”
Lastly, Will Noah Peters ever stop being a barber?
Given that Peters has achieved social media stardom and is finding new heights of success with American Idol, with hopes of pursuing a career as a musician more and more in the future, his clients have just one burning question: Will Noah Peters ever stop being a barber?
Despite moving to The Hair Place in Benton, Tennessee on Old Highway 411 this past summer, Peters hopes his career cutting hair will come to a close sometime soon, admitting that “from here to ten years from now, I’d love to just be doing music full time. I love being a barber and I love the clients and the relationships I make with my clients, but music is where I want to stay… People come in with their cell phones videoing in here every day, and they all say the same thing. They say, ‘Noah, you’re not going to be barbering forever,’ which is kind of depressing, because I enjoy being a barber.”
“Even if I get big, I’ll be cutting the people on my tour bus, so hopefully I’ll always have some clippers around,” he gushed with a grin. To keep up with his antics in the barbershop, and to watch his journey on season 21 of American Idol unfold, connect with Noah Peters on social media at @theesingingbarber for all the updates.
