If you’re trans, enjoy pop rock, or simply log in online frequently, you’ve probably heard of Noahfinnce, the performance name of YouTuber and singer-songwriter Noah Finn Adams.
He describes himself as having an “insane imprint on the internet,” which served as the motivation for his debut album, which is rightly titled Growing Up on the Internet.
“There’s a lot I haven’t processed about the fact that I have grown up in front of hundreds of thousands of people since I was 15,” Noah, who has just finished touring with the rock band Enter Shikari, said.
“That’s what this album was predominantly about, trying to process the fact of having that many people in front of you, telling you who you should be, who you shouldn’t be, what they like about you, what they don’t like about you.
“You internalize that even if you don’t realize you’re doing it, but this album is about moving past that.”
During the nearly 10 years he has been posting content on YouTube, Noah has amassed a great following, starting from when he sang cover songs, eventually moving on to vlogging.
He has also used YouTube to share his transition journey, updating people on how his voice changed, and he continues to make trans and LGBTQ+-focused material, with each of his videos consistently getting more than 100,000 views.
Many people, however, have never watched any of his videos, and instead only know about him from his music. His second EP, Things From My Head, was released in 2021 and was followed by 2022’s My Brain After Therapy.
“I still don’t think I’ve nailed it or figured out how to mix the music and videos,” he tells PinkNews. “It’s definitely difficult to mix because both of my interests are based on one another, but I don’t see a reason why they can’t coexist.
“My job is to sell myself, which is terrifying. But it’s different with music and it’s different with YouTube.
“My music is only me, so people who like the YouTube videos, if they like me and they like music punk, punk, rock, any of that stuff, I think they’d enjoy the music too.”
Chatting with Noah is similar to watching one of his videos. As he leans into an office chair and discusses his music, mental health, stigmatization, and endometriosis diagnosis, all of which are covered on the new album, he is relaxed and open, his arm lightly hooked around his knees.
He is as excited to discuss the artists he would love to tour with, including Yungblud, McFly, and Waterparks, as he is about his favorite meme, “I love you b**ch, I ain’t never gonna stop loving you b**ch,” and even a story about a transphobe in a Reddit forum who “ships Noah Schnapp and Finn Wolfhard [who play Will Byers and Mike Wheeler, respectively, in Stranger Things].
Bemused by the theory, Noah replied: “You’re so angry and upset at me for something that I haven’t done, that you’ve fully imagined yourself”.
One of the most engaging and affable people I’ve spoken with is Noah, and perhaps that’s what has allowed him to have such a strong connection with transgender audiences.
Although he did not intend to be a trans influencer and role model, particularly for trans youth, the responsibility is still with him. He wanted to share his experiences on a public platform after coming out and beginning to transition because he thought there weren’t many people doing so.
“I felt as though I had a duty to let people know because I had a difficult time going through the medical system and coming out if it was both cathartic for me and helpful for others. I definitely feel the need to do that now, especially now that I’ve been touring and have actually met people who have enjoyed my music or content.
“It was hard in the beginning, when I live my life entirely on the internet, not to see the 100,000 views as just, like, views.
“My first show in the US was in Texas, and I met so many trans kids there who told me all about their experiences,” I recall. “A kid came up to me and was like: ‘I have been watching every single video that you post, every single week, for five years’.
“That completely altered my mind because I have a responsibility to think about how I say it as well as what I say it does.
It is not just the kids though. Parents frequently slide into Noah’s DMs for advice on how to support their children, some of whom claim that he is the reason their child is still alive. While that is obviously rewarding, and he is “gl
ad I can be that person for somebody,” it isn’t easy and he does feel the pressure.
“Before I came out, I didn’t have any trans role models. The way I looked at my life was like: ‘OK, I’ll finish school and I’ll come out, but I can’t see a future because I don’t I don’t have anybody to look up to.'”
Growing Up on the Internet, according to him, is like an album where he “gets what I want to sound like, talk about, and get the vibes I want to give off,” and he continued, “I’m really proud of it. I’m very bad at being proud of myself. But I’m like: ‘This is some good s**t’.
“I’m far more self-assured than I was when I first started making music. It’s been a long time coming.”
