There are some moments when music becomes more than music. It becomes connection, community, and a reminder that none of us have to carry hard things alone.
Encircle recently had the privilege of being part of one of those moments at Noah Kahan’s Salt Lake City concert, where The Busyhead Project, Noah’s nonprofit foundation, highlighted Encircle as a local mental health resource and donated a portion of the show’s ticket proceeds to support our work with LGBTQ+ youth and families.
We are deeply grateful to Noah Kahan, The Busyhead Project, and the community of fans who helped make this moment possible.
Noah Kahan has long used his platform to shine a light on mental health and the importance of finding support. Through The Busyhead Project, he and his team work to connect people with organizations that are creating meaningful change in their communities.
The name “Busyhead” comes directly from Noah’s own experiences with anxiety and depression, and with the exhausting feeling of being caught inside an overactive mind. When he released Busyhead in 2019, Noah described the title song as a letter to himself and to anyone who has experienced times when even ordinary things can feel impossible.
Then, in 2023, Noah reclaimed that same phrase for The Busyhead Project. Something that once described a deeply personal experience became the name of a broader effort to make mental health resources more accessible and help reduce the stigma around asking for support.
That journey feels especially resonant alongside Encircle’s mission. Noah took language rooted in his own experience and transformed it into an invitation for others to find connection and support rather than carry difficult experiences alone.
As Encircle CEO Alex Cutini shared:
“Music gives pain somewhere to go. Art can take what feels unspeakable and turn it into something we can hold, share, and survive together. That is why creativity has always been woven into life at Encircle: it helps LGBTQ+ young people find language for who they are, connection when they feel alone, and movement when their inner world feels stuck. The Busyhead Project’s donation is deeply meaningful to us, but so is the spirit behind it. By sharing Encircle as a resource, Noah and his team are extending the healing work of music beyond the final note, helping more young people and families find a place where they can create, connect, and begin to feel like themselves again. We are honored to be part of that circle of care.”
At Encircle, we believe that LGBTQ+ young people deserve spaces where they can show up as their full selves, build supportive relationships, and access mental health resources in an environment rooted in belonging.
That mission connects beautifully with the spirit of The Busyhead Project. Their support recognizes the importance of making mental health care and community resources more visible and accessible, and of meeting people where they are.
We are especially proud to now be included as a Utah mental health resource on The Busyhead Project’s website, helping connect even more young people and families with Encircle and the support available in our homes and programs.
The Salt Lake City concert was a celebration of music, but it was also a celebration of what can happen when artists, nonprofits, and communities come together around a shared commitment to care.
We are grateful to The Busyhead Project for investing in Encircle and for helping amplify the resources available to LGBTQ+ youth in Utah. We are grateful to Noah Kahan for using his platform to create conversations around mental health and connection. And we are grateful to every fan who showed up, listened, learned, and helped make the evening meaningful.
The music may have ended when the concert was over, but the ripple of that support continues.
At Encircle, we’ll keep creating spaces where young people can create, connect, and belong, and we’re honored to have The Busyhead Project and Noah Kahan alongside us in that work.
Learn more about Encircle and our programs: Encircle
Explore The Busyhead Project’s supported organizations: The Busyhead Project