Noah Kahan Reunites With Aaron Dessner for 'Draw You Out,' the First Single From the Hunger Games Prequel Soundtrack

NEW YORK — Noah Kahan is heading to Panem. The Vermont singer-songwriter has released "Draw You Out," the lead single from The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping (The Album), arriving October 2 via MCA. The song was written specifically for and inspired by the forthcoming film — and Kahan brought a familiar collaborator with him: Grammy-winning producer Aaron Dessner, who co-wrote and co-produced the track.

Written for the film, not pulled from a project

"Draw You Out" isn't a repurposed album cut. According to the official announcement, the song was penned specifically for and inspired by the forthcoming film, recorded at Long Pond Studio in New York — Dessner's Hudson Valley base — and at Gold Pacific Studios and East Iris Studios in Nashville. That origin matters for a franchise whose soundtracks have historically been treated as genuine artistic events rather than promo tie-ins.

The track is the first of 29 songs confirmed for the soundtrack, which is executive-produced by Dave Cobb — known for his work with Chris Stapleton and Sturgill Simpson — and brings together 29 artists from across genres, all creating previously unreleased music for the film. Kahan is the only performer confirmed so far, with further artist announcements still to come. The album arrives November 13, exactly one week before Lionsgate releases the film in theaters on November 20.

The Kahan–Dessner reunion

The collaboration is a natural one. Kahan re-teamed with the National's Dessner following the No. 1 debut of his fourth studio album, The Great Divide, which posted the biggest streaming debut of 2026 upon its May release, according to SPIN — and went on to hold the top spot in the U.S. for three consecutive weeks, earning RIAA Platinum certification. Dessner co-produced that record alongside longtime "Stick Season" collaborator Gabe Simon.

Kahan has described writing for film as a long-held ambition. "This is something I've always wanted to do and I am so grateful for the opportunity to write for this moving film, having adored the works of art by Suzanne Collins," he wrote on Instagram. He said he was particularly inspired by the "tragic yet hopeful story of Haymitch and Lenore Dove," and by the themes of "purpose, grief and perseverance through pain" that the characters exemplify. "This is an incredible film, and I am so honored to be a small part of it."

He's a genuine fan, not a hired gun. Kahan, who has read all of Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games novels, described the assignment as an "insane opportunity" and said the project offered him a chance to respond to the characters and themes Collins created while working alongside the filmmakers. Talking to Billboard, he framed the assignment as a creative challenge: "Music is such a massive part of the Hunger Games in a lot of ways. To be able to speak to what the director sees in these characters, what Suzanne Collins wrote these characters for, and to try to match that is a big task — but a really fun challenge."

Expect the Kahan sound, not a reinvention. While teasing some glimmers of hope and what he called a "cool beat," Kahan told Billboard the song ultimately stays in his melancholy lane: "You're not really coming to me if you're looking for heartwarming."

The single caps a career year. Kahan released The Great Divide in May, then took it on the road for the Great Divide World Tour — stadium dates across North America this summer, continuing with arena shows in the U.K., Europe, Australia and New Zealand this fall. He even teased "Draw You Out" itself for days beforehand, posting lyrics and videos across social media that had internet sleuths piecing the clues together before the official announcement. The Hunger Games slot is the kind of crossover that turns a big year into a defining one: 29 artists, one film, and Kahan's name first on the list.

The film it's scoring

Directed by Francis Lawrence and based on Suzanne Collins' novel, Sunrise on the Reaping follows 16-year-old Haymitch Abernathy — played by Joseph Zada — during the 50th Annual Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell. Set 24 years before the events of the original Hunger Games, the film is a Haymitch origin story: the mentor the audience knows, before the arena broke him.

The cast around Zada is stacked: Mckenna Grace, Ralph Fiennes, Jesse Plemons, Glenn Close, Kieran Culkin, Elle Fanning, Maya Hawke, Whitney Peak and Kelvin Harrison Jr. all star. And the soundtrack lineage is heavyweight — Taylor Swift, Lorde, Coldplay, and Olivia Rodrigo have all contributed to previous Hunger Games soundtracks, which is the company Kahan is now keeping as the first name on this one.

A crowded week for new music

"Draw You Out" lands in the middle of a stacked release week — and Previously has been covering it from every angle. Victoria Monét's 22-track Frequency of Love is the week's big pop statement, Drake's HABIBTI FOMO edition adds four new tracks to his catalog, and Miranda Lambert's new MCA album Crisco rounds out the landscape. Kahan's Hunger Games single is the outlier — the only one of the week's releases built for a film that hasn't come out yet, with 28 more soundtrack artists still to be announced.