Noah Peters —The Singing Barber—is winning hearts on American Idol with his unique and charming chair-side manner. As his nickname suggests, Peters has made a career out of cutting people’s hair while putting on a concert. And it turns out that there is a beautiful yet heart-wrenching reason he fell into that job.
Before Noah took his chance on American Idol, he was dedicating his time to his former business, Rockridge Barbershop LLC in Grundy, Virginia. Cutting hair has been his dream since he was a child, and his wife, Kailee, urged him to make his dream a reality.
“When I was younger, I watched the barber pull money out of his pocket and thought that was going to be me one day,” he told ABC 5 in 2022.
Noah said he met his Kailee in a twist of fate. He spent part of his childhood in Chattanooga, TN, and he loved it. But when his dad got a job as a pastor in Grundy, Noah had to leave everything behind. He wasn’t happy about the change, but he met Kailee during his first day in town. And in an instant, everything felt right.
“God worked it out that I met my wife when I moved down here. The day I met her, I knew I was going to marry her,” he shared. “…She became my best friend, and we got married.”
Sadly, fate threw Noah Peters another hand after he and Kailee said, “I do.” Kailee was diagnosed with cancer, and she died only three months after their wedding.
Before Kailee’s passing, she made her new husband promise her one thing—that he would finally open his barbershop. In October 2021, he made good on his promise, and he incorporated his second dream of singing into the business.
“My whole life, I wanted to be a singer,” Noah admitted. ” My main thing is to have an atmosphere where people can come in and just enjoy themselves.”
Aside from the shave and a show, Noah Peters also gave his patrons a fun waiting room experience with ping-pong and cornhole.
Today, Noah is running a new shop in Benton, TN, where he is the only barber. So, his customers will have to go out of town to keep their hair trimmed while Noah tries to become the next winner of American Idol.
As Noah Peters sings his heart out on the show, he will keep his wife close to his heart—because she gave him the drive and courage to live all of his dreams, and she will forever be his muse.
“I know she’s watching,” he told ABC. “And that’s why I keep going.”
Watch his performance:
You can find the source of this story’s featured image here.
Want to be happier in just 5 minutes a day? Sign up for Morning Smile and join over 455,000+ people who start each day with good news.