In an era of music that's driven by social media, many artists fear the negative connotations of online stardom. Alex Warren, on the other hand, embraces his status as TikTok's next pop phenom.

Born Alex Warren Hughes, the Carlsbad, Calif., native knew from an early age he wanted to become a musician. However, those around him encouraged him towards a more conventional path.

"Everyone gave me s— for not having a plan B, but there was no choice. It was either do this or be homeless," Warren candidly shared in an interview with Netflix. While his conviction did actually result in a homeless period, he never lost sight of his dreams. "I [was] like, 'I know I'm going to do this.' It was a feeling I had. I don't know if it was manifestation. I don't know if I believe in any of that s—. I just knew that I was going to do this."

There were ups and downs. By 21, Warren had lost both his parents. Simultaneously, he went from having a negative balance in his bank account to joining the upper echelon of social media's elite and marrying his best friend. Now 24, he's accepting of the low points because, ultimately, they brought him the life he'd always envisioned.

In 2021, Warren took the leap of faith and released his first single, "One More I Love You," followed by tracks "Screaming Underwater" and "Remember Me Happy." It later cultivated to "Chasing Shadows," which would appear on his first EP, You'll Be Alright, Kid (Chapter 1). Though Warren didn't find mainstream success until he unveiled "Ordinary" in February 2025, the song would almost instantly change his life.

As of press time, "Ordinary" has reached No. 1 in more than 20 countries, including the U.S.'s all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart — where it held the top spot for six weeks, beating out the likes of Drake and Morgan Wallen. In the U.K., "Ordinary" spent 12 consecutive weeks at No. 1, marking the longest running chart-topper in the U.K. by a U.S. male solo act and the longest running No. 1 of the 2020s; in Australia, the song tallies 16 weeks at No. 1, the third longest streak in ARIA chart history.

Still, "Ordinary" is only the beginning of Warren's story; his anticipated debut studio album, You'll Be Alright, Kid, arrived July 18. An extension of the breakout star's 2024 EP of the same name, the 21-track anthology contains 11 new songs, including a feature with Jelly Roll ("Bloodline") and ROSÉ of BLACKPINK ("On My Mind") — further solidifying his status as pop's newest sensation.

Even with his sudden success, Warren humbly suggests his artistry isn't any different than your run-of-the-mill singer/songwriter. "I think my music stands out just for how real it is," he told Boston University. But it's clear his raw vulnerability — about everything from his tumultuous childhood to his transformative relationship with his wife — has impacted audiences globally.

On the heels of Warren's album release, GRAMMY.com uncovers six things you should know about the anything but "Ordinary" singer.

He Got His Start In The Viral TikTok Hype House

Before Alex Warren became a bestselling musician, he was a founding member of the TikTok collective Hype House alongside Addison Rae and Chase Hudson, who have also made forays into music. While many of its creators opted for dance videos, Warren's content primarily consisted of pranks, occasionally teasing his singing skills with covers. Within a year, he grew his platform to 10 million followers on TikTok and currently boasts nearly 20 million on the platform.

The singer/songwriter didn't graduate from high school, but considers his social media stardom his "college experience" of self-discovery and independence. "That's what I did when I was 19. I wouldn't be here without that time in my life," he revealed in an interview with The Guardian.

Although Warren had already made his mark with his online skits, it took a bit of encouragement for him to pursue his musical dreams. "I was doing a podcast with Logan Paul, and I told him my whole story, and at the end of the podcast, he cut me off and goes, 'Why don't you tell people about this?'" Warren explained to HITS Daily Double. "Logan was so right. These are songs and stories people need to hear, people who feel like they're alone and no one understands what they're going through."

He's Big On BookTok

While Warren's "Ordinary" is exploding across radio stations and soundtracking weddings, another community is highly responsible for its success: the TikTok book community, commonly referred to as "BookTok." The song has been used in thousands of fan videos, namely of Sarah J. Maas's A Court of Thorns and Roses and Rebecca Yarros' Fourth Wing.

On Jan. 24, Warren posted a video purchasing the popular series using the caption, "BookTok is blowing up my favorite song, so I'm buying my first book ever." He later fueled rumors asking Yarros to include "Ordinary" in the Fourth Wing adaptation — and with a Fourth Wing television series in development with Amazon Prime and Michael B. Jordan's Outlier Society, it might soon become a reality.

Music Was Therapy For His Tense Family Dynamic

Warren has been very outspoken about the influential relationship between him and his father, who passed away from kidney cancer when he was 9. Before Warren had completed elementary school, his father introduced him to artists like Coldplay, Linkin Park and Train, and later gifted him a Fender guitar.

"I just remember every morning my dad would throw in that [Coldplay] CD, and we would listen to that all the time in the car," Warren told Headliner Hub. "That was the coolest thing, being able to appreciate that type of music at a really young age."

Shortly after his father passed, Warren's mother spiraled into alcoholism, taking her distress out on him. At 18, she kicked him out of the house, and he survived sleeping in his friends' cars. Though it was "freeing" to be away from the abuse, as he confessed to the BBC, he had to unlearn the toxicity and found healing in songwriting.

"You couldn't take singing away from me. I always had a negative connotation with therapy growing up, but when I sit in front of a piano and write melodies about the things I'm going through, it's almost as if you're speaking them out loud," Warren added to Headliner Hub. 

He detailed his complicated and formative upbringing in songs like "You'll Be Alright, Kid," which also inspired the title for his latest project. "I wish I had the number to my younger self/ I'd pick up the phone and say, 'You're only twelve/ And you've lost more than most people do/ You don't know it now, but there's still more to lose,'" he sings in the opening line.

His Wife Has Been Along For The Entire Ride, Literally And Figuratively

When Warren was homeless, he met his now-wife, Kouvr Annon, on Snapchat. After a few short months together, Annon moved from her home in Hawaii to live in a car with Warren in Carlsbad. Four years later, the couple got engaged in 2022 and married in June 2024.

Annon has been a muse for Warren's music, inspiring and starring in the music video for "Ordinary": "The angels up in the clouds are jealous, knowing we found/ Something so out of the ordinary/ You got me kissing the ground of your sanctuary."

"[My producer, co-writer and I] wrote that record about my relationship with my wife, Kovur," he said to HITS Daily Double. "I think it's rare today to find true love, with phones and social media and all these different things. And so we wrote 'Ordinary' about how love is falling out, but we found something crazy."

Their bond is also the subject of Warren's songs "Carry You Home," "Everything" and "The Outside," all of which appear on You'll Be Alright, Kid.

His Songwriting Is Heavily Inspired By His Relationship With God

With lyrics like "Shatter me with your touch, oh Lord, return me to dust" ("Ordinary") and "Hope you're proud of what you see/ Watching with the angels" ("Save You a Seat"), it's no surprise that Warren has a few religious influences. However, he makes it clear his music isn't purely within the Christian genre.

"We take a lot of Biblical references and were inspired a lot by worship music," he commented in an interview with Official Charts. "I'm not writing about God, I'm just giving perspective that everyone can digest."

Warren has identified as Catholic for most of his life. While his relationship with God has been rocky, he ultimately found strength through faith.

"After losing my dad, I constantly questioned a God that would take him from me. After watching my mom drink herself to death, I truly questioned things again. But as time has gone on, I realized that the things I have endured led me to where I am today," he said to Variety. "I love my life and also love my God, and I thank my religion because I'm able to, in my opinion, keep my parents close to me through all of this."

His (Famous) Friends Are Reminding Him To Enjoy His Whirlwind Career

Beyond his social media peers, Warren has a very close friend group that includes Benson Boone, who has offered life-changing advice about the touring lifestyle.

"He's been my friend for four years now, and he was saying, 'Don't get sleep, go on a Lime scooter and explore,'" Warren shared in his conversation with Official Charts. Like Boone, Warren is still in his early twenties — so while he's still young, he's preferring to make memories around the world instead of worrying too much about his physical health while performing.

When he's working on a song, Warren says "Benny" is one of the first to give an opinion on his music and vice versa. As he told HITS Daily Double, he was one of the first to hear Boone's "Beautiful Things" and still listens to some of the older versions of the Best New Artist nominee's tracks on his phone.

And Warren is also open to being a helping hand to other budding artists: "I'm blessed to be friends with amazing musicians like Myles Smith and Daniel Seavey, and I want to do anything I can to help them," he added.

His Tour Is In High Demand

A few weeks after releasing "Ordinary," Warren launched his Cheaper Than Therapy Global Tour, which first hit Europe and then North America — and it's far from over.  

After stops at Lollapalooza and Osheaga festivals, Warren will kick off another round of the Cheaper Than Therapy Tour with a hometown arena show on Aug. 9. In fact, his rapidly growing success has upgraded this leg of the tour from theaters to arenas and amphitheaters; he'll hit 15 more cities in the U.S., seven cities in Australia and New Zealand, and a few festivals in Canada through Oct. 15.

Head to Warren's official website for tickets to catch the extra-"Ordinary" experience live in person.