As soon as Knox heard an Ed Sheeran song, something clicked.

"When Multiply came out [in 2014]," he recalls, "I was like, 'Dude, I swear, if I learned how to play acoustic guitar, I feel like I could write songs like this."

Within the next few years, the pop singer/songwriter was following in Sheeran's footsteps, honing his songwriting skills and performing anywhere around his college town that would let him ("I played in a Jimmy John's, like, 15 times," he says with a laugh). But while the redheaded Ohioan struck an uncanny resemblance to the English superstar, Knox knew he was more than an Ed Sheeran impersonator — so he dropped out of school, and later moved to Nashville in 2019.

Ironically, the sound Knox would soon shape sounded nothing like his fellow ginger-haired singer. Growing up on the music of Fall Out Boy, Green Day and the All-American Rejects, Knox (whose birth name is Knox Morris) merged his pop-punk roots with the clever songwriting that first inspired him to pursue music. And now, he's a star in his own right.

Knox's knack for wordplay and catchy hooks has helped his career take shape in a way he never expected, from TikTok stardom to a deal with Atlantic Records — which happens to be home to Sheeran. Like his labelmate, Knox's humility and hard work has propelled him, but it's his upbeat pop-rock anthems that have kept fans coming back for more.

Knox's debut album, Going, Going, Gone, perfectly captures the essence of his artistry. Its 16 tracks are full of playful lyricism with relatable sentiments and touches of self-deprecating humor, topped off with bouncy melodies and soaring guitar riffs. No matter if he's talking about an ex who tainted all of his favorite things ("You Happened") or a girl who's "probably gonna ruin my life" ("The DJ"), he does so with an infectious energy and a smile.

With lyrics so personal, perhaps the most surprising part of Knox's story is that he didn't move to Music City to become an artist; he was ready to devote himself to the art of songwriting. But after he penned a song called "Sneakers" in 2022, he began to realize that the best person to sing his songs was himself.

Not only did "Sneakers" make the rounds on TikTok — with one video garnering nearly two million views overnight — but it caught the attention of one of Knox's favorite bands, pop-rock trio the Band Camino. Within two months of his first TikTok post, Knox was opening their sold-out shows of over 1,000 people.

"I was getting on stage being like, 'Hey, I'm Knox. I have one song out. None of you know who I am, but all of these songs come out in January. I hope you like them,'" he remembers, also noting alt-pop act Bilmuri's early support. "I know so many people that have had way bigger TikTok moments than I have ever had, but they can sell, like, 10 percent of the tickets that I can… That's where I got a real-life fan base."

By the summer of 2023, Knox was in full-fledged artist mode. He released his debut EP, How To Lose A Girl in 7 Songs, in February, and followed up with two pivotal releases: an acoustic version of his objective breakup track "Love Letter" and chant-along single "Not the 1975." While he still believes the former is the "best song I've ever written," the latter became his mainstream breakthrough.

Along with reaching No. 17 on Top 40 radio and racking up more than 32 million global streams to date, "Not The 1975" helped Knox check off more milestones throughout 2024, including his first headline tours and festival slots. But as his fan base continued to grow both in the live space and online, Knox slowly realized that the music he was making began to suffer.

"All of the songs that I put out last year… those were all supposed to be songs that were on the album," he admits. "I'm not saying those are bad songs. They're still a part of my live set, they are a part of me… But I just felt like, I'm making this hoping it goes viral." 

A turning point came with a racing track called "Pick Your Poison," which became the first release from Going, Going, Gone in January. "One of the videos did, like, 700,000 views, which is the most I've done in a year and a half," he says. "It's so crazy how that works, when you just focus on music you love."

The rest of the album is a mix of the themes Knox has always brought into his music — whether it's cheeky takes on love gone wrong ("Happy Ever After All"; "Going, Going, Gone"), vulnerable tales of heartbreak ("50/50"; "A Heart Still Breaks") or anthemic self-reflections ("Head First"; "Win Some, Lose Somebody"). And while Going, Going, Gone is an extension of what he's done from the start, Knox asserts that the album helped him truly find his groove.

"I'm confident in what they are… and I don't think I was capable of making anything better than what I made," he says. "I've already been working on some new stuff, and I'm like, s—, this is better," he adds with a laugh, "but I'm focused on Going, Going, Gone right now, so I'm gonna stay in the moment."

With his upcoming headlining tour plotted and his next project already in the works, Knox is excited to continue growing the success and the following he's built. At the same time, though, the 27-year-old is already envisioning life as a dad ("If I wasn't an artist, I would have a kid right now," he says), and his future as an artist — which may be a little more short-lived than his fans would hope.

"I'm not going to be 36 with kids singing 'Sneakers' on stage. It ain't happening," he quips. "So I'm going to enjoy this while I can. Then I'm going to go back to making music for others… I want to take everything that I've learned from this, and I want to teach people how to do it even better.

"I hope in the next six, seven years, however long it is, I can live out every dream that I've ever wanted," he continues. "But at the end of the day, with the exception of a stadium show, I've pretty much done all the things that I never even thought I would do."

Of all the mind-blowing moments thus far, some of the most meaningful have come from those who Knox admires most — from a DM from Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz to recognition by the lead singer of Hawthorne Heights. He's even met the man who helped start it all, Mr. Sheeran ("Him and I just talked about the Boston Celtics for 30 minutes," Knox recalls).

Whatever feats Going, Going, Gone brings, the singer/songwriter insists that he will always remember the starry-eyed kid that moved to Nashville hoping to make it in the music industry. And while it's not where he expected to be six years after his leap of faith, he's happily settled into being Knox the artist.

"It took a while, but it definitely is set in [that I'm an artist]. And honestly, it's the coolest s— ever," he says. "I swear, from the bottom of my heart, I did not see this coming. I feel like the universe has kind of gifted me this, and because of that, I take it so seriously... I'm never gonna take it for granted."