- 7/3/2025
In the latest episode of Billboard’s Takes Us Out, Hot 100 chart-topper Alex Warren joins Twitch streamer QTCinderella for a meal at his favorite restaurant, In-N-Out. The two discuss everything from the success of his No. 1 single “Ordinary” to “mogging” Ed Sheeran and why his dream collab is Billie Eilish. Plus, Alex gets honest about industry plant rumors, how online hate has taken a toll on his mental health and how grief and loss has led him to where he is today.
What’s your favorite Alex Warren song? Drop it in the comments!
What’s your favorite Alex Warren song? Drop it in the comments!
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MusicTranscript
00:00What is Mogged?
00:00What?
00:01What does Mogged mean?
00:02No.
00:03You're younger than me and more hip than me.
00:05I don't know what Mogged is.
00:05You don't know Mogged is?
00:06What does it mean?
00:07M-O-G-G-E-D?
00:09Yeah, there you go.
00:09What does it mean?
00:10Are you pretending?
00:11I swear on my life, if this was a Jeopardy question,
00:15I would really leave it for us.
00:17Welcome to my home.
00:18Thank you very much.
00:19How are you?
00:20Nice to meet you.
00:20Nice to meet you as well.
00:22Cutie.
00:23Alex, I've never been to In-N-Out at 9 a.m.
00:25No, me neither.
00:30Wilson, nice to meet you.
00:32Nice to meet you guys too.
00:33How are we doing today?
00:34Not too bad, how are you?
00:35Pretty good, thanks.
00:36I should do a cheeseburger, no sauce, animal style, no sauce,
00:41and then a vanilla shake.
00:42Oh, yeah.
00:43Would you like any fries with that?
00:44Animal style fries, no sauce though.
00:46No sauce?
00:47Yeah.
00:48Wait, what?
00:49Animal style, no sauce?
00:50No sauce.
00:51Okay.
00:52It's a cheese fries.
00:53It's a cheese fries.
00:54Could I please do a double-double with no cheese, no tomato,
00:59add chopped chilies.
01:00Burger well done.
01:01Well done.
01:02Fun action toast.
01:03Fun action toast.
01:04Oh my gosh.
01:05Sorry.
01:06Good, good.
01:07Good, good.
01:08Would you like onion toast?
01:09Yes, please.
01:10Can I have a whole grilled onion please too?
01:11Whole grilled onion.
01:12Thank you so much.
01:13Nice to meet you, Wilson.
01:14Thank you guys.
01:16We have a lovely table over here.
01:17I love Wilson.
01:20Hey guys, it's Cutie Cinderella and I'm here with Alex Warren.
01:22And where are we?
01:23We are in In-N-Out right now.
01:24I'm happy I asked.
01:26How would have I known?
01:28Why are we here?
01:29It's my favorite place in the whole world.
01:32I never do drive-through.
01:33I always have to sit at In-N-Out.
01:34Really?
01:35Yeah, it's nostalgic for me.
01:36How do you have time for that?
01:37I make time.
01:38When was the last time you were at In-N-Out?
01:39On tour.
01:40I stopped on tour a lot to go to In-N-Out.
01:42Okay.
01:43Probably a few weeks ago.
01:44How's tour been?
01:45It's been fun.
01:46It's been a lot of countries, which is strange.
01:48Yeah?
01:49Yeah, like I read something that Beyonce said.
01:51She's like, I went to Paris three times before I've been to Paris.
01:54I've been traveling everywhere, but I really haven't gotten to see anything.
01:57Yeah.
01:58So it kind of feels like a time machine.
02:00You go play a show, you wake up in a new country every day or a new state,
02:03and you're kind of just like, what the heck just happened?
02:05Go over your order one more time.
02:06Okay, this is just bullying at this point.
02:08No, I know, but you set yourself up.
02:09It's a burger well done, bun extra toasted, add chopped chilies, no cheese, no tomato,
02:13add a whole grilled onion, and if you're feeling really saucy, go animal style with the sauce.
02:18A whole grilled onion?
02:20Is that like a whole onion?
02:22Yeah.
02:23That feels like a lot of onion.
02:24Really?
02:25Yeah, no, a whole?
02:26It's great for you.
02:27Okay.
02:28I think so.
02:29Okay.
02:30Well, since we're here, I think it's time.
02:32We have to.
02:35It's spelled right.
02:36So, California boy.
02:37How long are you even doing this?
02:38Oh, wow, this?
02:39Yep, tables have turned now.
02:40Don't do that.
02:41Sorry.
02:42This is my first day.
02:43How long have you been eating In-N-Out?
02:44Too long.
02:45Really?
02:46It's way too fucking long.
02:47When I was homeless, I knew a hack where it was like $3.60 for a burger or something,
02:52and so I would come here and get a burger and fries and a water cup and put soda in it.
02:57I was going to ask you homeless hacks.
02:59Statue of limitations have now gone up, so I can talk about it.
03:02Okay.
03:03The water cups got filled with Diet Coke every day.
03:05Every day.
03:06But it was $4.75 for a meal or like $3.75, something crazy like that.
03:10Yeah.
03:11And I would come here every day.
03:12I would borrow money from my friend Calvin.
03:14Shout out Calvin.
03:15Yeah, shout out Calvin because he's part of my addiction.
03:18So what are your homeless hacks?
03:20Get tinted windows for sure if you're sleeping in a car.
03:22Okay.
03:23Because that is a little weird when you sleep in a parking lot and someone's knocking on your window at 8 a.m.
03:27Do you have like a personal favorite In-N-Out story?
03:29When we would surf and do competitions, we would go to In-N-Out right after.
03:33And I feel like that's just like a lot of people talk shit because it's like my favorite food.
03:37It's, you know, Deathbed had to have one meal.
03:39It'd be an In-N-Out burger.
03:40So I feel like it's just like the memories.
03:42Every time I eat the burger, it's the same every time.
03:44I've never had it differently.
03:45And I feel like that's like you just bite into nostalgia.
03:48Yeah.
03:49It's kind of like that one consistent thing in your life because it feels like your life has changed a lot.
03:53Yeah.
03:54Yeah.
03:55I know it, sister.
03:56Apparently you're not homeless anymore.
03:57Not anymore.
03:58Apparently not.
03:59Yeah.
04:00Apparently you've got like a crazy song.
04:01I'm here to tell you about your life.
04:02Are you ready for this?
04:03Please tell me.
04:04Okay.
04:05Did you know that your song Ordinary has had a really good year?
04:07Did you know that?
04:08Tell me about it.
04:09I will!
04:16It reached number one.
04:17Yeah.
04:18On Hot 100.
04:19And that felt...
04:20What'd you do?
04:21I didn't do anything, actually.
04:22It doesn't feel real.
04:23Really?
04:24I think it's all just the industry plant.
04:27You know, the way that we've been ripping it, you know?
04:29Yeah.
04:30Just having fun.
04:31So you're coming clean right now?
04:32You're an industry plant?
04:33Sure.
04:34I knew it.
04:35This is the hard-hitting research.
04:36Okay.
04:37You were the first artist to have their first Hot 100 charting song reached number one since Teddy Swim's Lose Control.
04:43Oh, really?
04:44Yeah.
04:45Oh, cool!
04:46I...
04:47Yes!
04:48That's awesome!
04:49I don't pay attention to any of these things.
04:50Okay.
04:51This is your celebration, then.
04:52Okay.
04:53Okay.
04:54It was number one for 12 weeks on the UK's official singles chart and the longest-running number
04:56one of the 2020s in the UK, passing Ed Sheeran's Bad Habits.
05:01Holy cow.
05:02Get Mogged, Ed.
05:03What is Mogged?
05:04What?
05:05What does Mogged mean?
05:06No.
05:07You're younger than me and more hip than me.
05:09I don't know what Mogged is.
05:10You don't know Mogged is?
05:11What does it mean?
05:12M-O-G-G-E-D?
05:13Yeah, there you go.
05:14What does it mean?
05:15Are you pretending?
05:16I swear on my life, if this was a Jeopardy question, I would really lose it for us.
05:21It's like when someone's cooler than somebody.
05:24Oh, cool.
05:25And you go like this.
05:26You go...
05:27Oh, so I'd never do that?
05:28The this?
05:29I'd like to prove you have a jawline or something.
05:31Well, I don't have one of those, so that's...
05:32Yeah, so you've never...
05:33Well, congrats, because you Mogged Ed, which is a big deal.
05:37I'll tell him.
05:38Yeah, next time you see him.
05:39I'll tell him my jawline.
05:40Actually, no, that dude's been losing weight.
05:41He looks good.
05:42Are you on your weight loss journey?
05:43Yeah, I mean, Zempick didn't work, so I don't know.
05:45I'm pretty out.
05:46Really?
05:47And I keep eating in and out.
05:48Yeah.
05:49You only got a burger.
05:50You didn't get a price.
05:51There we go.
05:52Or a shake.
05:53Yeah.
05:54Because it's 8am.
05:55I thought you were gonna do a normal order, so I was like, I gotta match his energy.
05:58No, it'll be fine.
05:59Sorry.
06:00It'll be fine.
06:01No, but I put like 8 things on my burger.
06:02It's the same thing.
06:03You know what you did.
06:04I'm sorry.
06:05You know what you've done here.
06:06You have a wife.
06:07Yeah.
06:08You know how it goes.
06:09Yeah.
06:10If she wants a sweet treat, what does that mean to you?
06:11It means I have to take her to get the sweet treat and also get a sweet treat.
06:13Yes.
06:14Yep, yep.
06:15I figured these things out.
06:16That's a man with a wife.
06:18Thank you, Wilson.
06:19Appreciate you.
06:20Thank you, Wilson.
06:22It's also currently number one on both the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excluding
06:28U.S. charts.
06:29Do you know how many number ones you've got right now?
06:31I have no idea.
06:32It feels like a lot.
06:33I'm starting to get the gist of that.
06:34Yeah.
06:35And I'm terrified because Stan Twitter is going to come after me.
06:38Do they do that?
06:39I feel like they would, right?
06:41Why?
06:42Because he's humble?
06:43No, because I'm not Lady Gaga.
06:47Okay.
06:48Maybe.
06:49Right?
06:50Because if you mog Lady Gaga, they'll be mad.
06:51Stop with the mog.
06:52There's no way.
06:53Is that actually a thing?
06:54It's a real word.
06:55I promise.
06:56Okay.
06:57This is like when you're with a friend and they're trying to make a word happen.
06:59No, I'm not trying to make a word happen.
07:01Let's mog everyone.
07:02This isn't my word.
07:03In and out at 9am.
07:04I don't even know where I got it.
07:05I picked it up from the youths.
07:06Really?
07:07Yeah.
07:08Wait, how old are you?
07:09Don't say that.
07:10Sorry, is that rude?
07:11How dare you?
07:12My bad.
07:13I'm telling your wife.
07:14Fuck.
07:15I'm telling her you said that.
07:16I'm sad you didn't bring her.
07:17Respectfully.
07:18So how did you two meet?
07:19Through a friend, actually, funny enough.
07:20What?
07:21Social media, yeah.
07:22That's lucky.
07:23I know, right?
07:24You met when you were 17?
07:25I just turned 18.
07:26So we met November of 2019.
07:28So I was 18 turning 19.
07:30The song, The Ordinary, is super special because you wrote it about her, right?
07:33Yeah, I wrote it about her story.
07:34I got lucky and I met my wife at a young age and we went through a lot of shit together.
07:39So Ordinary is about anything but.
07:41Our relationship is nothing but out of the ordinary.
07:43Yeah.
07:44It's out of the ordinary.
07:45That's nice.
07:46Yeah.
07:47When did you first play it for?
07:48I played, I have this thing where, the problem is when I write songs, my wife hears them through
07:52the walls.
07:53Oh.
07:54So she hears all, and those choir, the choir in all my records, just me and my friends.
07:57Oh really?
07:58Yeah, so for me.
07:59I thought you were working with like the MoTab.
08:00So for an hour and a half, it's just me and my friends making noises.
08:04Oh.
08:05And so by the end of it, she's heard the song in every variation, every voice crack, me
08:09learning the song, the stupid verses that we have and then we fix them.
08:13By the end of it, she's like, wow, honey, super nice.
08:16Super nice.
08:17She's like, you could turn it off, please.
08:19But that one actually funny enough, she was super into it.
08:21She loved it.
08:22Is that one you know?
08:23You're like, this is going to be the one.
08:24Because she hears it for hours and days and days and days to the point where it's like,
08:27it's not fun anymore.
08:28I think it loses its love when you know how it's made, I guess.
08:31But for her, she heard it and she's like, holy cow.
08:33Like, this is insane.
08:34Oh, here we go.
08:35Oh, Wilson, welcome.
08:36Hi, Wilson.
08:37Thanks so much.
08:38Yeah.
08:39Oh, thank you.
08:40This is awesome.
08:41Wow.
08:42Thank you so much, sir.
08:43Thank goodness he brought you fries, too.
08:44I know.
08:45The problem is when there's fries, I can't stop eating them.
08:47It's like a problem I have.
08:49No, that's fine.
08:50Oh, those were made with love.
08:51The fries?
08:52Mm-hmm.
08:53Wilson did tell me that he loved you.
08:55I told me I wasn't going to eat this in the morning.
08:57I wasn't actually going to down all this food.
08:58I'm not even kidding.
08:59Why wouldn't you eat it?
09:00Um, it's eight in the morning.
09:01Really?
09:02Yeah.
09:03That's a problem.
09:04For you?
09:05How many songs over your career do you think you've written for her?
09:09You know what's so funny?
09:10I didn't write, I didn't, I started my career writing songs about my, my parents passed away
09:13when I was a kid.
09:14And so like, I would write them about that.
09:15Dead Mom Club.
09:16Oh fuck no way, really?
09:17Yeah.
09:18Oh hell yeah.
09:19Yeah, trauma bonded.
09:20Woo woo.
09:21Yeah, we do great on Mother's Day, you and I.
09:22Yeah.
09:23Oh my god, it's so fun.
09:24Mm-hmm.
09:25We just make people feel really bad about themselves for having a loving relationship with their parents.
09:27Oh yeah, yeah.
09:28Anyway, sorry about that.
09:29Okay.
09:30So you usually write about trauma.
09:31Write songs about trauma and I could never write a happy song and it always came out cringe,
09:34kind of just like, you know, you're my baby.
09:35Yeah.
09:36Yeah.
09:37What's that about?
09:38Yeah, I see what you're saying.
09:39And then I wrote Carry You Home.
09:47And so I've actually written about my, I've only written three songs about her.
09:50Okay.
09:51Yeah.
09:52So the journey you've had to get to this point in your life.
09:53Yeah.
09:54A little kooky crazy.
09:55Sure.
09:56But you've been really open about your childhood and loss and the loss of your parents living
09:59in your car.
10:00But how do you think these challenges have helped shape you?
10:02I heard you talking shit, admittedly, in an interview about rich kids.
10:05Yeah.
10:06And I thought that was funny.
10:07Are you a rich kid?
10:08No.
10:09No, it's fine.
10:10We could go band for band on food stamps if you want.
10:12What's on them?
10:13Yeah.
10:14The school lunches where you have to enter the code.
10:16Oh, absolutely.
10:17Yes.
10:18Yes.
10:19I loved it.
10:20What about rich kids?
10:21You don't like them.
10:22But how do you think challenges that you face have prepared you for where you are today?
10:26I don't know.
10:27I think, honest to God, I think I've just, you know, I think I can just handle a lot of
10:32the shit I go through.
10:33Yeah.
10:34I think it's weird where, I feel like it's a very unique position where I go to play a show,
10:38and I think there's a lot of people rooting against me.
10:41Right.
10:42Yeah.
10:43And I think that's something really interesting that I can handle that because I don't think
10:46my life, I've watched my parents die and I've been homeless.
10:48I don't know how much worse you could experience life.
10:51You're like, hit me with your best shot.
10:52Right.
10:53No, but that's what I'm saying.
10:54So it's like, I feel like with those things, it's very minute, like the things that I have
10:57to go through.
10:58But also as this goes on and how I've been very able, I've been very lucky to be able
11:01to have the success I've had.
11:02And I've been where I have no money and I've now been able to be blessed enough to make
11:05some.
11:06And I think that's really interesting from being on both sides of the coin is I'm able to have,
11:09especially when I write music.
11:10Yeah.
11:11I think I can write music for everyone.
11:12Yeah.
11:13Because I've been on both sides.
11:14I've now been able to find some success and do really well for myself and my wife.
11:18And I've also been able to not have any money and not knowing how I was going to feed my
11:23wife.
11:24Yeah.
11:25So I think I've been on both sides to be able to have a, when you write a song, you want
11:28it to apply to as many people as possible.
11:30And so I've been able to really do that.
11:31It is interesting because I think what you're doing that maybe you, I don't know if you'd give
11:35yourself credit for, but you're giving a lot of people the words that they don't
11:38know how to say.
11:39Sure.
11:40It's really incredible, especially for people who have gone through loss and haven't had
11:42the ability to like process a lot of that.
11:44It's really difficult to process.
11:45Yeah.
11:46So when you lose someone and I think you can relate to this too, is a lot of people want
11:49to forget.
11:50And so I think it's really important.
11:51Also, I say this a lot is you're surrounded by so many people, but you feel so alone.
11:54I think there's a lot of people offering sympathy and emotions, but they don't understand
11:58that feelings.
11:59And I think with these songs, it's done a lot to bring people together, but also give those
12:03people who haven't had time to process the means to understand it.
12:06I think you have a dark sense of humor.
12:15Oh, for sure.
12:16I also do.
12:17And I think one of the reasons that you talk about stuff the way you do is because the more
12:21you talk about it, no matter what context, it helps.
12:23It's also like dancing at a funeral.
12:24Yeah.
12:25It's almost like powerful where if you're sitting here moping around all the time with
12:28the things that you've lost, I think it's more powerful to make something beautiful out
12:31of it.
12:32Yeah.
12:33You said something, you kind of just touched on it there, but you've said it in a past
12:35interview where you said growing up on the internet, which you did.
12:39I did.
12:40You see how everybody wants you to be shit, essentially.
12:43Yeah.
12:44You see how everybody wants you to fail.
12:45Sure.
12:46Where does that come from?
12:47Yeah.
12:48I mean, I think everyone's just consistently being put in a box.
12:52Yeah.
12:53I think when, you know, back in the day when people would leave Disney Channel and go do
12:56music, I think it was like, oh, they're just a, they're a teen actor.
12:59Why are they trying to do music?
13:00What the frick do they know?
13:01Yeah.
13:02But I think it's, it's justified.
13:03I think a lot of, a lot of people from social media went to go try music.
13:06And I think a lot of them were, were cocky about it.
13:09I don't want to come into this space and just be like, I'm the shit.
13:11You know, it's like, I've really put in time working for it.
13:13But also I think, again, there's just fandoms where like if I pass someone on the chart that
13:17is their favorite, you know, it's their idol.
13:19Yeah.
13:20I can understand why they'd be upset about it and try to find reasons.
13:23They have to find a reason.
13:24Although they'd be like, oh, he's an industry plan.
13:25Oh, he pays for his streams.
13:26Oh, he did it.
13:27Yeah.
13:28Instead of being like, oh, maybe this guy's kind of good.
13:29Maybe this song is actually kind of nice.
13:30Maybe people like it.
13:31This is a bop.
13:32But I think that's the thing is like, I think the loudest people on the internet and the people
13:35who get the most attention are people who are hating.
13:36And so it's influencing them to be even meaner.
13:38How do you stay centered with your crazy schedule in the current state of the world?
13:42Because you've been really open with your mental health struggles.
13:44Sure.
13:45Which I think is like extra special for men too.
13:46Like I do think a lot of men look up to you in the way you're able to articulate and vocalize these things.
13:50How are you able to stay consistent and centered and not lose yourself?
13:53It really has taken a toll on me.
13:54I think this is all I've ever wanted.
13:56But then also on top of it, it is, as much as what I talk about here, at a certain point,
14:02when so many people are telling you you're shit, it does get to you for sure.
14:05Yeah, of course.
14:06So I think, yeah, it's a lot of that and it's also growing up I would read these articles
14:10or I would see these videos on the internet and just believe them because it's like, how
14:13could that not be true?
14:14Yeah.
14:15And now that I'm at this position, I'll wake up one morning and someone makes a video about
14:18me saying these things so confidently and I'm like, am I learning something about myself
14:21right now?
14:22How is this happening?
14:23And so it's really interesting.
14:24I think it's really important to have people around you that love you but also know you.
14:28And I think it's super interesting on the internet is everyone pretends like they know everything
14:31and they see something or they make something up and everyone believes it.
14:34One video goes up about me that might not be true.
14:36Yeah.
14:37And everyone's commenting, oh, he does this, he does that.
14:39And I'm like, what happened?
14:40Yeah.
14:41How did this happen?
14:42What happened to fact checking?
14:43It's very interesting because it's human nature to defend yourself.
14:45Yeah.
14:46So how do you stop yourself?
14:47Oh my God.
14:48Do you?
14:49And I'm just like, it's just not a good idea.
14:50Yeah.
14:51It's just truly, it's like no matter what.
14:52I heard Alex stole candy from a baby.
14:54Yeah.
14:55And it happened twice.
14:56Oh.
14:57And I haven't done it since.
14:58And it was only two years ago.
14:59This is why you ask.
15:00No, but truly, the more I realize I'm not going to make everyone happy.
15:02Mm-hmm.
15:03My music's meant for certain people.
15:04Yeah.
15:05I'm not going to win over many people's fans and that's okay.
15:07Yeah.
15:08And I think I just have to accept the fact that my music, the people who love my music, it's
15:11what it is.
15:12Oh, they love it.
15:13And I don't know, I'm such a people pleaser and so it's such a weird thing I have to like navigate
15:18Yeah.
15:19Great idea.
15:20That's honestly perfect.
15:21Just remove it.
15:22You were famously.
15:23Oh God.
15:24A part of a TikTok group.
15:25How do you think being a part of that viral group?
15:27Yeah.
15:28Helped you today?
15:29Because this is what's interesting is I think sometimes it's harder.
15:31Yeah.
15:32Once you're known for a certain thing to kind of break out and do what you've done.
15:36I agree with you.
15:37I think honestly, it's funny cause I was 19 years old when we started that and I, it was
15:42like my college years.
15:43And I think for who I was back then, I liked the fact that it was all filmed.
15:46I look back and I'm like, okay, that was me during my college years.
15:49We got out of it when we were 23.
15:51It was like the exact years of someone going to college.
15:53And I think if any, anyone watching whose college years were publicized on Netflix,
15:58probably wouldn't be loving that.
16:00Yeah.
16:01And so I think that's the thing is I look back on it and I'm so happy for all the experiences.
16:05It got me out of homelessness and my wife and I, you know, looking back, I've become
16:09a better husband because of all those things.
16:10Yeah.
16:11And it's just been a moment where it helps me become a better person.
16:14But music wise, definitely pretty difficult.
16:16Yeah, hard.
16:17Cause everyone's like, this guy who wrote this song, this number one song is from the content
16:22house.
16:23Yeah.
16:24So it's just, it's definitely like shaping, but I think in five years, no one's going
16:26to think about it.
16:27Nope.
16:28I don't think so either.
16:29Hopefully.
16:30How has it been like, since you've kind of blown up, have past members like reached out
16:32and congratulated you?
16:33Yeah.
16:34That's awesome.
16:35I went to dinner with a few of them, like a few weeks ago, even like some doing music
16:39now.
16:40And we just, we fully have just sat down and like, just been able to like, it's so kind.
16:43And I'm friends with a lot of them.
16:45Yeah.
16:46And like, we've been really, really close and it's just, we text each other.
16:48Sometimes we have a group chat and just, yeah, it's really cool.
16:51Well, we are to eat now.
16:53You should try mine.
16:54Actually wait, you don't like sauce.
16:55No, it has the sauce.
16:56You don't like sauce.
16:57It's the sauce.
16:58See how, see the bun?
16:59See how it's like crispier?
17:00Look at yours.
17:01Yeah.
17:02Okay.
17:03Three, two, one, go.
17:06I don't care what day I am.
17:07That shit fucks.
17:08That's awesome.
17:09Your new album is coming out.
17:10You'll be all right, kid.
17:11July 18th, right?
17:12Yeah.
17:13It's kind of a continuation of your previous album.
17:14Mm-hmm.
17:15Yeah?
17:16Okay.
17:17I took the biggest fucking bite in the world.
17:18I'm still chilling.
17:19Why did you want to continue this?
17:20Like, era?
17:21Like, it feels like you're kind of just like, uh, it's like when Lord of
17:24Rings came out with like the director's cut.
17:26Well, the first one did so well.
17:27I really don't want to go downhill.
17:28Okay.
17:29So really just sticking onto it.
17:30Um, it's like when a sequel and there's like four versions of it.
17:32And they're like, they don't know when to stop.
17:34That's kind of what I'm running into there.
17:35Um, but I think it's really cool.
17:36The first half is all the songs I wrote leading up to this point.
17:39And the second half, which is coming out now, is me trying different sounds.
17:42And it's almost like two different albums, but.
17:44Interesting.
17:45And the question I got a lot of times when I would do these things is,
17:47what would you say to your younger self?
17:49You know, the person going through, who had just lost his parents.
17:51Or, and I feel like you got that question a lot too, is as you've been able to find success.
17:54Like, what would you say to the person who had just lost their mom?
17:57And I got that question so much and I didn't have an answer.
17:59And so when I went to write music, I really wanted to put together a project.
18:02And it's insufferable.
18:03It's 21 songs.
18:04Oh boy.
18:05Here we go.
18:06I know.
18:07Yeah.
18:08Yeah, I'm sorry.
18:09Sorry everybody.
18:10Hate to be that guy.
18:11No, we're excited for it.
18:12I love the idea of like if someone says, what would you say to your younger self?
18:14I have a song, but also an album to show this is who Alex Warren is, you know?
18:18It sounds like I'm going to cry when I listen to it.
18:20Only a few times.
18:21And your collab with Jelly Roll on Bloodline.
18:29How did that come to be?
18:30Do you guys just like DM each other?
18:31So I had written that song for a DJ.
18:33Oh, what?
18:34Yeah.
18:35They asked for like a summertime like dancey song.
18:37Okay.
18:38And I suck at writing happy songs that aren't about my wife.
18:40Yeah.
18:41So I wrote that about my brother and then just put a cool beat behind it.
18:44And yeah, so I had written that song.
18:47He passed on it.
18:48The, the DJ.
18:49And then I was like, I still want to put this out.
18:51I love the record.
18:52Yeah.
18:53Played for Jelly.
18:54He's my neighbor.
18:55Yeah.
18:56He lives down the street from me.
18:57Oh my gosh.
18:58And he loved it.
18:59What a weird world.
19:00And he has a garage studio.
19:01And so he just cut it that day and sent it back and we loved it.
19:04And we went forward with it.
19:05Crazy.
19:06I love learning about collabs, especially with music because it's always the weirdest thing.
19:09Always the weirdest.
19:10Like he's my neighbor.
19:11Yeah.
19:12Right.
19:13What's funny is like me, I live like around like all these people.
19:15Musicians like Teddy, Teddy and Noah Pahn and all of them all live like within a 10 minute
19:19drive of us.
19:20Oh my gosh.
19:21Yeah.
19:22How perfect.
19:23Yeah.
19:24That's a dream collab album right there.
19:25Right.
19:26That's incredible.
19:27Who's your dream collaboration specifically?
19:28You have to say it.
19:29You got to shout it out.
19:30You got to.
19:31Dream collab?
19:32Yes.
19:33If I had a collab with that person, I'd be like, my life's complete.
19:35Yeah.
19:36She's never going to do it.
19:37It's Billie Eilish.
19:38She'll never do it.
19:39Why?
19:40I just don't think it's like.
19:41Yeah, but she's like sad girl.
19:42Yeah.
19:43I, and I wrote this song.
19:44I think she sounded perfect on, but like, it's, it's just something where I just don't
19:47think it'll ever happen.
19:48Okay.
19:49Are you one of those people that like would rather think it's never going to happen?
19:52So you don't let yourself down?
19:53No, I truly believe it.
19:54Like if you gave me, if you said a thousand dollars, she does it or not.
19:56I would say no.
19:57A thousand.
19:58Sorry.
19:59Okay.
20:00You want a bigger number?
20:01Yes.
20:02My bad.
20:03If we're going to make the bet, we might as well go big.
20:04Okay, Billie, do it.
20:05I need a thousand bucks, please.
20:06Not going to happen.
20:07I could use that.
20:08Thank you, Billie.
20:09Nicely.
20:10How was performing with Ed in a bar?
20:11Oh my God.
20:12Dream.
20:13Yeah.
20:14Absolute dream.
20:15That was so fun.
20:16Ed is who I look up to the most in music and I think a lot of people can speak for that.
20:20It's just something so cool where I always wanted to meet him and to be able to be the
20:23first time I meet him, we play my song that I wrote is pretty cool.
20:26And how did that work?
20:27I don't even know.
20:28Really?
20:29I was, I was, I don't even know where I was.
20:32They flew me out to go to Coachella on the odd idea that this would happen.
20:37Yeah.
20:38I think it was my label and they were like, yeah, like Ed might do it.
20:40Like who knows?
20:41Blah, blah, blah.
20:42I pull up and I meet Ed right when I get out of the car and we just run into it.
20:45We just do it.
20:46Like there was no preparation.
20:47It was just, he learned it on the spot and we just did it.
20:49Yeah.
20:50And now we email.
20:51He's a sweetheart and he helps me through a lot of stuff.
20:53That is so funny.
20:54I've only ever heard amazing things about him.
20:56Because there is only amazing things about him.
20:57Yeah.
20:58I don't know if anyone has anything we should know about Ed.
21:01He's so sweet.
21:02All the people I've collabed with so far have been absolute like angels.
21:04Yeah.
21:05Yeah.
21:06How incredible.
21:07What collabs are you, can you leak any collabs that are coming up on the new album?
21:09Yeah.
21:10I have a Rose record that I'm doing.
21:11Congratulations.
21:12Thanks so much.
21:13How cool.
21:14I'm excited for that.
21:15So rad.
21:21Do you ever get like nervous releasing a song because it's so vulnerable?
21:24No.
21:25Not because it's so vulnerable.
21:26Really?
21:27Okay.
21:28Yeah.
21:29I'm a little too open and my wife is like, okay, you got to keep some shit private.
21:32Yeah, I understand.
21:33But like, I truly just think I grew up a consumer.
21:35I loved music.
21:36I loved musicians.
21:37I would watch radio interviews, stuff like this.
21:39And I think it's really interesting now that I'm on this side where I'm like, oh,
21:43wow, people really keep secrets.
21:44Should I keep secrets?
21:45Yeah.
21:46Uh-huh.
21:47I don't know.
21:48I think it's really important to kind of like talk about my mental health, talk about the
21:51things I've gone through and also how many people can be in this position where we're
21:54doing things like this.
21:55Yeah.
21:56And it's important to be able to.
21:57I think celebrities are really untouchable and very like inaccessible.
22:00And I don't want to be that type of person.
22:02I really want to take another bite.
22:03Is that accessible?
22:04Yes.
22:05Okay.
22:07We'll sit here.
22:08Yeah.
22:09Please do it with me so I feel less bad about myself.
22:10Uh-huh.
22:12Think about your biggest regret.
22:14I don't really regret anything.
22:15Really?
22:16Do you?
22:17In about two hours, I'll regret this, I think.
22:19It'll be so worth it.
22:20I don't know.
22:21Weirdly, like I've kind of like noticed like everything that has happened has been perfect
22:24timing, but also everything that I'm like losing people has led me to where it is.
22:28I wouldn't have met my wife if my parents didn't die.
22:29Really?
22:30I also wouldn't have a music career.
22:31Why?
22:32It's funny.
22:33My mom didn't like wouldn't let me see what Cobra.
22:36Yeah.
22:37My mom was an alcoholic who suffered from bipolar disorder.
22:40Okay.
22:41And for some reason it was just something where like she really wanted to control my life.
22:46Yeah.
22:47And Cobra was someone who like I loved and I would, you know, go out of my way and spend
22:50the night and like sleep in a car with her because we didn't have a place to stay.
22:53And then she kicked me out and I started sleeping like in my friend's cars and homes
22:56and things like that and couch surfing and whatnot.
22:59And yeah, she just thought I was a piece of shit I guess.
23:02Yeah.
23:03So when your mom passed away, you finally had like that freedom to be with her?
23:07No, because she passed away later actually.
23:09My dad had passed away and my dad's best friend is a huge part of my life right now.
23:14And he had talked my mom into letting me go see Cobra.
23:17He's the one and she trusted his opinion so much because my dad, when he passed away,
23:20asked him to look after us.
23:22Oh, wow.
23:23And so again, if my dad passed away, I don't even think I would have ever met Cobra.
23:26If my dad didn't pass away.
23:28Because again, my dad, I mean, too much information I guess, but my dad was really, you know, involved
23:32in my life.
23:33I think I would have been a piece of shit if my dad never died.
23:35Truly.
23:36Really?
23:37That's interesting.
23:38Yeah, I think I would have been a piece of shit who, I would have had everything I ever wanted in life if my dad didn't pass away.
23:41Huh.
23:42He was a successful real estate agent.
23:44Yeah.
23:45You know, set us up for whatever.
23:46My mom never worked a day in her life and sold everything during the recession and we were broke.
23:51Maybe you don't need therapy.
23:52Yeah.
23:53Yeah.
23:54Because you do have a really good outlook when you say it like that.
23:56Truly.
23:57I think it's all just a plan.
23:58Yeah.
23:59Whether it's God's plan or the world.
24:00Have you had a pinch me, I made it moment?
24:02Yeah, true.
24:03My wife was crying front row watching me and Ed play at Soundcheck.
24:05Oh my gosh.
24:06Well, because I walked in and he was rehearsing the song.
24:08He was just like, oh, how do you play this, da, da, da, da.
24:10And he starts singing, taking me out of the ordinary.
24:13And we just start singing it together, just impromptu, no cameras, nothing, first time in the world.
24:17And she knew how much Ed Sheeran meant to me.
24:19Yeah.
24:20And just like the fact that he sat there and willingly learned the song and she just starts bawling her eyes out.
24:25Oh my God.
24:26Or I'll play the AMAs and she bawls her eyes out.
24:27Yeah.
24:28Or I'll play Jimmy Fallon and she bawls her eyes out.
24:29And it's just cool because I think she just starts to think about how we were sleeping in a car six years ago.
24:33Yeah.
24:34And how like evolution of like this, everything, this is everything I've ever dreamed of.
24:38Yeah.
24:39This is what I started social media to do.
24:40I started to sing and I never thought it was possible.
24:43And so I think it's a lot of tears, a lot of crying that I've gone through and a lot of, you know, I do vocal lessons three times a week.
24:49I do all these things.
24:50Oh, wow.
24:51I like really, really want this.
24:52And so it's just been a cool moment.
24:53What's your next like bucket list item that you'd want to cross off or do?
24:57I guess the collab with Billie Eilish.
24:59I'm content.
25:00Really?
25:01Yeah, I love my life.
25:02I never thought I'd get one hit.
25:04If I never get one again, we're good.
25:05Oh, really?
25:06Is that how you feel?
25:07Yeah.
25:08Okay.
25:09I never thought I'd get one.
25:10So I'm cool.
25:11As long as life just stays like this and maybe you can dip down even a little bit.
25:13Yeah.
25:14Honestly, let it, you know?
25:15Yeah.
25:16Start playing me at JCPenney.
25:17We're good.
25:18Okay.
25:19I'm happy.
25:20You could open your own In-N-Out one a day.
25:21They won't let me.
25:22I've tried.
25:23Oh, really?
25:24They don't do franchises.
25:25Oh, they don't?
25:26Selfish.
25:27New dream.
25:28Yeah.
25:29How are we going to do it?
25:30Really?
25:31Yeah, yeah.
25:32Oh, I'm a misogynist.
25:33My apologies.
25:34That's the best of both of us.
25:35Thank you for keeping me in check.
25:36I try my best.
25:37So this is our time for you.
25:39Oh, cool.
25:40We haven't had any time for you until now, but this is your moment to shine.
25:43Oh, cool.
25:44And it's for you to talk to your fans.
25:45So if you have one moment, one thing.
25:47You have so much pressure.
25:48One opportunity to say the most important things to your fans that you've ever said, what
25:52would it be?
25:53Oh, God.
25:54Which camera am I looking at?
25:55Yes.
25:56This one right here?
25:57Yes.
25:58Hey.
25:59What's up, bitches?
26:00You're doing great.
26:02What's up?
26:03You could do a little better.
26:04I love you.
26:05That was good.
26:07Check out his album, July 18th.
26:09That's what he wants to say.
26:10We've got collabs.
26:11We're going to cry our hearts out, okay?
26:13Yes.
26:14And if you hate it, tell me on Twitter.
26:16No, don't.
26:17Don't do that.
26:18No, keep it to yourself.
26:19Stop it.
26:20Buy tickets to whatever I'm selling.
26:23Yeah.
26:24I got this.
26:25Buy my merch.
26:26Do I have merch?
26:27I don't know.
26:28I don't think I have merch.
26:29I just feel like that's not your main MO.
26:31It's not my main MO.
26:32I'm tweaking here, actually.
26:33You did great.
26:34How do we exit this?
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