Alex Warren may be reaching new heights in his music career, but for the singer-songwriter, his art holds a much deeper emotional connection.
The 25-year-old musician, who recently earned a Video Music Award for Best New Artist and even landed at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, told PEOPLE that his music serves as a way to keep the memory of his late parents alive.
Speaking at last month’s Audacy We Can Survive benefit concert, Warren opened up about how creating music helps him navigate grief while honouring his parents.
“The coolest thing that I’ve been able to do is keep my parents alive in some ways, whether it’s the music or the shows, and never not talking about them,” he shared.
“Some people view that as a bad thing, but I love to keep them alive with my silly little jokes and my silly little songs.”
Warren’s story is deeply personal. He lost his father to kidney cancer when he was just 9 years old.
Years later, in 2021, his mother died of liver and renal failure. Their relationship had become strained before her passing, and by the time Warren turned 18, he had been kicked out of home, later finding himself living among Los Angeles TikTokers at the Hype House.
Despite his pain, Warren has found a way to transform his loss into something meaningful.
His debut album, You’ll Be Alright, Kid, features one of his most emotional songs to date, First Time on Earth, which he says was the most cathartic to write.
“I remember when we finished that song, I bawled my eyes out,” he recalled.
“I think that was one of the songs where every time I listened to it on a drive by myself, I just start crying. It’s something really beautiful where I never got any closure with my parents before they passed. This is a song for me to be able to kind of remind myself, but also have a conversation with them, if they can hear me, you know?”
For Warren, music isn’t just a career, it’s a connection to his past, a source of healing, and a way to share that process with others who have experienced loss.
Through his songs, Warren continues to turn pain into something lasting, keeping both his parents’ memory and his artistry alive.
