Alex Warren is settling into Montreal, attempting to learn French during his visit, though he admits the pronunciation and memory work prove challenging. Still, he’s making progress in small increments, a fitting metaphor for his approach to music and life.
The rising artist has built his career on vulnerability, tackling serious subjects in his music. “I go into a room with some of my closest friends and I just have a book that I’ve written in for the last few months of my life,” Warren explains. “I go in with these song titles ready, and what I want them to sound like. Every day we write a song, we just write about something I’ve been through or something that I’ve experienced or something I’ve been curious of. It’s almost like I’m becoming friends with myself.”
When asked if he ever worries about oversharing, Warren laughs. “I sometimes worry that I yap too much. I think I’ve reached the cusp of already oversharing, so now it’s just how much am I going to go?” He sees his openness as a counterpoint to social media culture. “In today’s day and age with people on social media, they kind of tend to keep everything to themselves. I feel like when people hear me talk and make jokes and stuff, they just get a sense of relatableness.”
That social media savviness has become crucial to Warren’s career. “Right now, it’s just a way for me to kind of just be closer with my fans,” he says. “The biggest thing for me has been just promoting my music in fun ways that introduce a lot of people to my music. Once people are interested, I tend to have really cool conversations and learn a lot about the people listening to it. It’s a really awesome tool that I love to have.”
Despite the personal nature of his lyrics, Warren deliberately leaves room for interpretation. “I typically keep them pretty broad in the chorus where I’ll keep it pretty broad, and I’ll go into detail on the verses and all that. But I like it when people hear my songs and they have their own experiences with it. I try my best to make that possible, and every single time I go into writing I keep that in the front of my mind. I want so many people to think that my song about losing a loved one is really a breakup song or something like that. It makes me happy.”
His songwriting process is spontaneous and organic. “I will literally be doing anything and everything, whether I’m in the car with my fiancé or surfing or just anything. I’m just like, oh wait, that’s a great song idea. I’ll write it down in my notes and then I’ll go in my notebook and write what I want it to sound like and what inspirations I might draw for it. Then I go into the studio and whenever I’m in the studio, we just put it to life.”
This approach led to his recent song “Save You A Seat,” which Warren describes as both happy and sad. “I went to the studio and I was like, I need to write two songs, a happy song and a sad song. This was technically the sad song. But I’m getting married and we’re saving my parents a seat at the front. I’m going to ball like a bitch.” The song explores a unique emotional territory. “It’s something where a lot of people who experience loss obviously experience the fact that that person is not there anymore. They’re going to miss out on so many things. I just remember all these amazing accomplishments that I’m achieving right now, I can’t share that moment with my parents. That’s what that song is about, no matter what I’m saving you a seat in my life, whether it’s wearing your necklace every day, whether it’s talking to my kids and telling them stories about you. I wrote a song for them.”
The wedding photographer conducting the interview connects over the emotional weight of ceremonies. Warren doesn’t worry about appearances. “I don’t give a shit how I look in photos as long as my fiancé is happy. I don’t have a plan. I know I’m going to cry. I know I’m going to have very strong feelings. I think I’m just going to wing it and plan for the best.”
Surprisingly, Warren won’t be performing at his own wedding. “I’ve had stage fright for the longest time. I don’t want to add added stress to it,” he admits. That stage fright has been a constant companion throughout his journey. “The beginning challenges for my situation was just getting the confidence to think that I could do it. For the longest time, I just didn’t think I was able to do this, the amount of work. I thought I wasn’t talented enough. I wasn’t good enough. It was something I battled with a lot and I still do.”
Even with sold-out shows becoming the norm, the anxiety persists. “What I’m loving now is the fact that people show up to my shows. It’s always something where I’m terrified before the show starts, even though I know it’s sold out nine times out of 10. I’m terrified no one’s going to be there. I’m going to walk out to three people.”
For Warren, success is measured in tangible achievements. “I want to play a festival. I want to put out a project. Success looks to me as just getting those goals down, just being able to say, oh, I did that. When I have kids in the future, be like, yeah, your dad rocked the fuck out of that stage.”
Those kids are part of the near-future plan. “I want to have kids within the next few years, for sure. I’m 23, we’re getting married. Hopefully soon I’ll have a couple of kids.” The immediate future is packed regardless. “I have the wedding and then I go on tours. I have a project coming out probably August or summertime around there. Then I’ll go on a Europe tour and then a US tour.”
The pace of his rise has been staggering. “A month ago, I was at a million monthly listeners. Now I think about 10 million. It’s crazy how fast things are happening.” But Warren maintains perspective. “I know nothing lasts forever. So I’m hoping to make the most out of the situation. I want to put out music. I want more people to hear the music. Just trying to figure out how to do that, make this last as long as possible.”
Currently, he’s drawing inspiration from Renee Rapp and Noah Kahan, along with longtime favourite Cavetown. But when pressed for his most-listened-to album of all time, Warren doesn’t hesitate: Bruno Mars’ Doo-Wops & Hooligans. “My favourite album ever made.”
As Warren continues to navigate his rapid ascent, balancing vulnerability with ambition, one thing remains clear: he’s saving seats for everyone who matters, living and departed, in the story he’s writing one song at a time.
Watch the full interview below:
