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Audacy Pop
  • 5/16/2025
#AudacyLAUNCH artist Alex Warren joins us for an exciting #AudacyCheckIn to talk about the success of “Ordinary” + much more! 🎶

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🎵
Music
Transcript
00:00He doesn't do the phone thing, right?
00:02Yeah, I'm always just, I feel bad.
00:04I'm bothering him every day, and he just responds.
00:06Yeah, I'm like that kid who won't stop pestering him.
00:11Hi, it's Emily West.
00:12We are at the Odyssey Sound Space
00:14at the Hard Rock Hotel, New York City
00:17with our check-in.
00:18Here's Alex Warren.
00:20You have such, you turned that voice on.
00:22That was amazing.
00:23That was so cool.
00:25I know, it's my radio voice.
00:27It's amazing.
00:27Oh my goodness gracious.
00:29No, I'm going to try to talk normal.
00:30No, I feel like I'm in my Toyota Sequoia
00:31back when I was 16.
00:32Go for it.
00:33All right, well, Alex Warren,
00:35you are everywhere.
00:36Your song, Ordinary.
00:37You know, I open up socials.
00:39Gardening videos, cooking videos.
00:41Hell yeah.
00:41The brides love it.
00:43Yeah.
00:43Wedding season coming up.
00:44Yeah, track stars.
00:45We're everywhere.
00:46Yeah, tell me about your success.
00:48And it's just, it's so exciting.
00:50It's really cool.
00:51It's definitely terrifying a little bit,
00:52but it's like, it's just exciting.
00:54I think I wrote these songs in my bedroom with my friends,
00:57and to be able to hear them everywhere
01:00and see people apply them to their real life is,
01:02it feels special.
01:05You know, you've had a lot of ups and downs in your life,
01:07but I think I saw in a video,
01:09you said if those hadn't have happened,
01:11you wouldn't have had that material for your songs.
01:14You know, and someone else said,
01:16you are the person that needs to have this fame right now.
01:19You deserve it.
01:20How do you feel about that?
01:21Oh, gosh.
01:23I do think that everything I've gone through
01:24has allowed me to be able to handle this,
01:27but also write about it.
01:29I don't know if I deserve it.
01:31I think I've just been able to be able to turn
01:33a really bad situation
01:34and turn it into something beautiful that can help people.
01:37Well, I heard you offstage talking about imposter syndrome,
01:40and then you just said, I don't think I deserve it.
01:42Yeah, I think there's amazing musicians out there
01:44that never get the light of day.
01:45I think I'm just one that got blocked.
01:46It's true, but you're in the right place at the right time,
01:49so I think, you know, you've got to embrace it.
01:51Thanks, yeah.
01:52I'm working on it.
01:53Well, yeah, well, how do you embrace it
01:54when you bring Joe Jonas up on stage
01:58at your show last week?
01:59Yeah.
02:00I mean, that's got to feel amazing.
02:02It's so cool.
02:03Like, pinch me, right?
02:04Yeah, Joe's also a really good friend of mine
02:05who I talk to pretty frequently.
02:07He's really cool.
02:09It's something where I feel like
02:11I just grew up watching these people
02:12and to be able to call them friends
02:14but also see how supportive they are
02:16when I'm, you know, not 100% is just so, so cool.
02:20I wasn't feeling so good that show,
02:21and he's like, you tell me how much you need me to sing,
02:23and I'll sing the whole song if you need me to,
02:25and I think that's so cool
02:26where so many people could be like,
02:27oh, I'm not going to do this if we don't sound perfect.
02:30They've got your back.
02:31Yeah, like, that's pretty rare, I feel like,
02:33with everything and all this stuff happening really fast
02:36is it's so easy for people to kind of turn on you,
02:38and it's been cool to see who the people
02:41who support me are
02:42and everything that comes with it.
02:44Well, someone else that supports you, Ed Sheeran.
02:46Yeah.
02:46He said your song, Ordinary, blew his socks off.
02:50Yeah.
02:50I mean, that's got to feel amazing.
02:53A lot of people ask me about, like,
02:55I made it moments,
02:55and I think with Ed,
02:58for people who don't know Ed,
02:59is the reason,
03:00a lot of the reason why I started writing songs,
03:02and I've been so inspired by all his music,
03:05and when I go in to write songs,
03:07I'm always like,
03:08you know, I wish I wrote a song like that,
03:10and it's so flattering for him to say that,
03:13you know, he wished he wrote a song like mine,
03:15and I'm blown away by it,
03:17and it does not feel real,
03:18and I'm waiting for someone to slap me in the face.
03:22And what about performing with him, though?
03:23So cool.
03:24Yeah.
03:24My wife was crying.
03:25She was bawling her eyes out.
03:27I walked into, like, the bar.
03:29He had a bar built,
03:30and I walk in,
03:31and he's learning the chords to Ordinary,
03:33and I just remember,
03:34I was like,
03:34no way,
03:35and he starts singing it,
03:36and then I was like,
03:37you know what?
03:37Let's do it,
03:38and so we just start ripping.
03:39Like, we just start singing it.
03:41No rehearsal,
03:43nothing,
03:43not official.
03:44No one's filming it,
03:45and it's me and his band,
03:46and we're all learning,
03:47they're all learning the song,
03:48and it's just this cool,
03:49like,
03:50almost like we were on the side of the road,
03:51and everyone just started singing a song,
03:53or in a pub,
03:53and everyone just started,
03:54just riffing off the top,
03:56and my wife,
03:58I look over,
03:58and she's crying her eyes out
03:59as we're rehearsing this,
04:00because she's like,
04:01holy cow,
04:02like,
04:02she knows how much it meant to me,
04:04and I couldn't stop smiling,
04:05and Ed couldn't stop laughing,
04:07so,
04:07yeah.
04:08Aw,
04:08because he's probably been there,
04:09too,
04:09when he first started.
04:10100%.
04:11I think it's also like,
04:12I don't think he was expecting it.
04:13I think he was expecting it to be like,
04:14a whole, like,
04:15I'm the shit,
04:16and I was just like,
04:16you're awesome,
04:18Mr. Sheeran.
04:18Like,
04:18it was just like one of those things.
04:20Well, I'm sure he loves to give back,
04:21too.
04:22Oh my God,
04:22he's like the most supportive person I've ever,
04:24like,
04:24we email every day.
04:26He's just so cool.
04:26Every day.
04:27Oh,
04:27because he emails.
04:28Every day.
04:29He doesn't do the phone thing,
04:30right?
04:30Yeah,
04:30I'm always just,
04:31I feel bad,
04:32I'm bothering him every day,
04:33and he just responds.
04:34Oh.
04:34Yeah,
04:34I'm like that kid who won't stop pestering him.
04:36Well,
04:37what about social media?
04:38How do you deal with the negative effects?
04:41Oh.
04:41What are your tips?
04:43I don't know yet,
04:43I'm still figuring it out.
04:44Yeah.
04:45I'm not used to like,
04:46because I think with the success of Ordinary,
04:48it's been really cool,
04:48but the problem is,
04:49is now people who don't like me have like,
04:52kind of like a,
04:53who the hell is this guy?
04:54You know what I'm saying?
04:55So,
04:56it's definitely been like,
04:57if I have an off day,
04:58or if I'm sick,
04:58and I still go out and sing,
05:00it's definitely kind of like a,
05:01see,
05:01see,
05:02he's not that great.
05:03I'm kind of just like,
05:04just let me live a little bit.
05:05Well,
05:05first off,
05:05I think you got to get over the imposter syndrome.
05:07I think you are to the point where you're there.
05:10Hopefully.
05:12I think you are.
05:12Oh yeah.
05:13But you know,
05:13you're talking about mental health struggles,
05:14so what,
05:16you know,
05:16everyone is different,
05:17but what helps you kind of get over the hump?
05:21My wife.
05:22My wife,
05:23for sure.
05:23I think it's something like,
05:24I'm always asking her for advice,
05:25and like,
05:26where I am,
05:26and she's really,
05:29really great at also making sure I'm not a piece of shit.
05:32If I ever get like an inkling of getting cocky,
05:35she will always just be like,
05:37Alex.
05:38Let's reel it in a little bit.
05:39Yeah,
05:40and so it's really cool,
05:41and she's just,
05:42she's my number one supporter.
05:43She's with me all the time,
05:44and it's been really nice.
05:45Well,
05:45I saw in TikTok,
05:46she was on top of a door,
05:47swinging back and forth,
05:48so she'll do,
05:49she's there.
05:50Oh,
05:50she hated that.
05:51She's so terrified of heights,
05:52but she'll do it for a video.
05:54Well,
05:54yeah,
05:54music video,
05:55you guys were up in the air.
05:57I really test my relationship every day,
05:59every day with this career.
06:00Right.
06:01And then what about,
06:03how has the reception ordinary been to the fans,
06:07performing it?
06:07Oh my goodness,
06:08it's been so cool.
06:09I love performing that song.
06:10I was talking about it the other day,
06:11and I was like,
06:12I was telling Ed,
06:13I was like,
06:13it's my favorite song to perform,
06:14and he's like,
06:15well,
06:15great,
06:15because you're going to be doing it for the rest of your life.
06:17And I was like,
06:17you know what,
06:18now that I think of it,
06:19I wouldn't mind.
06:20Like,
06:20that song to me,
06:21when we wrote it too,
06:22it's just so special.
06:23We wrote it,
06:24and we're like,
06:24this is so unique,
06:25this is so cool,
06:26and if there is a song of mine that I would sing for the rest of my life,
06:28I'm glad it's ordinary.
06:30But when the fans hear the opening arpeggiation of the notes,
06:35they go crazy,
06:36and it's just been such a cool,
06:39it's weird now that I can like walk into a room,
06:40and I think if you played that arpeggiation,
06:42people would recognize the song,
06:44and that to me is like something we always strive for when we write music,
06:47is to like make a,
06:49if you hear the first three notes,
06:51everyone knows what it is.
06:52And so it's been really cool to see that.
06:53Yeah,
06:53I had Sharon's note for perfect,
06:55and you're going to be known for ordinary,
06:57which is fantastic.
06:59Yeah.
06:59So if you had one message for your fans listening,
07:04what would that message be?
07:06Wow,
07:07this is serious.
07:09We don't have to be that serious.
07:11I don't know.
07:12I think if there's a message to be,
07:13I think it'd be more of a thank you.
07:15It's just something,
07:16every show I always thank everyone like 30,000 times,
07:19and I bet it gets so annoying,
07:20but truly,
07:21we were talking about it like six months ago,
07:23I couldn't sell 700 tickets in a given place,
07:25and now,
07:26you know,
07:26we're selling our tours,
07:27and it's just been a,
07:28it's been really,
07:29really fun to be able to play the music in person,
07:31and I've just been striving really hard to make it as amazing and perfect as possible for everyone.
07:36So,
07:36I thank you,
07:37and I won't let you down.
07:39Yeah,
07:40well,
07:40you know,
07:40you have almost 18 million followers on TikTok,
07:42so I think everyone is enjoying it.
07:44We're enjoying it.
07:46And we're so happy you came today,
07:49Alex Warren.
07:50Thanks.
07:50Yes,
07:51for our check-in,
07:52our Odyssey check-in.
07:53Odyssey check-in.
07:57Odyssey check-in.
08:02OK.
08:19Odyssey check-in.