Alex Warren
photo: the cwe · cc by 3.0 ↗Alex Warren first drew a following as a founding member of the Hype House TikTok collective before pivoting to music, releasing anthemic, confessional folk-pop shaped by his Catholic upbringing and the early loss of both parents. His 2025 single 'Ordinary' — a swelling, stomp-and-holler ballad — topped the Billboard Hot 100 for weeks and made him one of the year's breakout pop stars. He builds songs around plainspoken, faith-adjacent uplift and a big-lunged, arena-scaled chorus.
Warren has repeatedly named Mumford & Sons among his obsessions, telling interviewers 'I'm obsessed with Mumford & Sons,' and his breakthrough sound leans on the same kick-drum crescendos and communal, foot-stomping folk-pop dynamics the band popularized.
listen forThrow on Mumford's 'I Will Wait' right before 'Ordinary' — hear how both hold back on a hushed, strummed verse and then detonate into a stomping, full-band singalong where the drums and gang vocals crash in together.
Warren has named Ed Sheeran among his biggest influences growing up and when he began writing — 'I've always loved Ed Sheeran, Adele and Lewis Capaldi' — and his acoustic-driven, diaristic songwriting reflects Sheeran's blend of intimate confession and radio-scaled hooks.
listen forSet Sheeran's 'Castle on the Hill' next to Warren's 'Save You a Seat' — both pair a plainspoken, memory-laden lyric with an acoustic strum that builds into a soaring, wide-open chorus about the people you've lost or left behind.
Warren has described Coldplay as part of his childhood musical foundation, and his widescreen, keyboard-and-strings balladry reaches for the same stadium-sized emotional builds the band is known for.
listen forPlay Coldplay's 'Fix You' into Warren's 'Carry You Home' — both open on a soft, organ-like keyboard figure and a fragile vocal, then swell toward a cathartic, arms-around-the-crowd climax built to be sung back at full volume.