YouTuber Alex Warren Talks Chasing Shadows, Pre-Show Rituals, & New Music

Hey Young Hollywood, I'm Alex Warren and today I'm going to be going through some of my tweets.

What's up, Young Hollywood? Today we're with Alex Warren. Hello Alex.

Hi.

How are you?

So good. How are you?

Hanging. Vibin'. You, does this recall, do you recall this?

Yeah. That one's pretty deep though. That one

Yeah, I didn't tweet that. I retweeted that. You retweeted this one. So you had a fan pretty much tell you that they listen to Chasing Shadows.

Yep.

And they burst out in tears.

Yes.

Do you know the impact they're going to have on people?

No, I'm just a little bitch and I just find out terrible things that have happened in my life and I'm thankful that people actually care about it cuz it's like I I I feel like everything I've gone through, I always felt like it was just me and finding out that a ton of people have gone through very similar things and have lost their loved one and they feel my music is a outlet for that is exactly why I started it.

When you retweet like this though when people are like confessing how they feel when they're listening to the song.

I just think they're fake. They're They're not real. It's not real. Life isn't real. This isn't real. Yeah. It doesn't feel real. I just I just never I don't think it's just the type of thing where I feel like this doesn't happen to people like me or like you hear that saying a lot, but genuinely I don't think it'll ever sink in that other people are crying to my life. It just doesn't feel like a thing.

In Chasing Shadows, you actually cried when you wrote the song. That was the first song. I cried every time I listen to that damn song. Every time.

Well, that cuz that's the one song about both my parents being dead and like how I can't ever see them again. Like that's the whole A lot of people think it's about a breakup. I'm just like you, it's kind of weird, but It's about that.

And when you went on tour and you're meeting all these people in person, what's one thing that's stuck with you that someone has said to you?

You're not that bad at singing. Which you know, I would I would apologize to everyone and be like, I'm so sorry that you paid to see this. But But it was something where it was like they were genuinely like I think that was the one thing where I've always been so self-deprecating. Like I've always been so rude to myself and my therapist thinks it's other things, but I just think it's a terrible terrible habit I have. And um to hear people actually like the way I sound and like my music, it's again, it's a whole imposter syndrome thing. Yeah. I need some confidence.

It's it'll you'll get there. Or a new therapist. One of the two.

One of the two.

But you always liked music.

Yeah. You always wanted to get into music. My first videos ever filmed were about music. So like if you go all the way down to any of my socials, I'm singing and I'm playing the piano and it may not sound the best, but I'm doing it and I'm hoping for it and none of them ever really like took off. And so I got put in a really bad situation where I needed to get out of it and I always found that either making people feel sad or funny or like making them laugh was always something I liked to do and you know, I'd I tinkered around and figured out what I wanted to do. Yeah.

How happy are you now that it worked out?

Oh my God. A sigh of relief, but also scared as hell that I'm going to lose it all tomorrow. Yeah. It's like that's the thing. It's like, you know, I've I'm constantly working and trying to figure out what works and what doesn't and and music has always just felt natural. You know, it felt like that was where I was supposed to be. Yeah.

Well, it ended up working out. Like the fact that you ended you started music and then ended up right where I'm on Young Hollywood. It worked out.

Exactly. Exactly. Good to see.

Okay, let's get to the next one.

Yes.

You're very funny for singing about depressing stuff.

Ah, it's a coping mechanism. Yeah. Learned that from therapy as well. Cool. No, I just I think it's the whole thing it started from I think the self-deprecating thing is as a kid, I was heavily bullied. Yeah. And so it's depressing but I I kind of just I say all the shit about me before anyone else can. Yeah. And so it's that's the whole thing. Like you can't call me out. I already know about it. I'm just like to the punches. It's like you can't say anything cuz I've already said it about myself ten times. Yeah.

When you're performing, one, what's your pre-show ritual? And two, that's insane. Like your like that's your fans like that watch your videos and stuff every day like in front of your face.

No, it's really cool. I think my pre-show rituals, I throw up in the bathroom a few times and then I get slapped in the face because it's funny. I I have really bad stage fright. And so the thing is is first song, I'm always shaky and it's always like I'm so fucking nervous. Yeah. And um I'll have my guitarist uh he's he's freaking amazing. His name's Ryan. He'll slap me in the face as hard as he can. But the only caveat is I have to slap him in the face. Oh. And so I have to slap him in the face first and he has to slap me as hard and I really want him to slap me. So you feel the slap and it distracts you from the uh the stage fright which is it works. It's like you'll go out and you won't be scared cuz your face is ringing and it's a little red and everyone thinks I'm blushing, but I really just got the slapped out of me.

So you're like fighting in the back.

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. To here, that's not a snare, that's my face.

That's your face. That's your face. Who who came up with that?

Um me. So just hit me really. You heard slap me and you thought anyone else would come up with that. That's 100% me. I really need to work on that.

Well, you wouldn't think that you had stage fright. Really? Would you not? You play it off really well.

Oh, I'm a frantic mess up there. If you had a heart rate monitor, you'd be very concerned.

Your Apple Watch is just going crazy.

Yeah, my heart doctor has some things we need to do.

Therapist, heart doctor, you have so much to cover.

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. You have no idea.

So much to work on. But also, okay, so what is it actually like seeing all those fans in front of you? Cuz you wanted to do music for so long. You're doing music. You feel

No, I I all jokes aside, once you get the first song done and it's so addicting. And I remember the first time I ever did a show, I looked at my manager and I go, we need to do 400 more of those. And it's true. It's the most it is literally the most exhilarating thing you feel right at home. It's like you walk into a home and you're scared that someone's going to hurt you and then you feel at home right after that when you realize no one's there to hurt you. Yeah. It's cool.

And from going from, you know, being homeless, sleeping in your car through this whole whirlwind of your social media life so far, what is something that you haven't done yet that you want to do?

See, I don't know. I think I've done everything I've wanted to. Besides like business-wise, like I would love to sell out an arena. Like that'd be the coolest thing. I think that's the moment I sell out an arena, or even if I open for someone who sold out an arena. I don't care, either or. I just want to play in front of that many people or a festival or something and just like hearing people sing my songs and something that like for me, I I pour my heart out into these things. So to hear that.

Okay, so what's next for music?

Um, I I'm working on a project. I have a song coming out every month starting probably next month and the month after. And um, yeah, it's been really cool. A lot a lot of it's not about dead people, which is a nice, you know, a little twist. It's a nice curve ball. But yeah, my next song is about love and then the one after that is about suicide. And so it's like these are things where like, you know, things I've gone through in my life that I'm writing about. And eventually it'll end with an album called You'll Be All Right Kid.

Oh, you already have it planned.

Yeah, I have I have all the songs done too. Oh my God. Just waiting for the big man to approve it. Yep.

I love it. Thank you so much for coming on Young Hollywood.

Thanks for having me.