Who Is Alex Warren? Homeless Teen Who Lost His Dad, Was Kicked Out, And Won 2026 iHeart Song of the Year

Alex Warren, the 25-year-old American singer who grew up homeless after losing his father to cancer and being kicked out by his mother, won Song of the Year for his global hit 'Ordinary' at the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Thursday, 26 March.

Warren also received the Breakthrough Artist of the Year honour at the ceremony, hosted by Ludacris and broadcast live on Fox. He walked in with eight nominations, including Pop Artist of the Year, Best New Pop Artist, Best Lyrics, and Favourite K-pop Collaboration for 'On My Mind' with BLACKPINK's Rosé.

A Childhood Defined by Loss and Survival

Alexander Warren Hughes was born on 18 September 2000 in Carlsbad, California. His father battled kidney cancer throughout most of Warren's childhood, beating the disease three times before dying when the boy was nine years old.

Warren's mother struggled with alcoholism in the years that followed. She kicked him out of the family home as a teenager, leaving him with no place to sleep. He spent months living in friends' cars and sneaking onto their floors.

Speaking on the Jay Shetty Podcast in December 2025, Warren described himself as 'lucky' for sleeping in cars rather than on the street. His mother died in 2021 from complications tied to her addiction.

From Hype House to Atlantic Records

Warren started making YouTube videos at age 10 and built a following through prank-style vlogs. In November 2019, he co-founded the Hype House, a TikTok collective in Los Angeles that grew his following to more than 16 million. He left the group in 2022 after what he described as a 'falling out' with other members.

That same year, Warren signed with Atlantic Records following the success of his independent debut. His 2021 single, 'One More I Love You,' is a tribute to his late father that he began writing at age 13. The track has since become a staple of his catalog, now surpassing 94 million streams on Spotify.

'Ordinary' Broke Records Across the Globe

Warren released 'Ordinary' on 7 February 2025. The love song, dedicated to his wife Kouvr Annon, whom he met on Snapchat while still homeless, spent 10 non-consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

It also topped the UK Singles Chart for 13 non-consecutive weeks, making it the longest-running number one of the 2020s so far and surpassing Ed Sheeran's 'Bad Habits'.

The track reached number one in more than 30 countries, including Australia and Canada, and was the bestselling song of 2025 in six markets. Warren's debut studio album, You'll Be Alright, Kid, was released in July 2025 and features collaborations with Jelly Roll and Rosé.

He was nominated for Best New Artist at the 68th Grammy Awards in February 2026 and performed 'Ordinary' live at the ceremony. His earpiece malfunctioned during the broadcast, but he removed it and powered through with millions watching.

'I Hope Anyone Watching Knows I Believe in Them'

During his iHeartRadio acceptance speech on Thursday, Warren told the audience it felt 'strange' to go from being a fan in the crowd to standing on the same stage as the artists he grew up admiring.

'I hope that if there's anyone at home watching this right now, that feels like they're not good enough or that no one believes in them, I do,' Warren said.

His latest single, 'Fever Dream', was released in late February 2026. Warren is set to continue touring, with a date confirmed at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, on 29 May.

For young fans who first discovered him through car-filmed vlogs and viral clips, Warren's win is proof that the worst chapter of your life doesn't have to be the final one.