Alex Warren will compete for the best new artist Grammy on Sunday, and it's his first career nomination. The nod was mostly due to his inescapable #1 hit "Ordinary," which made him into a global pop star. He told ABC Audio how surprised he is at how quickly his life changed as a result of the song's success.
"It hasn't even been out for longer than a year. It came out in February," he said. "It's weird to think about that, you know?"
After "Ordinary" was released on Feb. 7, 2025, it went on to top the Billboard Hot 100 for 10 weeks, set records on the U.K. charts and score the title of Billboard's Song of the Summer. Despite his success, Alex said he struggled with self-doubt, but the Grammy nod has helped with that.
"It's validation for sure," he noted. "I think for the longest time, especially because I would look for all the hate comments, I started to believe it. It's cool now that I can say I'm Grammy-nominated."
Alex also said he loves how "Ordinary" has impacted his fans' lives.
"I think just all the weddings, like, it's so cool to see people are using it to walk down the aisle and stuff," said the singer, who got married in 2024.
"I know how special that song [you use in your ceremony] can be ... and the fact that people are choosing that song is pretty rad."
Alex will also be performing on the awards show, which airs on CBS and Paramount+ Sunday. The Grammys will move to ABC in 2027.