Alex Warren Has A Bromance Going On With Joe Jonas

When it comes to being a musician in today’s world, Alex Warren has something his peers don’t: the knowledge of what makes a video go viral. As a former member of TikTok’s Hype House alongside Charli D’Amelio and Addison Rae, he’s had years of experience creating content that pops off — and he uses that well-honed expertise to share his songs with his 16.6 million followers.

“My entire life is up to promoting music, but it's cool,” the 24-year-old tells Elite Daily at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles. “I just write things I love.” Last year, he brought in a whole new audience when he collaborated with Joe Jonas on a remix of Warren’s song “Burning Down.” The original track was already a hit on TikTok, and the version with Jonas was dubbed by one commenter as the “collab we never knew we needed.”

Warren jokes that it took “a lot of bribery” to get the “Sucker” singer on board, but in actuality, it was Jonas who reached out to the content creator-turned-musician. “I remember getting a call being like, ‘Hey, do you want Joe on it?’” he says. “I've been a huge fan of Joe for so long, and he had mentioned that he's been a fan of me as well, so I knew I'd love to have him on this record.” “Burning Down,” from Warren’s debut album You’ll Be Alright, Kid (Chapter 1), is an emotional song about a broken relationship where he sings, “You knew the house was burning down, I had to get out.”

Many fans online have speculated that “Burning Down” is about a severed relationship with the Hype House crew, but Warren has never confirmed nor denied it. However, he doesn’t mind the fan theories.

“I love it,” he says. “Everyone's a little detective nowadays, which is really cool. It also makes me realize that I can't probably sh*t without anyone knowing, but it's very cool.” He’d rather focus on the message of the song, which is about the joy of taking “something that was really terrible and making it beautiful.” He also appreciates that his fans can interpret his songs for their own lives.

“I have a very good understanding that a lot of people who come to my shows have gone through something, and when I sing these songs, I want it to be special,” he says. His Cheaper Than Therapy Tour begins Feb. 27 in Belgium, and Warren teases that along with lights and singing, there will also be confetti. “I've always wanted confetti,” he says.

He’s also still churning out new music. His song “Ordinary,” about his wife, Kouvr Annon (who is a former Hype House member), has found its way to BookTok since its release on Feb. 7. The second chapter of his album You’ll Be Alright, Kid will also be released sometime this year. “I really want to have it out in June, but we'll see how that goes,” Warren says. “We're almost done with it, which is really exciting. It'll be a 20-song album, 10 songs you haven't heard yet.”

Below, Warren dishes on who he’d love to collab with on his next album, the corner of TikTok he’s loving, and his favorite Jonas Brother (it’s not Joe, BTW).

Elite Daily: Would you ever want to collab with other former Hype House members, like Addison Rae and Chase Hudson?

Alex Warren: If it works out, for sure. I know a lot of them are killing it, and if that ever comes up, I would love to do it. It just needs to make sense.

ED: Do you still keep in touch with any of them?

AW: Yeah, we have a Hype House group chat. We created it after the TikTok ban, and it's been really cool. It's super nostalgic.

ED: Describe your relationship with Joe Jonas.

AW: We have a little bromance going on. Whether he knows it or not, I think we're in love.

ED: Favorite Jonas brother?

AW: Frankie. Joe, don't kill me.

ED: Dream collab on another one of your You'll Be Alright, Kid songs?

AW: Brandon Lake would be cool.

ED: Dream co-writer on a song?

AW: I'd love to write with Gracie Abrams.

ED: Current favorite corner of TikTok?

AW: BookTok.

ED: What are you currently reading?

AW: I just started reading The Fourth Wing. I'm 10 pages deep. I would like to get all the way up to Onyx Storm — that’s the goal.

ED: Secret to going viral?

AW: Big butt. I'm blessed with that one.

ED: Dream festival lineup?

AW: I would love to have Hozier headlining, with Benson Boone, David Kushner, and all of my friends just playing a show. I mean, I'm not friends with Hozier, but I'd leave my wife for him.

ED: Go-to karaoke song?

AW: I've never sung karaoke, but if I did, it'd be “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus.

ED: Fave content creator right now?

AW: Fartsmella. I love that guy.

ED: Favorite thing about Kouvr?

AW: That one's difficult because there are so many loving qualities of my wife. I would like to say the fact that she said yes to me.

ED: Most cringe thing you've done on social media?

AW: Everything. Without a question.

ED: What do you miss the most from the early days of TikTok?

AW: That I was a kid. I was 18 years old when TikTok started becoming a thing. I miss that part of my life where nothing really was that serious. Now I have to start thinking about growing up a little bit and dividends and escrow and all those adult words.

ED: Album version or Alex’s version of “Burning Down”?

AW: Alex’s version. That's what I sing live. I like that one a lot more.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.