Long before the 2025 MTV Best New Artist was cruising around America in his luxe tour bus, Alex Warren was living in his car, filming TikToks of himself singing in 24 Hour Fitness bathrooms. After losing his father to cancer at age 9 and becoming homeless at 17 due to a strained relationship with his mother, he turned to vlogging—sharing videos documenting his life—which earned him just enough to get off the streets. Eventually, he moved into a “creator house” with friends, including his now-wife, where they began making videos full-time. That collaboration became Hype House—a creator collective living space that would later be the basis for a Netflix reality series. In addition to the millions he has earned from social media, his break-out hit “Ordinary” has surpassed 2 billion global streams and earned an estimated $10 million in royalties—and scored Warren a 2026 Grammy nomination. Commercial success is nice, but for him, it’s also a form of therapy. “I write songs about loss and what I’ve been through,” he says. “And then to have tens of thousands of people sing them back—I don’t know if anyone could understand that feeling unless you have it happen.”br br Read the full story on Forbes: br br Subscribe to FORBES: br Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:br br br Stay Connectedbr Forbes newsletters: Forbes on Facebook: Forbes Video on Twitter: Forbes Video on Instagram: More From Forbes: br Forbes covers the intersection of entrepreneurship, wealth, technology, business and lifestyle with a focus on people and success.