Alex Warren Says His ‘Silly Little Songs’ Help to ‘Keep My Parents Alive’ (Exclusive)

While Alex Warren’s music has brought him a Video Music Award for best new artist, a spot at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and is even garnering him Grammy buzz, the singer-songwriter tells PEOPLE that his songs carry an even deeper meaning. 

After losing both of his parents at a young age, the 25-year-old told PEOPLE at last month’s Audacy We Can Survive benefit concert that amid navigating that grief, music has served as a way of keeping their presence all around him. 

“The coolest thing that I’ve been able to do is keep my parents alive in some ways, whether it’s the music or the shows, and never not talking about them. Some people view that as a bad thing, but I love to keep them alive with my silly little jokes and my silly little songs,” Warren, whose fans have been known to bring bits of their loved one’s ashes to his shows, sometimes for him to sign, said. 

Warren’s father died of kidney cancer when he was 9 years old and in 2021, he announced that his mother had died of liver and renal failure. In the years before her death, Warren’s relationship with his mother had deteriorated. By the time he turned 18, he had been kicked out, later moving into the Hype House of Los Angeles TikTokers. 

Following the release of his debut album You’ll Be Alright, Kid, Warren told PEOPLE that the song “First Time on Earth” — which is about his parents — was the most cathartic to write

“I remember when we finished that song, I bawled my eyes out,” he said. “I think that was one of the songs where every time I listened to it on a drive by myself, I just start crying. It’s something really beautiful where I never got any closure with my parents before they passed. This is a song for me to be able to kind of remind myself, but also have a conversation with them, if they can hear me, you know?”

Warren’s appearance at the Sept. 26 show, which raised money for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), marked his first time playing a “big boy arena.” But of all of his career accomplishments this year, Warren said his biggest “pinch-me” moment came when he got to perform with Ed Sheeran — who was also on the bill for the charity event.

“Ed was someone I looked up to. Ed has always been someone I look up to… I think as an artist, he can pick up a guitar and play anything, anywhere, anytime. And I think that’s so cool. ” Warren said of the Grammy-winner who he performed with during a special pop-up show at Coachella this year. “And he’s also one of those people that just genuinely loves it. I don’t think he does it for the accolades and the fame— he just loves what he does.”