Long before the record breaking hits, sold-out arenas, scores of awards, and earth-shattering success, Alex Warren was affectionately known to his late father as “wildchild.” As a child, he did anything to defy gravity. In 2026, he quietly continues to beat the odds, penning life-changing anthems, and finding a place in the hearts of millions worldwide. Today, the multiple award-winning, GRAMMY®-nominated, multi-platinum songwriter and musician shares reflections on his life to-date with his dazzling second full-length offering, WILDCHILD, out now via Atlantic Records
“Growing up, I was always climbing, doing backflips, and jumping off things, so my dad referred to me as ‘Wildchild’,” Warren shares. “It stuck with me until my mom passed away. When I was writing this body of work, I would often think of my parents. My dad knew he was dying, so he filmed this series of videos where he’s talking to me. On the first album, you were learning about who I was. This album teaches you who my parents were and who I am now.”
Musically, WILDCHILD bursts through the clouds with sky-high pop hooks, widens the aperture with cinematic soundscapes, and recharges spirits with the raw energy of a songwriter with nothing to prove and only truth in his heart. Written in 2025 and 2026, he created WILDCHILD with clear intention. Working with “day one” trusted collaborators Adam Yaron, Cal Shapiro, and Mags Duval in Nashville, TN and Los Angeles, CA. They took their time, allowing the songs to naturally take shape at Alex’s home studio, Gnome Recording Studios, Gold Pacific Studios and Woodshed Recording Studios.
“It’s funny because everyone would always ask me if there was a lot of pressure to make another song like ‘Ordinary’,” he says. “I actually have no pressure anymore. I had this weight lifted off my chest. That song changed my life, and I never had to worry about having another one like it because I’d be virtually impossible, so I have the freedom to experiment and have fun with music.”
Accompanying his album release is an official music video for focus track “Emerald Eyes” [WATCH HERE]. On the track, twinkling piano dissolves into the rhythm of steady beat, airtight bassline, head-nodding claps, and freshly funkified riff courtesy of none other than Nile Rodgers. The disco fever barely relents as he holds on tight, “And I can’t stop the feeling, I’m ready to dive right off the deep end in emerald eyes…” “It’s my pump-up song,” he smiles. “It’s a love song, but it makes you want to dance like a song you’d hear at the club in the early two-thousands with a modern twist. There’s an ethereal hippie vibe on the bridge though. Nile elevated it to another level altogether.”
The album closer and namesake “WILDCHILD” unfolds from softly strummed acoustic chords and bold choir harmonies to a scorching and soaring solo from none other than John Mayer—preceded by a voice memo of Alex’s father who asks, “Are you having fun, Alex?”
“‘WILDCHILD’ was difficult for me because my dad and I never had closure,” he sighs. “I was nine-years-old, and I didn’t get to say goodbye. I watched those videos of him for inspiration. ‘WILDCHILD’ was written from his perspective. It was my way to get closure and hear him say that’s proud of me. When we were kids, he wanted us to do music. He’d enroll us in talent shows. When he was alive, the music was beautiful. When he died, the music stopped. If there was a goodbye, it would be this. My father was obsessed with John Mayer too, so I thought it would be cool to end on an instrumental with a solo from him. The last thing you hear is John ripping on the guitar.”
“I’m so proud of WILDCHILD,” he says. “Creatively, this is where I wanted to go. If you relate to even one part of it, I’m happy. It touches on so many different elements, but there’s a message. I’m happy with who I am now, and I’m ready to take over what my dad didn’t get to finish as a husband and, someday, a father.”
Alex Warren continues to defy expectations and win the hearts of millions. As venues sell-out and grow bigger by the year, and his music continues to garner extensive radio play and streams, his songs of love, grief and connection resonate around the world. WILDCHILD is for anyone who’s ever lost and hurt so deeply, but continues to hold on to hope and heal. What is undeniable is Alex Warren’s place in this world and in the pop landscape, he connects millions of people who find themselves on a similar journey in finding what truly matters in life.