Alex Warren Wasn’t Initially ‘Obsessed’ With His Hit Song ‘Ordinary’

Alex Warren’s song “Ordinary” has become one of the biggest hits of the year — but he wasn’t initially the track’s most vocal supporter.

“Funny enough, I wasn’t obsessed with the song while we were writing it or even when I first heard it finished,” Warren, 24, exclusively told Us Weekly while discussing his partnership with Bose. “Thankfully, the wonderful people that helped me write it pushed really hard for it.”

After a few more listens, however, Warren knew he had something special on his hands.

“The next day or two, I played it so many times, and it was just one of those songs I never got tired of no matter what,” he explained. “It grew on me quickly, and I knew it was something I had to show the world.”

That instinct proved correct, as “Ordinary” spent 10 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and some listeners declared it was this year’s song of the summer.

“That’s so cool to hear!” Warren said of the “song of summer” honor before thinking about his own picks for the season. “I’ve been listening to a lot of different people lately. Honestly, anything off of Gigi Perez’s most recent album [At the Beach, in Every Life] would probably be my choice. She’s so sick, and man, can that girl sing.”

Perez, 25, and Warren are both first-time nominees at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards, which will air live on Sunday, September 7, from New York’s UBS Arena. Warren scored four nods: Best New Artist and Song of the Year, Best Pop and Song of Summer for “Ordinary.” He’s also set to perform during the ceremony, alongside such superstars as Sabrina Carpenter, Mariah Carey and Post Malone.

“It’s gonna be something pretty special,” he teased to Us. “It’s genuinely a blessing.”

Warren is a gigantic music fan, telling Us that he’s always listening to it in the times when he’s not playing it himself. That’s why his partnership with Bose made sense, as he describes himself as a “nerd” about his home speaker setup.

“I have a surround sound system all throughout and even outside,” he explained. “I might have to look into decking the tour bus out with some too. Regardless, I always have my Bose SoundLink Max with me wherever I go.”

For the brand’s Bose × NME: C25 Mixtape, Warren rerecorded the song “Eternity” from his debut album, You’ll Be Alright, Kid, which dropped in July. For the new version, the singer-songwriter enlisted a choir and full string orchestra.

“This song is so special to me,” he told Us. “I just felt like doing a choir and symphony version would make it all the greater.”

“Eternity (Orchestral Version)” is available to stream now.