Alex Warren is addressing the unexpected technical hiccup that occurred during his debut performance at the Grammy Awards. The 25-year-old Best New Artist nominee took the stage inside Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena on February 1 to perform his song "Ordinary," marking his first-ever appearance as a performer at the prestigious awards show. But Alex Warren's big moment didn’t go entirely as planned.
Alex Warren Pulls Out In-Ear Monitor Mid-Grammys Performance After Audio Issues
During the live performance, viewers noticed Alex Warren appearing slightly out of sync at moments as he moved through the audience and onto a raised platform alongside his fellow Best New Artist nominees, including Leon Thomas, Addison Rae, The Marías, KATSEYE, Lola Young, Sombr, and eventual winner Olivia Dean.
At one point, Warren was seen adjusting his mic pack before ultimately pulling out his in-ear monitor altogether, seemingly choosing to power through the performance without it.
Shortly after the broadcast, Alex Warren shared a video on TikTok and Instagram, giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at what went wrong.
Warren Shows Fans His Grammys Sound Nightmare
In the clip, an echo-heavy and layered audio track plays, mimicking what he says he heard through his in-ear monitors while performing. “When you’re performing at the Grammys and all you hear is this in your in-ears,” Warren wrote over the video, later adding in the caption, “This would only happen to me…”
Despite the glitch, many fans praised Alex Warren for pushing forward under pressure, with several applauding his composure during one of the biggest performances of his career.
Hollywood Has Alex Warren’s Back After Grammys Sound Malfunction
Demi Lovato praised the singer’s composure, writing, “So impressed. You handled it so gracefully and sounded amazing!”
Chrissy Teigen echoed that sentiment, emphasizing how seamless the moment appeared to viewers. “No one had ANNNNNNY f-cking idea!” she commented.
Courteney Cox also chimed in with encouragement, telling Warren, “You are sooooo f-cking talented Alex! One moment does not define you!!! Your voice is everything!” followed by a heart emoji.
Fans flooded the comments with similar messages of praise, applauding Warren for pushing through the issue on one of music’s biggest stages. “Dude, you absolutely crushed that performance. Be proud of what you accomplished. This isn’t the last Grammys for you, many more to come,” one supporter wrote.
Another added, “And you still crushed it!!!! You handled it with so much grace and still sounded amazing. So, so proud of you!" as a third echoed, "You’re still amazing and we all know it!!"
Warren Reflected On His Unlikely Rise Ahead Of Grammys Moment
Just days before taking the Grammys stage, Alex Warren opened up about his journey to success and how unlikely it once felt.
Appearing on "CBS Mornings," Warren reflected on his life before “Ordinary” went viral on TikTok and launched him into fame. Despite his current success, he admitted music didn’t always come easily. “My entire life, I wasn’t the best singer in my class. I wasn’t amazing,” Warren said, revealing that even his choir teacher doubted him. “My choir teacher did not believe in me, to say the least.”
That history made the recognition he’s now receiving especially meaningful. Alex Warren, who won Best New Artist at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2025, said moments like these feel deeply validating. “I think I’ve worked really hard to become who I am today,” he added. “That was one of those moments where I kind of got to look up in the sky and be pretty stoked.”
Other Standout Moments From The Night
Beyond Alex Warren's performance, the 2026 Grammys delivered several major wins and a few unexpected moments. Olivia Dean emerged as one of the night’s biggest breakout stars, taking home the award for Best New Artist. Meanwhile, reigning 2025 Grammys champ Kendrick Lamar added to his trophy case, winning Best Rap Album and Record of the Year for “Luther,” his collaboration with SZA.
And, just days before he’s set to hit the Super Bowl stage, Bad Bunny claimed Album of the Year, a historic win marking the first time an all–Spanish-language album has earned the Grammys’ top honor.