Alex Warren says his ‘Silly Little Songs’ help ‘keep my parents alive’ (Exclusive)

While Alex Warren’s music has won Best New Artist at the Video Music Awards, topped the Billboard Hot 100, and even garnered Grammy buzz, the singer-songwriter tells PEOPLE that his songs have a deeper meaning.

After losing his parents at a young age, the 25-year-old told PEOPLE at the Audacity We Can Survive benefit concert last month that music has served as a way to keep them around him as he works through his grief.

“The greatest thing I’ve been able to do is keep my parents alive in some way, whether it’s music or my show, and never talk about them. Some people see that as a bad thing, but I love to keep them alive with silly little jokes and boring songs,” said Warren, who is known for fans bringing pieces of their loved one’s ashes to his shows and sometimes asking them to autograph them.

Warren’s father died of kidney cancer when she was 9 years old, and in 2021 she announced that her mother had passed away from liver and kidney failure. In the years before her death, Warren’s relationship with his mother had deteriorated. He was kicked out by the time he turned 18 and then moved to the Hype House of TikTokers in Los Angeles.

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

“When that song ended, I remember just rolling my eyes and crying,” he said. “I think that was one of those songs that always made me start crying every time I heard it while I was driving alone. It’s such a beautiful song that I never had the connection to my parents until they passed away. It’s a song that not only reminds me of myself, but also allows me to have a conversation with them if they can hear my voice.”

Warren’s appearance on the September 26 show, which raised money for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), marked the first time he played in the “big boy arena.” But Warren said that of all his career accomplishments this year, the most “pinching” moment was performing with Ed Sheeran, who was also performing at a charity event.

“Ed was someone I looked up to. Ed was someone I always looked up to…As an artist, he can pick up a guitar and play anything, anytime, anywhere. And I think that’s pretty cool,” Warren said of the Grammy winner, with whom he performed at a special pop-up show at Coachella this year. “And he’s also one of those guys who really loves it. I don’t think he does it for the praise or the fame. He just loves what he does.”