Artist Friendly with Joel Madden - Huddy

Episode Date: November 5, 2025

On this week's episode of Artist Friendly, Joel Madden is joined by Huddy. From his beginnings at Hype House to starring in Machine Gun Kelly’s Downfalls High film to sharing his own sugary pop punk, Huddy has proved himself as a fluid multi-hyphenate who’s racked up millions of followers. This year, he’s entered his “emotionally honest era,” where he’s adamant that “emotions aren’t weaknesses — they’re part of what makes us human.” On the heels of two vulnerable singles and a performance at Warped Tour Long Beach, Huddy joins Joel for an unfiltered conversation on growing up online, finding his voice, and turning pain into purpose. Traversing his early fame, family, and new beginnings, it’s his most honest interview yet. ------- Listen to their Artist Friendly conversation on ⁠⁠⁠Spotify.⁠⁠ ------- Follow Artist Friendly! IG: @artist.friendly TikTok: @artist.friendly YouTube: youtube.com/@artist.friendly ------- Host: Joel Madden, @joelmadden Executive Producers: Joel Madden, Benji Madden, Jillian King Producers: Josh Madden, Joey Simmrin, Janice Leary Visual Producer/Editor: Ryan Schaefer Audio Producer/Composer: Nick Gray Music/Theme Composer: Nick Gray Cover Art/Design: Ryan Schaefer Additional Contributors: Anna Zanes, Neville Hardman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You know, it's a walk in the park compared to like what I had to deal with in high school. I was fucking going home like damn near in tears every day. And then by the time I got out of there, I was kind of numb to it. And so the stuff on social media was just like the shit I was getting in real life but 10 times worse. So I was just getting straight up laughed out in my face. We're back. Yeah. We talked over COVID.

Yeah, we did. over Zoom. I do remember. Over Zoom for alternative press. That was awesome. Which is, this is still kind of for alternative press, but it's for a bunch of other things now too. It's grown. It's awesome. But it all kind of started back there. It did. Yeah. The main reason I wanted to have you here today was to say thank you. Of course. Because we had that conversation back in COVID and it was one of my first artist on artist chats. That was like, I think where it started. I don't know at the time if I thought about it, but it was. Damn.

I was thinking about you. You went 100 now, right? Yeah. Wow. We've both grown up. Yeah, here we are. We've developed. We've developed.

As you do. But I think about it and I was thinking about you coming in and I was like, huddy, when I had that chat with you over COVID, that was like where it started for me, where I was like, I fucking like, I'd love doing this. That's really cool. I mean, I love interviewing people too sometimes. I think it's so fun. And you get to know so much about a person.

and like be able to relate to them through like the kind of stories that you had and live vicariously through the other person. It's cool. So my stance is like I am super excited and interested to talk to successful people like you. So you come on here and you're like, how old are you? I'm 23 now. Okay, 23. Oh my God. Last time you talked to me, I was 19.

Oh, my God, dude. A lot happens 19 to 23. Yes, too much actually. You know? And then you look back at 19 year old you and you go, oh, you thought you were older. than you were and you thought you were supposed to be something and you were like you did okay yeah yeah you survived i've done an okay job but yeah you've done great man thank you where are you from i'm from stockton in california which is like that's right an hour south side lovely place

dude it's it's it's the coolest it's the best it's literally just a trip down broadway yeah it's like uh it's stockton to me is like uh it's real it is super it is super Honestly, it's a little great dose of reality. You go there and you're like, wow, this place isn't the best. And then you try some of their food. And you're like, you know what? I like it here. Fucking good.

But also that's why you're able to, I'll guarantee you that your early life is why you're able to withstand the music business. Yes. Yeah, absolutely. It's a walking, bro. You've got to come with more than that. You know, it's a walk in the park compared to like what I had to deal with in high school. I was fucking going home like damn near in tears every day.

And then by the time I got out of there, I was kind of numb to it. And so the stuff on social media was just like the shit I was getting in real life but 10 times worse. So I was just getting straight up laughed out in my face. I was like, damn, this is kind of sucks? Is that because you were really kind of going after the arts? Yeah, yeah. And you weren't playing sports and things like that? Yeah, I stopped doing.

sports and I just started getting looked at as like the guy with followers money and in social media presence. Because you were doing that in high school. It was crazy. Yeah. I was in that middle school. Wow. It really broke from me in high school. And then when people started to realize what I was doing, they just started talking about it like whether it was my face behind my back, you know, whether it was a joke in class. But it sticks with you. It does. It did. Like all of the situations I remember almost damn near everything. people said to me but I don't remember anything else from school I remember what people said though and that that stuff sticks with you for a while yeah it does but what I would also present is

that something like the experience you had in that bubble in a place where no one's used to that anyway it's like like maybe some kids are on social media but you're not walking around stockton and and there's like every single big ticotker around or whatever so like it's It's a big deal, so people are going to have. It was not a real thing. Right. So it's going to have different reactions. Some people are going to be really into it.

Some people are going to be like, fuck you. So like that's understandable. But what I would say likely, and like I go back to you're from Stockton, which makes me like you more. Sick. Right. So like it's interesting, right? I'll take it.

If you told me you were from somewhere else, it's not that I wouldn't like you, but I go, oh, you're from Stockton? Okay, I fuck with that. Because it's interesting, right? Yeah. Because not a lot is. You look like a Nick and they Diaz fan. What's that?

You look like you fuck with Nick and they Diaz. I love the Diaz brothers. Stockton motherfucker. Of course. Yeah. But like that to me is like like Stockton is a place where people, it's, to me it's like salt all the earth. People are working hard.

They're real. Yeah. It's super real. And the Diaz brothers are a great example of that where you look at, you go like, oh damn. Like you got to be tough in Stockton. But from an outside perspective, I've been there. But I never lived there. So from an outside perspective, you see that place and you go.

they're like, oh, that's fucking cool, man. Like, to make it from Stockton, it takes work. Then the people from Stockton tell me that every time I see them, they're like, you know, it's really hard to get out of there. I've thought the same thing my whole life is just not that many people get the opportunity to make it out of Stockton. I know friends that have never left Stockton. Yeah.

Which is normal too. It's fine. So it's like a lot of people are born in a place and they stay there. They're happy there. Yeah, exactly. It's their idea of happiness. It's the same where I'm from. That's what they used to, you know.

It's the same thing in Maryland. It's like where I'm from is a small place, but I go back there, actually go back there every year. And I see people that I grew up with, grew up with that are there. And I don't look down on it or anything. And that's where they want to be. That's where their parents are. That's where their family is. Exactly.

And like, I ran away from there. I was also in a different circumstance. My family was falling apart. There was turmoil. My dad left, my mom, all this. And like, I just want to run away. And then I got the fuck out of there. And for many years, I wouldn't look at it.

And I, I didn't want. to be from there and I didn't want to deal with, I wanted to be from New York or L.A. or somewhere cool in my mind, you know? But then I came full circle at this age and you'll probably get there faster than me because you're, you seem wiser than I was at your age. But, and I think it's like something about your generation. You guys are growing up faster. You have more wisdom some, in some ways. But I went full circle to really actually embrace where I was from and really love it. And now I can't get enough of it. I go back, been back three or four times this year. Oh, awesome.

You know, so it's like a, it's a journey, though, because only you are from there and only you lived your life and only you know what it's like to be you. I thought that everyone from my hometown didn't like me. And so for a while, I was just like, I don't know how to wrap it because I feel like the people are just like, you're not from here or you must be from the nice side of here. Like you, you know, so I felt like a little bit of judgment from my hometown. And I also just like remembered what I was going through in high school and like had that as my idea. I was just like, oh, I don't know if I could go back to my high school. I feel like they would all

hate me. And that's just from what I remember, you know? But once those people graduated, then I was just like the legacy that my high school that people like didn't really know about, you know? They were just like, oh, dude, you know, you know, how do you should go to school? And they're like, what? No way. You know, I'm like, yeah, it's cool. Like, my teachers brag about it. Like, I, I, my parents live live right next to a teacher and he tells me about the stories. I'm like, this is crazy. I'm like, what? Like they're like yeah, no, these kids beg for you to come play a concert here. And so I'm like kind of considering going back to my roots and just like playing a show in my hometown and seeing what happens. You will. You should and you will at some point you will, right? Like you can feel it.

It's calling you. It's calling you. And you'll do it when it's right. But you got to remember, our self-esteem is different than reality. Yeah. So like how we feel about ourselves is how we see the world a little bit. And I think that it's understandable you go and have some experience in school where people pick on you. They did me too. And that's probably why I wanted to run away from that place because they were mean at the time. And then you go back and no one remembers it that way. Like I see people I went to high school with and it's all good. It's all love. It's all happy. And you're like, did we go to the same school? I had a fucking terrible time there. You know what I mean? But like I was also, my mom was sick. My dad had gone. We had no money. And what part of

my experience at high school was the school and what part of it was the horrible home I lived in that was dark and depressed and sad and empty and broken and poor, right? So you start, as an adult, you start to go, oh, my perception of the world is kind of how I feel every day. If I go into the world thinking no one likes me, I am going to have that experience. I'm going to have experience. But we all get there on our own and I would say for you, you're probably more resilient. because you had that experience, but also you came up in the Instagram, TikTok, YouTube era where everybody talks shit. So what can they say to you that you haven't heard before?

As painful as it is to get through that early stage development, now you're a grown man, right? But you're still young. You're only 23. So in my mind, you're a kid, but you're a grown man. You can make your own decisions. You make your own way, your own life. I feel like both as well.

I feel like a kid and I feel like a man. It's really confusing. Yeah, but you're an adult. Yeah. And in your early stage of development to get here, you had to deal with all this bullshit. But what is that done? Aside from it being probably not a fun time all the time to deal with that, as a grown-up, you look back and you go like, first of all, you did really fucking good.

Second of all, what else could they say to you now? You've heard it all. You continue to have success. you get things like the Dior, you get this, you get that, you're having success. Right? You're not failing. You're succeeding. Thank you.

And against like a developmental incubation of like online bullshit that like most normal people, we don't have to deal with that. I didn't come up in that time. So of course people talk shit to us. But like it's not where I developed. Right. So it actually hurts me probably more than you. I probably have to get my head right around it more than you do because you're just like,

What the fuck? I've been in this game for my whole life. I think it's always going to be a learning curve because you want people to be excited about things, but the truth is you can never make everyone happy. And I have to learn that the hard way day and day out. When I'm like posting something, someone's always going to be upset about something, whether even if it's a joke or if it's like a song, you know, not everyone's going to like a song. And, you know, you're just like, oh, well, I listen to the song like every day for the last year.

I love it. I'm proud of this work. And not everyone's going to connect with it. And that's okay. And I think, like, you just have to learn from all of the, you know, negativity, positivity that you've been thrown and not let a song doing bad or doing well kind of dictate how you feel about it. And you should be proud of the work that you do.

And you should be doing it because you're proud of it. And it should be music that you're putting out that you believe in. And I think, like, my message the last couple of years has always been trying to find a way to just say, like, I've been through a lot, and I've heard a lot from people and a lot of chatter. And I've had people really hate me and I've had people really love me. And I'm not going to let those people dictate my decisions and how I live my life anymore. And so I'm just, like, putting that out in music form. For better or worse?

For better. I do want to say at 23, you've experienced a lot and you've accomplished a lot and you have likely probably lived something more like the life of like a 33 year old. You probably have, you probably packed in 10 extra years of experience. If we were going at a normal clip and we were just getting the experience of the normal everyday, kind of like life, okay, I graduated. Now I'm going to college. Okay, now I'm going to go out and look for a job.

like from that teenage time to now, let's call it 16 to 23, seven years, you've probably lived something more like 14 years of life in your experience. Yeah, like you double. I would say, I would say so too. Yeah, it is, it's cool. It's interesting like how much like life, me and a lot of my friends have even lived. It's not, it's not fucking normal. The lives that we live. And I think that's also another point that I try to get at with this album. It's just like, dude, I'm still trying to figure this out. I'm trying to, you know, work through emotions and I'm trying to work through having to work hard. And, you know, you have to deal with grief and loss and all of these things and just still, you know, put on that smile and that happy face. I'm even going through shit right now.

And I'm still going to show up to work and I'm still going to give my all and everything that I'm doing and not. That's a good attitude. Let the people slow me down. That's a winner's attitude. You have to do it. It's actually what that's, it's actually, from my experience at 46, that's how winners think. That's how they, they get back up. Exactly. And they work, they go forward every day. Just go forward. What are you going through right now? My grandma has cancer. And so my family's kind of torn about it. And the scary thing about it is, is they just don't know how bad it is. Right.

But they know that it's spreading. And so it's tough to really think about it all. That's tough. It's a really, like, sore spot. So I'm going home and I'm visiting my family this weekend. And I'm going to, you know, see how everyone's doing. And I haven't been able to really, like, get in the thick of it with things, you know. Like, you can talk to your parents on the phone, but you never really know until you've been

able to take in their energy for an entire day. Yeah. it's hard to plug in to that. Also, I'm speaking from experience and a family member who had cancer and beat it. But there was a moment there where we were in the same place where we couldn't figure out how bad it was. And they're also going through it kind of alone. But so one of my family members was with them going through it. And I'm, I'm being veiled because I don't want to share who it was and what it was because I feel like it's super personal. And I feel like that is in this particular instance, it feels like if they wanted to share that they could. But I say it to share with you what that

experience was like. I felt guilty because I was going about my life every day. I still had to work. I was on set, shooting the TV show, and I would come back here. And I was going in and out of, as you do when you tour and stuff and when you do other things, you're weaving in and out of everyone's regular life. Yeah. And my family was dealing with it. And I was there. I was getting daily updates and I was checking, but I wasn't there at the

appointments. Yeah. But we couldn't all be there at the appointment. To be honest. Right. But you feel like you should be. And then also when it comes to age and what type of cancer, there's so many different things that like.

Yeah, there's a lot of variables. Yeah, there's a lot of variables. But it's tough. I feel you. Yeah, it is. I mean, yeah. I mean, living in L.A., I'm the furthest person for my family, and I'm a six-hour drive, you know? Yeah.

Like, all of my family members all still live there. I don't know. My older sister moved to D.C., but she just moved back. Oh, was she in D.C.? She was in D.C. for a little bit with her boyfriend, and now she's back with my other sister lives in San Francisco, and so does, like, both my grandparents. Yeah, all my cousins and everybody. So I'm like the furthest family member.

And you guys are all close. Mm-hmm. We're all pretty tight. Yeah. I love my family. I think like number one thing about a person, it should be just like how they treat their family. Even if like their family hasn't been good to them, I think like still having a bit of love and care for them is always something that you need. Like you need to be able to show up for them if it's necessary.

I agree. Mm-hmm. Like especially because like, you. you're going to go on your own path and you want them to look at you and just remember, man, I feel like such an asshole for treating my kid this way. Like they've been nothing but nice to me their entire life. And if they can say that about you, then they can't say anything, you know? That just shows a lot of self-respect and integrity.

Barring abuse, right? I put that in a different category that there are absolutely people out there who have experienced abuse. I'm putting that in a different category. to be sensitive to those people. My feeling on family is something like karmic. Like somehow, some way I was put on this earth with these people and life is giving me

this like challenge of understanding them, forgiving them. So how I look at it, and not to move on from your grandma's health because I feel your pain. The fucked up thing about that is, you're huddy. So everyone's going to see you and they're going to go, and you're like, actually, no, it's not great.

My family is, we're all really sad right now. But you can't say that to the guy at the coffee shop or the person online or the person, like, you can't say that because everyone's like, shut up. I don't want to hear that from you. I want to hear you say something that I can either make fun of or that I can dream about and believe the fantasy is real. And then if I can be you, I can be happy. And you're like, no, no, no, I love what I do.

But I'm really fucking sad right now because my family's going. going through something and I actually don't even want to talk about it. Yeah. Another thing that's really weird with me is like I find a way to numb myself to like all sorts of pain. Like I deal with things in a moment, right? And I wrap my head around things and I talk about it. I want to like let that energy out into the world and deal with it in that present moment

so I can know how I feel about that situation moving forward. But I think like I definitely have that and then I just, I just, I, somehow move on in a strange way and it's it's really weird and I like I feel like I've I've been that way for a really long time too but I can carry an emotion sometimes it's never going to sit with me for too too long really yeah or because I feel like I'm similar I can share it in a song I can share it in a moment and then move on from it and feel like I'm numb to it or I've moved on but what I learned was a lot of times I was just stuffing it down and moving on. And it's something that I learned how to do as a kid when I think when my dad left, I was heartbroken.

And I didn't have the capacity to take on that kind of like heartbreak. So it's something like kind of broken me. And I learned how to like not be heartbroken. Yeah. And so even if something hurt me in a moment, I could move on really quick. I could move on from someone really quick. And in some ways, that's a strength, but in other ways, it's really bad. And then what I had to learn how to do later on, probably in my 30s, was actually like unpack stuff.

Yeah. Later on, like, even if it's not right now, I'm going, like, I know that hurts me, but I'm not ready. But I need to unpack that later on. I need to deal with that. I need to look at that. And then find that moment, even like with my wife, right? This is probably why we've been together for so long. We could contain something and go, that really hurt me, but let's talk.

about it like at a better time and then we could both get to that better time and go and then put it on the table and go like that really hurt me or that really hurts or I just need to share this. That's cool. And then like there's some kind of repairing going on, some kind of healing going on, but I had to learn how to do that. But anyways, there's a lot of strength in being able to not carry your emotions around all the time. Yeah.

But also keeping in the back of your head that maybe some of it is to be dealt with later. Yeah. Absolutely. I mean, that's the beautiful thing about music. like when I started writing certain songs for this album, it was like, I went on a period where I just like found these bits of trauma that I never really brought up and I found a way to make music out of it. And it was the things that I didn't want to make music about.

Or the things that I didn't really want to say out loud. And so when I was able to write songs about it, I was just like, damn, like it makes me so like afraid to write these kinds of things. But now that I have and now I've been able to write songs. to realize the sort of just like pains that I've had to go through throughout the industry and whatever it is, you know, people not liking me or whatever. Being able to realize that and come to terms with it eventually, like, down the line is really good for you.

And that's a beautiful thing about music is you can write something and realize it in that moment after the fact that it's happened. You know, it could be a year or two years, 10. And then you can let it go. Yeah, I had to learn how to. In the music, in the same way, what you're talking about, I actually learned, like, what one part I was being therapeutic. I was, like, getting stuff out. And I was also on the journey of, like, getting to know myself and getting some self-esteem because I just realized I didn't have any self-esteem when I came into this.

I was, that's what I was probably after, was like, I wanted to be successful because I thought that will make me important and make me good enough and make me cool enough and make all the things I really didn't think I was at, 19 or 18 or when we started the band, we were 16. But then I got older and I went through all the experiences and you have the success and then the failure and then the success again and then there and then the failure and then everyone moves on from you. And then you have another little win and then everyone, it's like this weird roller coaster you're on. And at some point I got exhausted from needing to succeed to feel like everyone like I was

relevant. Yeah, I feel it every day, dude. You know what I mean? And then I just like at some point and it was probably way to succeed. late. So that's why it's cool to talk with someone younger than me because I'm like, yo, I'm just going to put you on some quick little piece of game that you take it and let it marinate. The sooner you become immune to success in what success makes you feel like. You definitely high five. You hit the bull's eye. High five, right? Great. Yeah. Move on. You get good news. You're

up for this award or you got the Dior campaign or Gucci called now, right? Gucci and Dior are going to fight over you. Great. High five. But move on. And the sooner you get immune to success, to fame, to money, it doesn't mean we don't get them. They're a byproduct of doing things we love and succeeding at it. Like being good at playing football, you become a football star. Yeah. Right? You're good at entertaining.

You're good at making music. You're good at expressing yourself. You do it in a way that a bunch of people watch. The sooner you become immune to the byproducts of that, though, the more you can find yourself in the middle of it and just be good with win loser draw it's not that i'm expecting to lose i never am i like i want to win yeah but i want to win for me i want to win the i want to win because i like to play the game i want to win because i like to see how can i climb that mountain now can i do that thing now and the sooner i got to that point which was in my 30s actually it was like total freedom then i just

started doing whatever the fuck i wanted back to your success kind of conversation like when i go through things and I and I have a big win or a big loss like you can only get about upset about it for so long and you do need to move on and I think it is very unhealthy to keep a tally of like all of your wins or the people around use wins like in being like comparing yourself to other people is it's going to be something that's just going to drive you insane yeah and like I know a lot of people that that do compare themselves a lot of artists and and like really see almost like being an artist as like a competition like I've had multiple artists tell me like you're my only competition I'm like what why yeah like we should all win together and I think we should be just just happy and

excited for each other's careers and I'm so excited for all of the people around me and I'm excited for what I'm doing in my life and I think it's just it's beautiful to be doing so much with you know, our careers. And I think at the end of the day, the fact that we're trying and that we're making art is all that you need to be doing. That's what fulfills me, you know? Not the campaigns and, like, the money and the fame, really. It's just, am I doing something that I'm proud of and that I love? The music videos that I put out for the first two singles, Vendetta and Fragile. I'm so proud of those music videos. I think they turned out amazing and I really worked with the concept.

You like making videos? Yeah, I love it. I really worked hand in hand with the director to like get what I wanted. And it turned out how I wanted. So I'm just happy that I was able to make something. You're a real visual person. Yeah. That's cool.

That's important. I'm just happy I made something that I, you know, feel like I helped put together. And I think that that's so beautiful. Because like at the end of the day, that means you're like getting close to knowing yourself and to learning yourself and to having the things that you want. That's why this album took such a long time is because I really took the time to ask myself the questions about what I wanted to write about. Who do I like listening to? What do I want my new sounds like? Like what type of melodies would you use? What are you going to say?

Like I defined my own writing style, my own vocal tone, all these things. And I really just took very careful long time on everything that I was doing and making it. It took me a while, but I figured it out. And you're happy with it. And that's, yeah, I'm happy with it. That's it. That's what makes me happy. Yeah, you want to look back on this record in your catalog and feel like each record is almost like a school picture or an era.

You're like, oh, I fucking loved that. I remember that time. So they say I'm in like, you're in your sophomore era. Yeah. No one mentions like junior, senior era. Like, when does that happen? Oh, I'm in probably like my fourth grad. like my fourth grad school era.

Yeah, I'm like, I'm like in my old, like, oh, da-da-da, putting out his sophomore album. I'm like, it's so weird. They only say that for sophomore. They don't say junior. They don't say junior. Yeah.

That would be weird because then after four, they're like, well, he's going to college. Yeah. There is. Empty nest. What about touring? Oh, I really love touring. Are you going on tour?

I did a tour over the summer, but it was with a bunch of my friends. I'm going to do some touring next year of my own. And I'm excited to do that. I've never done that before. It's in one show. I played a show in London at the dome. Downstairs of the dome.

It was a cool little venue and the people were, dude, just ecstatic. I've never seen such, like, such great energy at a concert before. Yeah, it's fun. Yeah. You know, when you get to do your own show, it's the best. Yeah.

So I'm like, I'm looking forward to that. And I think that's honestly, What would make me the happiest is just being able to play shows and get as many people as I can into a room and just have a ball. Like that's my favorite thing in the world. Bringing it to life. Who did you tour with on the last tour? It was interesting. It was the summer school tour.

So there's six different artists. I toured with Rain City Drive, Charlotte Sands, Taylor A. Korn, BD School dropout. If not for me. And Arrow's in Action. Okay. So it's like, it's like, alt. Yeah. Yeah.

It's cool. That's cool little crew. It's a like sister tour to warp tour. Right. So it's like a smaller, like tour bus, you know, the situation we go and play a thousand cap rooms. Cool. It's awesome.

That's fun. Yeah, those are fun shows. Those are the best, I always say zero to a thousand is the best group of fans. They're the most excited ones. They're the ones, whether they're yours or they're just seeing you for the first time, that zero to a thousand cap is where all the, magic happens where people become lifelong fans. Yeah. And to me, those are the most important tours. And then from there, you know, you go up to the two to three thousand cap. Those are great too.

But like there's something about those thousand cap rooms that are like just sweaty and special and exciting and fun. It's cool. Because I think like people love to hop on a hype train. Yeah. And so once you start selling out venues to three thousand, five thousand, 10,000, then they're just like, oh, it's a big venue. I know everyone's going to this. Some of my friends are probably going to be there. But if you're seeing an artist with like a thousand and below, like you are seeing them because you fuck with them. And you want to see what they sound like live and you love their music and you want to have fun. And so yeah, I would agree. I feel like that's that's right in the money. It's terrifying to play for,

small rooms, like the big rooms I think are so much easier because it's harder to wrap your head around and it's easier to get past like sharing energy with other people. Like when they're right up in your face, when I was playing the show in London, they were right there in front of me. There's no barricade, none of that stuff. They were just right in front of me. And it was awesome. Yeah. And you really got to feel their energy. And that's really cool. Yeah. What would you say you're the most proud of, the most proud of yourself and the most proud of what you've done. I'm the most proud of just generally what I've been able to do, I guess. I mean, like, I'm proud to be a musician, I think. Yeah, that's harder. Being a musician is not an easy ballgame. And I remember

like getting taught the ropes and being like, oh, this is like fucking psychotic. And, And you know who gets to call themselves musicians. Yeah. All the people who didn't quit. Exactly. And that's just kind of, there's two classes. There's the people who didn't quit. And then there's the people who quit.

And they don't get to call themselves a musician. They could say, I played music back in the day. I was in a band. Yeah. And then there's all the people who didn't quit. Even if they're not where they want to be, they didn't quit. Yeah. It's as simple as that, but it's not so simple.

Because it's very hard not to quit. Yeah. Because you have to keep doing it and keep doing it. it and keep doing it against all kinds of odds against all kinds of resistance against results that didn't quite turn out how you wanted on that or this or that and you just have to keep going down the road and developing and trying and yes i would say it's hard earned i would say yeah i'm the most proud of just like being a musician and being able to you know put out the music that i love even the stuff that i get to make that i haven't released like i have so much fun with that and i listen

that stuff all the time. And so I live and breathe through being able to live my life with the center focus of music. And I listen to music probably like six hours a day. Like I love it. Me too. So it's really cool. I listen to music when I cook, when I drive, when I throw the ball with my dog in the backyard, when I go in a walk, like I'm always listening to music. And so being able to make the kind of impact that also other artists make on me is really crazy because being able to meet people that tell you what your music is done for them is just such an amazing feeling. And you've accomplished a lot of music. You have a long way and a lot of runway to go for your own personal development as an artist. And so like you can give yourself the time

because you have it to keep developing and keep finding your, you know, your way. as an artist and you've already accomplished all that we said with nothing but like blue skies above you because you haven't been defined by one song. There's a lot of people at your age could, and this, for better or worse, I don't know if this is good or bad. It is the journey of an artist is these things happen and we can't always control them. But some people, they get this big song happens and then they're bulked down by it for the rest of their days because they can't match it.

it happened too fast or too early or whatever and there's a lot of freedom in having freedom you haven't been defined by one song or one sound or yeah I mean thank God dude I I always you know try to one up what I'm doing and also like I don't want to make the same song twice too because I think what people do is they make one big song and then their team's like make an album of just that song do that one again you're like do that one again yeah I don't even know how I did it yeah No clue at all. And the cool thing about my music, I think, is that all of the songs have their own special thing.

I have people that are huge, massive fans of 21st Century Vampire and love that song. And then I have a large amount of people that really love all the things I hate about you. And then there's some people that really love my just slower sad acoustic songs. And there's some people that just... like the pop punk. Yeah. And they're all different. I like the sad acoustic stuff.

You do? Yeah. Okay. Awesome. Because that, I think that's my bag. I think it's dope. Yeah.

I love it. Like, I love making that kind of stuff. Yeah. But I'll always do a bit of both. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. What's your dream tour? Probably my cam. Yeah. Yeah. I think that'll be awesome. I think they fit my vibe really well. It'd be cool.

Like, I want to get to a level where I just show up on, on stage and I'm wearing. like crazy cool makeup and these dope suits. Just fucking so sick, man. Their live shows. It's like elite Mike Hemp status. Yeah, I'm like, man.

They can wear whatever the fuck they want. It's so awesome. Yeah. Like the, I remember when he played Warp Tuer, he was, or not Warp Tore. When we were young, he had like the grandpa face. Yeah. I was so fucking cool.

Yeah. He looks sick. Yeah, Gerard is a true artist. Yeah, it is. You cannot tame that. guy. You know what I mean? Which is so special. That's it. That's the whole, that's why they're my camp. Also, they're a great band. Musically, they're a great band. But the artistic perspective of My Chemical Romance is, I think, Gerard in his own world, creating these like,

almost like comic book stories and taking his life and turning it into this art that I think is like something like a graphic novel. that plays out in front of you on stage. And I think what he does on stage is whatever the fuck he wants or feels like. And that's why we all love him because you see him and you're like the freedom that guy has. It's nuts. Yeah. I think another person that really's got it is in the 1975, they have the exact same mentality

where it's just like everything's for the culture and the art. And just like a quote that I heard from Mac Miller was like, the more vulnerable that you get with your art, the closer. Like, the more you learn yourself and you talk about the things that are from the places that you're scared to go. Like, the more good your artist is and the more it's going to connect with people. And so I love to see like the artists that really go there and don't hold back. Yeah, I don't think that, I don't even think that Gerard or Matt He, or I could probably name a bunch of artists that we probably both like could help themselves.

They can't help themselves, but to be exactly who they are. And I think that all of us have that in us, and it's some version of that. Like, I wouldn't say that I'm like either one of those guys, but I do relate to the need to just be whatever the fuck you are that day. And I do that in my own capacities. Like, I'm kind of doing it on this show. It's just this is actually like a manifest. of how I think, how I spend my time. I want to like talk to people.

And yeah, I don't even know what we're talking about most of the time. I just want to pick their brain or get a sense of them as a person. Which is cool. Usually people have like a hundred written out questions. Yeah. Yeah. But I, but I like more feel my way through conversations on a frequency almost of like getting to like the truth of me and you if we were to meet backstage or we were to meet there or we were to. This is how we would talk. This is how we would talk. This is probably if it was for 15 minutes or 20 minutes. And there's like a frequency we tune in on where it's like truth.

However big or small we're talking, we're actually tuned in versus there's a guard up and we're just kind of moving through and around and kind of shielding ourselves from any real interaction. Which you also have to do sometimes if you're in like, you've had that experience. You go to the award show or you're there and it's just a room full of fucking people and you're just kind of like it's a whole bunch of things and you're just kind of moving through. and it's not so much a real people experience. But if you're at someone's house, if we were at someone's house at a party and we didn't know each other and we were meeting for the first time,

we probably would have some version of this conversation, probably less focused because we're sitting in these chairs. But that's the point of it, I think, is getting a sense of someone who they really are. Yeah, absolutely. Are you alone a lot? Yeah, I live alone. I have a dog, though.

And I fucking love him. But I like being alone. I like living alone. I didn't realize how much I liked living alone until I've been able to just enjoy being single for the first time of my life. Okay. You know? So you're single? Yeah.

Ready to mingle. Not really. No. I mean, just single. I'm just cruising along right now. Yeah, I'm cruising along right now. I think girls are my worst nightmare.

And they're terrifying, dude. I've been through a few love bombings since I've been single and so a love bombing is when you're like after one or two dates they just come if you love bomb me immediately I'm kind of scared right I'm like what's because I think that there's

an ulterior motive ulterior I think that's the word motive like yeah I think the people want to you know like they see me for huddy before they've gotten to know me for Chase right and so they're like, I want to attach myself to this thing as fast as possible. And I'm like, I'm still getting to know you. Like, I'm still on step one of like trying to figure you out.

And would you say you're a gentleman? I would totally say I'm a gentleman. I'm, I'm, I'm a romantic man. But I like to, you know, I like to take my time and I like to get to know people properly for who they are and give them a fair chance of assessment. And, and that takes a lot of time. Yeah. How long do you think that takes? Six months. Six months. That's, pretty fair. Yeah. I would say like I'm looking at Nick because he's also single. Oh no, I'm not right now. I think you're not. You're going to see this. At least he said he was single this morning. I'm just kidding. No, he's kidding. He's kidding. I'm just joking. Nick is not single. Okay. He has a lovely girlfriend. Okay. He has a lovely girlfriend and I am very sorry. What's her name?

Nicky Nicky we are just like my Nicole Nicky we were just joking he is not

single I did that on purpose he didn't know me and Joel don't talk about that stuff that way we don't

but we do talk about the modern world six months is good Alex six months is very soft

I think six months is what it takes to really get to really get to know someone to get down to the weeds

a little bit I want to meet your family first I want to like do all of the the right proper introductions

And I think like, that's good. Yeah. You're smart. You get to the honeymoon phase before you even, you're really there, you know? First three months is all fun. All fun.

And it's like, and then after three months you start to get to know some little habits and quirks and, right? Yes. But that's probably even closer to two months, probably you start to get to know, you notice little like little habits where you're like,

huh, that's different. That's interesting. Yeah. I think, I mean, I'm ready to mingle, sure. Like I would love to.

to meet someone that would serve you're very eligible bachelor bachelor 23 is a good age it's perfect um but i'm not just jumping again on a relationship anytime soon i think if i meet someone that i really connect with like then that that's something i'm open for but things like that take take time what would you consider a love bombing like is it within the first month or like first two weeks first two weeks telling me you have a crush on me off the books no a crush yeah straight up they're like i like you i'm like you know i just met you okay last week okay so i'm gonna argue i'm gonna argue that's a little extreme that's exactly what i said okay as soon as they do that i'm like no no no i'm saying you're being extreme okay let me let me just yes you're being a little extreme how why would they be hanging

out with you if they didn't have a crush on you or they didn't like you. You got to give them a little more margin. You got to give them a little more room than just like, I thought you were going to, I thought love bombing was more like, I'm in love with you. But I have a crush on you. Isn't that why you like, you ask someone out? Because you're like, yes, but like, I think maybe I sound like a dad, but. I think, I'm telling my daughter to be honest.

Okay, but, you know, I think it's stating the obvious. Right. Like, it's obvious. Yes, we like each other. Sure. Right. But I think like, they come on too strong with it. Yes, it's a little too strong and I don't think we need to verbalize that right

away. You can, we can kind of like, we can get the vibe, but I think. I'm just making myself look terrible. No, I think, do you go to therapy? Yeah. the time. Okay. What's your therapist say? My therapist says the exact same thing as I said. She's just like, yeah, there's no reason for someone to come off too strong. If they haven't properly gotten them know you yet, they shouldn't be jumping the gun on like over verbalizing the obvious. Yes. Yes. Yes. Not like the obvious, but like just their feelings, you know, like I want to know

how someone feels, but at the same time, like I think there should be a little bit of like a nervousness. to say something. You shouldn't just, I don't know. I guess I don't fully disagree. I think I don't fully disagree either. I don't fully disagree, but I'm just, first of all, I never get to talk about this stuff because I'm not around anyone that's single, except for Nick used to be, but he's not anymore. What I will say is, what I will say is this, okay,

I guess I would have to know, I'd have to have more context, because I think someone's saying that they like you or they have a crush on you is sweet but I would say in the first week maybe not maybe the first two weeks maybe not I think it just scares me it comes on strong it comes on strong they're too excited

yes I like to honestly I prefer not to tell somebody until I'm like I've really got my head fully wrapped around it I'm like you don't fully know me yet Like, I don't know that you really, like, you might like what you see, but you don't really know me on that, like, deeper level to really create a proper assessment. And you get too excited. Yeah.

I'm like, you know, I might be your worst nightmare. Yeah, I could be a psycho. I totally could. Like, I've only shown you. You're actually looking out for them. A good time. Yeah. So just take it easy.

Don't worry. You hate me. Trust me. You just don't know it yet. Here's what I think. I think that you've been in the public eye since a young age. If somebody just likes me because I have my music or I'm on a billboard over there or I have a bunch of followers and maybe they just want to be on my socials.

They just want to be in a fucking video with me or they want to like that's all real like in any different ecosystem. It'd be different for anybody else. I think like one, I've been used so much and I've, also had like, I would say, I've had some good relationships, but at the same time, like, I feel like you don't completely get to know them until you've been dating them for a long time. Especially if you're in like the public eye. Yeah, so I'm like, I'm definitely nervous to get into a relationship and I try to pick up on red flags.

That's fair. Pretty early. And like, obviously, I mean, that's, it's one thing when someone tells you they like you, but like I'm paying attention to like all the little details when I'm first getting to know somebody because I am like just really afraid of choosing the wrong person, you know, and I feel like I've, I've probably been on that boat at some point. I think that is fair. Yeah. Actually, it's made you sharper. And it's made you look for a deeper meaning to a relationship than just a physical attraction

or just a, like a lot of people are just stuck. They don't get the kind of experience in life where they, where they get past the physical attraction or if someone's this or that and and you've actually gotten past that to where you're actually looking for something that's a deeper meaningful experience than you know i mean obviously we all want to be attracted to who we're with you should be but yeah there's levels to attraction that go beyond physical where you're like that that person their heart their mind there and there's like many many levels to it and i think you're getting you're there know that i need to know that part like I want someone that I'm with.

I couldn't not enjoy every second that I'm with them, you know? And I really want to... The deeper shit. Yeah, I really want to find someone I can connect with on a deeper level. And so I definitely want to take more time. But I think we worked that out. Yeah. I think we worked out what scares you off, the red flags, the love bombing, is actually

someone who's not looking for a deeper connection. They might, but they might not be too. Like I think it's scary nowadays because I think like living in L.A. is just love bomb central. Yeah. Everyone likes to do it. And so... So, it's also the... I'm gonna'amena.

And, like my music, my hair can be with me. And he has to be able to continue my rhythm. For so, Potion Nine, of Sebastian Professional, has all what my hair needs. Nutrition Profunda, protection contraband

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in the age group you're in Yeah, I feel like I've seen people get love bombed

and then just go through the worst relationships I've seen like I've just like lived through

other people's relationships too over time and I've also seen some of my best friends fine like their lifelong partner and they find them by being like friends first and like really like

one of my friends really liked this one girl and he's been dating her for five years now and so that was like him really trying to get what he wanted but then I have another one of my friends that was like best friends with this chick for an entire year and wasn't really looking for a relationship and ended up dating her and then they became best friends because of that and it's like Like, I'm a fan of love and I really want something that is passionate and real. And I want us to connect in a million ways. Like, and, you know, I think she's out there somewhere. Yeah, absolutely, dude.

I think not running. I think you're in the best place because you're at a great age. It's a great age to be single. Your 20s are for kind of learning. And I think as long as you be honest, be vulnerable, be your, yourself and always just be a gentleman. Yeah. And you'll find your way and you will end up with what you deserve.

Yeah. And I always say that like, it's interesting because what I've seen is the guys who don't want to grow up, they don't want to be honest, they don't want to be vulnerable, and they don't act like gentlemen, end up with what they deserve, which is usually people who are looking for something else that's not that. But I think if you're, if you can get to that best version of yourself, which is this guy who's honest, who can be vulnerable and who it treats people with class and treats people with respect, you will end up with someone looking for that, who also gives that.

And I do think you end up with a true match and a true partner. But getting to that version of yourself takes practice because when you're young, you kind of play games and you, that's kind of what everyone does. Like you're learning how this whole thing works, but then you get to a certain age, which I think you're ahead of schedule because to hear you talk about it. I think you're pretty mature in that way. And that probably just comes from experience. But like when you get to the version of you that's like, I just want to actually be honest with someone and be vulnerable.

And I also want to treat each other well and be, you know, I think that you end up finding a person who can't tolerate anything else. Yeah. I mean, that just kind of also comes from getting hurt. Once you've had your heartbroken, then like, I mean, it doesn't ruin your perspective on love. It just kind of teaches you what to look for. and want to not look for you know and and i think you're with a person for it's like a reason a season or a lifetime it's like this saying i've never heard of that that's great and it's a good saying

you should write that in the song bro maybe it will one of those acoustic i think everyone that you you do you know have a connection with like it is meant to be there for for some sort of reason and you you learn some lessons that you can take with you to the rest of your life and and and so So I'm looking for a good one, but I'm sure I'll find it, you know. And that comes with like what you're saying. Like you have to be just super honest with somebody and vulnerable. And I like to talk like this, you know. I like to just, you know, like outside of where you usually meet someone nowadays, like a

cloud, they're like, oh, you're actually just really chill. That's what I like to, you know. Like I like to just have real conversations with people and. and try to, you know, take something away every time. Yeah, man, it's good. You're going to find it. I'm excited for you. We got the record.

Yep. Tour. Anything else coming up? You're excited about? My first movie is coming out. Oh, you got a movie? Mm-hmm. Oh.

I was going to ask you if you were acting because you have the face. Mm-hmm. Got the actor face. Like, and I mean that as like handsome. You're a handsome guy. So yeah, it would make sense to me if you said, oh, I'm doing a movie. So you just said it. And I'm like, yeah. I just did my first feature film this summer. Awesome. It's for 2B. It's going to be really cool. And I'm really proud of it. Awesome. I feel like I did a good job. Congrats. Thank you. And you're going to keep doing that. Yeah. I've been doing a bunch of fun. I have a good feeling about that. I've been doing a bunch of auditions. I think it's another passion of fun for sure. I really love acting. And there's something so special about film and TV. I mean, I mean, I That's something that I've wanted to do so I was a little kid. And to start with doing a rom-com, it was really special because I grew up just doing,

like, watching rom-coms with my sisters, like having two sisters. It wasn't something you could really avoid. And so making one was really funny. It was really fun. It was cool. The experience was great. And all the people were really talented, too. There's some interesting similarities between music and acting, which I think are like the delivery,

the tempo of the conversation. all of that matters and in the same way that we would go up when we're singing you like they tell you like oh can you go up on this word and then can you take it down notch here and and so there's a little bit of a rhythm to it too that just yeah timing is a thing time is totally a thing and in in the acting world and i think playing a character is also a thing that very well exists in in the music world as well which is just like when you're taking on i mean you're taking on i mean you're project, it's almost like a new personality. I perform every song differently in the type of way just based on what the song is. So I'm always looking for how can I put on performance. And when I'm on stage, I'm thinking about what I can do for these things. And there's facial expressions and there's real emotion. And I think that's the same vein that acting is. And once I figured that out, I was like, oh, it all just kind of clicks for me because it doesn't feel like I'm trying something necessarily too different than the things that I've done before.

That's cool. I could see you doing TV, too. Yeah, I've been auditioning for a few TV shows. And I think that'd be really cool. Awesome, bro. Thanks for coming. Thank you for having me. Hell yeah.

And then I'll be 27. Yeah, yeah. Exactly. The next one I'll come faster. Yeah. Yeah. Hell yeah. So thank you, man.

Appreciate it. Thank you for watching Artist Friendly. If you liked this episode, please make sure you hit the like button, you follow the channel, and please share it with your friends. We appreciate the support. That is why this show exists because you listen to it. Thank you guys, and we'll see you next time.