Against a homespun D.I.Y. soundtrack of alternative R&B, Malcolm Todd drops off-the-cuff observations suitable for savage social media captions and, if a listener is feeling particularly spontaneous, profound enough for a tattoo. The Los Angeles-born singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer laces head-nodding grooves with raw commentary on post-high school life and relationships. In between breezy beat-craft and lithe guitar-work, you’ll get to know what he’s thinking and exactly who he is on a series of 2023 singles and his debut project for Columbia Records.

“I’m not trying to do too much or be a character in my music,” he notes. “I connect with people through the lyrics. Having a sticky situation with someone you love is very relatable, and I’ll be honest about it. I don’t beat around the bush with metaphors. I try to be direct. When you listen to me, it’s clear what I’m writing about, which makes it easy to fuck with.”

Malcolm grew up in Santa Monica, CA. As a kid, his “musical theater nerd” mom introduced him to Broadway CDs in the car, getting the family singing along to Into The Woods, Something Rotten!, The Book of Mormon, and Wicked. As a kid, he took piano lessons and listened to everyone from James Taylor, Paul Simon, Jack Johnson, and Bob Dylan to the Grateful Dead with his dad. During high school, he discovered Steve Lacy, Omar Apollo, and Kali Uchis, developing a passion for alternative R&B. In the midst of the Global Pandemic as a sophomore in high school, he picked up bass and guitar. He went from performing in choir and covering songs by The Beatles and Dominic Fike to uploading tracks of his own on Spotify. “The goal wasn’t to blow up on YouTube and be a superstar,” he states. “I just wanted to impress people I saw at school.”

Nevertheless, he unassumingly gained traction with the Demos Before Prom EP in 2022. Given its buzz, he convinced his parents to let him take a gap year and downloaded TikTok where “Lately” initially picked up steam. Meanwhile, his tracks “Out of Bounds” and “Hesitating” generated millions of Spotify streams. He kicked off 2023 with the Shower Shoes EP and followed it with singles “Art House” and “Roommates,” which have tallied over 30 million Spotify streams combined. Lyrical Lemonade christened him “someone who deserves mad love right now,” while SHEESH raved, “Malcolm Todd’s remarkable run in 2023 has been nothing short of extraordinary.” Along the way, he inked a deal with Columbia Records.

He kicks off his next era with the simmering single “Hot In NY.” A sunny bounce underlines his buoyant delivery as a funky bassline thumps. Illustrating his balance of musicality and melody, he leans into a chantable chorus, “It’s hot in New York and I can’t get away from rain,” before a guitar solo wails.

“It was springtime, and Los Angeles just had a big rainstorm,” Malcolm recalls. “It was pouring out. I was looking at a friend in New York who was enjoying some nice weather and feeling bummed. I wished I was there! It’s like, ‘I’m getting rained on over here. You’re having so much fun over there, and I wish I was hanging out with you’. It has a lot of energy. We wanted to keep going nonstop with no brakes.”

With more bangers on deck and an upbeat message, Malcolm Todd is on the fast track towards a breakthrough.

“When you listen to me, I’d love for you to feel more confident,” he leaves off. “When I see somebody with confidence, it inspires me. I want you to feel good, strong, and happy. I’m just a lucky guy who gets to make music. I’m living the dream.”