Alex Warren speaks onstage during Best New Artist Spotlight at GRAMMY House during the 68th GRAMMY Awards at Rolling Greens on January 28, 2026 in Los Angeles. (Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)

Much of Alex Warren‘s music has been inspired by the fact that his parents are no longer with us — he even named his upcoming tour Little Orphan Alex Live. But on a serious note, he’s thinking of them both as he heads into Sunday’s Grammy Awards.

Alex is up for best new artist at the ceremony on Sunday night. He’ll also be performing on the telecast, along with the other nominees in the category. On his Instagram Story, he posted a photo of the grave markers of his parents, James Hughes and Lisa Hughes. His dad died in 2009, while his mom passed away in 2021.

“going into this week is so emotional and I know they’re watching down happy :)),” he captioned the photo. “can’t wait for yall to see this performance.”

Alex and the other best new artist nominees, including Olivia Dean and sombr, all spoke at a special Best New Artist Spotlight Grammy event in LA Wednesday. That same night, he received the song of the year trophy for “Ordinary” at the GRAMMY Week Songwriter Awards, handed out by the National Music Publishers Association and Billboard.