Alex Warren is "stoked" about his success.

The "Ordinary" singer sat down with CBS Mornings for its forthcoming "Road to the Grammys" segment airing January 26 to reflect on his shot to stardom and how proving early doubters wrong, per People. In a preview that aired Monday (January 5), Warren detailed some of the struggles he faced growing up in terms of his musical and vocal skills.

"My entire life, I wasn't the best singer in my class. I wasn't amazing," he said. "My choir teacher did not believe in me, to say the least."

Warren, 25, admitted to feeling like he didn't have the kind of voice "that people liked" when he was younger, especially compared to other big artists at the time.

"I don't have that stereotypical voice, I feel like. I put a lot of emotion into things, I have a raspy voice," he said, adding, "They like the Justin Bieber, writing songs about girls, good-looking dude. And I was a chubby white kid who was more red than anything."

However, he has managed to prove all of the naysayers wrong, from the success of this breakout hit "Ordinary" to earning a nomination for the 2026 Grammy Awards, which he called a "very validating" experience. He is up for Best New Artist against fellow musicians Olivia Dean, Addison Rae, Sombr, Leon Thomas, Lola Young, KATSEYE and The Marías.

"I think I've worked really hard to become who I am today and that was one of those moments I kind of got to look up in the sky and be pretty stoked," he said.

The 2026 Grammy Awards airs February 1. Check out the full list of nominees.

Corey Klug