The Kid Laroi: Waterloo teen sensation’s biggest hits and star collabs

He has gone from gigging around inner city Sydney to performing with Justin Bieber. The Kid Laroi is now one of the most streamed artists on the planet – all before his 18th birthday.

Anton Rose and Gary Hamilton-Irvine

less than 2 min read

July 23, 2021 - 10:40AM

Southern Courier

Southern Courier

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Music sensation The Kid Laroi has gone from gigging around inner city Sydney to performing with Justin Bieber and becoming one of the most streamed artists on the planet – all in the space of 12 months.

The meteoric rise of Laroi, real name Charlton Howard, could be one of the most significant rushes to fame of an Aussie since Kylie Minogue ditched Ramsay St and took on the world.

Justin Bieber and The Kid Laroi. Picture: Instagram

Despite his current trajectory little is known about the Sydney muso.

Laroi, who turns 18 in August, attended Glebe’s prestigious Australian Performing Arts Grammar School and is the son of a music producer and a music executive, growing up mostly in Waterloo but also spending part of his childhood in Broken Hill.

“Very proud of our The Kid LAROI (who) has gone from Unearthed High finalist, to touring with Juice WRLD and collabing with Lil Skies in a matter of months! He’s 15, with a dream,” the school boasted in 2018.

The Kid Laroi on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon this year. Picture: Getty Images

The stage name “Laroi” is short for the Kamilaroi or Gamilaraay Indigenous people, from whom the artist is descended.

As a 15-year-old he said he started his path into music by “making beats” before eventually rapping and earning a spot on the radar of Aussie record labels.

An impressive list of stars he has collaborated with includes the likes of Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Juice WRLD, Lil Mosey, Lil Skies, Marshmello, and Bankrol Hayden.