‘The lines always get blurred’: The Kid Laroi on the realities of fame and life in Hollywood

The Kid Laroi opens up about his huge success in the US and why the Australian singer’s work ‘seeps into my personal life’.

‘So much of my work seeps into my personal life.’ The Kid Laroi pictured at the 2024 MTV VMAs earlier this month. Picture: Getty Images

He’s one of the world’s most talked-about young artists – and he’s Australian.

The 21-year-old singer (real name Charlton Kenneth Jeffrey Howard) opens up about fame, finding himself and life in his adopted home of Los Angeles.

Stellar: Your debut studio album, The First Time, was released last year and is about growing up. It features the song ‘Girls’, which has become a bit of feminist anthem as the lyrics are about women being empowered to date on their own terms.

The Kid Laroi: That’s the whole thing. You’re talking about, “Hey, this is your world.” You’re talking to a girl and there are interactions with dudes who are f*ckboys, maybe. It’s a cool thing of being like, “Let’s have fun! [Your ex] didn’t treat you right, that’s fine” – well, that’s not fine, actually. But [it’s] saying like, “Hey, it’s different over here.”

Stellar: You have more than eight million followers across TikTok and Instagram. How do you keep a balance between your public persona and your personal life (Laroi is dating Canadian singer Tate McRae)?

The Kid Laroi: It’s funny that you asked that … I had a therapy session earlier, and we were discussing [this]. If there’s one thing I’ve learnt, it’s that there’s this sense of, what is my job? When you think about a job outside of a creative or entertainment [industry], you go to work and you come home, and have your personal life. So much of my work seeps into my personal life, it’s kind of hard to define. Technically, I work for the people – that’s my boss. So, like, what do I owe people? The lines always get blurred. When is my personal time? And when is it time to go to work?

The Kid Laroi is touring Australia in November. Picture: Getty Images

‘Last night, I wrote down a bunch of thoughts …’ Picture: Getty Images

With girlfriend Tate McRae at the VMAs. Picture: Getty Images

Stellar: So where do you draw the line?

The Kid Laroi: That’s what I’m still figuring out. When it comes to making decisions, ultimately, doing things that make me happy is the groundwork of it all. You can’t live for other people. You have to live for yourself while also being grateful for the people who are there for the ride, and still being able to carve out that time and make yourself happy, and being able to have a personal life. I haven’t figured it out. I’m still in the process of doing that.

You grew up in Sydney (Laroi’s stage name is inspired by his Kamilaroi heritage) and have been based in Los Angeles since 2019. How has the city influenced you?

The thing about Los Angeles is there’s this cool energy of being able to be free and be who you are, and who you want to be. There’s no judgement, it’s a very different world – especially in my circle. Just being around that energy is really cool. I have a lot of friends come and there are mixed reviews. Some are like, “I can’t do it out there. It’s too scene-y.” There is a scene and there can be an element of superficial vibes or whatever, but most of LA is so beautiful and you can be totally disconnected from that [scene]. It depends on the people you surround yourself with. There’s a stigma on LA of being this “fake” place and that can be true for some people, but I’ve found a real LA experience.

‘When is my personal time? And when is it time to go to work?’ The Kid Laroi goes deep in a new interview with Stellar. Picture: Getty Images

Which part of LA do you call home?

I’ve moved a couple of times. I was living in the Valley for, like, a year, in Encino. I’ve just moved towards Beverly Hills. I’ve lived in West Hollywood. I have a lot of friends in Silverlake. I’m out there sometimes.

What’s your writing process like? Do you keep a diary?

I don’t keep a diary but last night I wrote down my feelings. I never really do that; I just write music. But last night, I wrote down a bunch of thoughts. Sometimes a phrase or thought will come into my head and I’ll write it down. I don’t usually do that. You were talking about ‘Girls’ – that hook came from literally a girl telling me that. Inspiration always comes from real life; songs aren’t always supposed to be literal. A lot of my music, to date, is almost like you can go back and listen to me growing up. You can hear my perspective changing, which is cool because it’s documented. It’s not all about real life, sometimes you get creative. It’s always been a little harder for me to express vulnerability, and I guess it’s easier for me to do it through music. There doesn’t have to be an explanation. I think that’s really cool.

Listen to the latest episode of the Stellar podcast Something To Talk About below:

The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber. Picture: Amazon Prime

You’ve been in the public eye since you were a teenager, breaking out with the song ‘Stay’, your 2021 collaboration with Justin Bieber (the pair met when Bieber messaged him on Instagram, saying: “You got the sauce”). You’re now 21. Do you feel that age or do you feel older?

I’ve felt older for a long time, but this year, more than any other year, I’m appreciating how “young” I am. I’m in this bag right now where I do have a lot of life responsibility, I do have all this crazy, real, grown-up stuff. A lot of people at my age are going to uni or going to college. I don’t want to feel a need to grow up too quickly. I spent a lot of my teenage years thinking I had to be grown up, you know what I mean? I’m trying to take time to appreciate how young I am before it’s gone.

You’re touring Australia in November, and will perform at the NRL Grand Final in Sydney next Sunday. How do you feel about playing to a home audience?

There is a sense of nervousness and I feel like everything has to be perfect, I don’t want to let people down. I want to make people proud. I’m happy to come and play the new music and make it special, make it cool.

The Kid Laroi is touring nationally in November. His album The First Time (Sony) is out now. Read the full interview with The Kid Laroi in the latest issue of Stellar.

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Originally published as ‘The lines always get blurred’: The Kid Laroi on the realities of fame and life in Hollywood