{"id":565725,"date":"2026-07-24T09:57:21","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T09:57:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/565725\/"},"modified":"2026-07-24T09:57:21","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T09:57:21","slug":"coolest-person-in-the-room-malcolm-todd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/565725\/","title":{"rendered":"Coolest Person in the Room: Malcolm Todd"},"content":{"rendered":"

Popularity is relative, especially in the digital age. For our series, Coolest Person in the Room, we pinpoint all the people whose energy is contagious regardless of their following count or celebrity.<\/p>\n

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Four years ago, you came to one of my college radio station\u2019s house shows and asked to play a set. We said no. In 2026 you would get mobbed at any college radio party. How has the quick come up felt? <\/p>\n

I remember this. As far as recognition goes, it\u2019s only started to feel substantial this year. I\u2019ve really gotten popular in 2026, and I really do feel famous now. Obviously, fame is relevant. You\u2019re famous to who you\u2019re famous to. To most people, I\u2019m not famous. But the come up has been kind of nice. I could go out and get recognized and then move on with my day. Now, there\u2019s more eyes. Like in Erewhon, I feel more watched. Everyone is still so nice. I like when people tell me how they feel, like that they like my music. Because you don\u2019t always have the chance to do that face to face.<\/p>\n

What aspect of your artistry, or in handling the fame that comes from it, do you think you\u2019ve had the most growth with?<\/p>\n

The thing I\u2019ve learned the most is perspective. And being able to block out noise. I didn\u2019t come into it thinking I\u2019d have to learn it, but then those challenges come up. It\u2019s a true skill I had to learn in order to keep making music I enjoy. I also always want to be a more confident singer. I\u2019m a producer and writer before I\u2019m a singer. <\/p>\n

You sound pretty good. On \u201cBreathe\u201d you have a lyric \u201cI probably shouldn\u2019t do it, but I\u2019ll do it for the song,\u201d is that honest? Do you make choices in order to write about them? <\/p>\n

Absolutely. I don\u2019t go into things to write about them. But in the moment, when making decisions, more cautious choices aren\u2019t as appealing. Like fuck it. I\u2019ll take a leap of faith, even if things get more hairy. At the end of the day, I can write a song about an experience, so I might as well do it.<\/p>\n

I love that. What is the incubation period between these experiences and writing about them? <\/p>\n

No one\u2019s ever asked me that. There was one time I was so heartbroken and went to my writing partner and mentor. I wanted him to come over, but he saw me, and was like \u201cThis is too real. You\u2019re too sad right now\u2019, and he was right. Sometimes you need to process things. Especially if it\u2019s something that\u2019s really getting to you. You need to live in it for a few days. <\/p>\n

On \u201cLonely Song\u201d you talk about being scared to turn 22, but knowing how to be 21. What\u2019s your advice to me and other 21 year olds? <\/p>\n

I would say, “Haha, that\u2019s so funny because I\u2019m only a year older.” Honestly, enjoy that year because it\u2019s the first year you\u2019re legal. That was my favorite part about being 21, was how fresh it was. They couldn\u2019t stop me at the door, that was so special. And embrace the unknown. <\/p>\n

I\u2019m gonna use that. Thank you. I\u2019m only 21 for a few more months.<\/p>\n

When’s your birthday?<\/p>\n

September. <\/p>\n

What day?<\/p>\n

\"\"\/<\/p>\n

Shorts: Jane Wade, Necklace: Presley Oldham<\/p>\n

The 9th. Do you want to come to my birthday party? It\u2019s going to be a reading. Everyone has to bring something they wrote. <\/p>\n

I’m fifteenth, we\u2019re both virgos. I can write anything?<\/p>\n

I\u2019d ask you not to do a song because that\u2019s your comfort zone. <\/p>\n

That\u2019s so Just Kids. I just read that. It was so good. <\/p>\n

Boys your age don\u2019t normally read, and when they do I feel like it\u2019s always nonfiction self-help books. How do you feel about 22-year-old boy culture when it comes to sportsbetting and looksmaxxing?<\/p>\n

Look, we\u2019re all humans and we\u2019re all trying to fulfill ourselves. If looksmaxxing fulfills you and you don\u2019t get into other people\u2019s way, I can\u2019t stop you. Obviously, it\u2019s not healthy. We\u2019re behind on the fucked up body dysmorphia women deal with. It\u2019s insane, the standards people are deciding for beauty. I\u2019m sure it\u2019s fun for them, but there\u2019s consequences. I just pray for them and be the best I can be.<\/p>\n

On the same note, you\u2019re innately different from everyone else our age because you\u2019re a rising star, you\u2019re about to tour the world, you\u2019re the Coolest Person in the Room. Do you feel pressure with all that?<\/p>\n

I go in and out of it. I feel a pressure to perform, obviously. It\u2019s my job. I\u2019ve set myself up the past few years to not feel so much pressure. I\u2019ve been authentic the whole build. So now, I can just be myself. It\u2019s the key to success.<\/p>\n

Back to the album, you say on \u201cLonely Song\u201d that you feel worried about losing your \u201csparkle\u201d. What\u2019s a quality or interest you have that you consider your \u201csparkle\u201d?<\/p>\n

I think my sparkle is the charm people are picking up on. It\u2019s who I am. There\u2019s things people couldn\u2019t know about me, like funny things. I shoot pool left handed but throw a ball right-handed. That kind of thing. There\u2019s nothing too exciting honestly. <\/p>\n

The album Do That Again is very sexual. It could be described as \u201cbaby-making music\u201d. Do you listen to music with these girls you\u2019re talking about on the album? If so, do you let them have aux or control it yourself?<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a great question. I don\u2019t often have music on in the act. Music isn\u2019t usually on. I know some people really like having it. I get really distracted by it, maybe that\u2019s the musician in me. Music makes me want to go out and experience things, which is funny, because I do make horny music.<\/p>\n

Love it. You sample on \u201cLonely Song\u201d and were famously sampled on \u201cE85\u201d by Don Toliver. How do you feel about sample culture and drawing inspiration from other musicians? <\/p>\n

Sampling is so funny. It\u2019s a slippery slope. You need to get things cleared. That\u2019s my relationship with directly sampling things. It can also be really hard with the labels involved. As far as inspirations go, music is an ever-feeding circle of artists inspiring artists. Sometimes, when I get too obsessed with a song, I\u2019ll make it by accident. I\u2019ll sing melodies of songs that already exist. I have to stop myself from hyperfixating.<\/p>\n

What are some non-musical inspirations you had for Do That Again?<\/p>\n

I was in New York, reading Meet me in the Bathroom by Lizzy Goodman. It\u2019s about 2000s indie sleaze scene stuff. Walking around New York while reading it was so cool. I was in the East Village and I saw Julian Casablancas walking. I was kind of a rockstar making this album. I was a bit reckless, and leaning into that was super fun. <\/p>\n

I also love Michael Jordan and Dennis Rodman, when it comes to style inspirations. <\/p>\n

I want to ask about your sister, Audrey Hobert. You popped off before she began her music career. How has it affected your musicianship and siblinghood?<\/p>\n

Imagine getting to watch your favorite artist grow up. Everything she says, every fiber of her is in that music. It\u2019s such a privilege to be inspired by her so closely. For our relationship, we\u2019ve been able to lean on each other and support each other on tour. It\u2019s been really good.<\/p>\n

\"\"\/<\/p>\n

\"\"\/<\/p>\n

How do you see Do That Again as a part of the broader discography you\u2019re building? How do you think you\u2019ll look back on it?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s like 21 going into 22. Finding the most success and most pressure I\u2019ve felt for the first time. I feel I was honest and rough around the edges. The mixtape was four years ago. 18 to 22 is such a learning experience, whereas 30 to 34 won\u2019t have that many changes. I also see this album as a middle ground between being super young and starting to feel evolved. I think I\u2019ll get more mature in the future, but I\u2019m nowhere near as green as I was for Sweet Boy.<\/p>\n

Is there any advice you\u2019d give any past version of yourself?<\/p>\n

I\u2019d go to the 18 year-old version of myself who was deciding not to go to college, and tell him to trust his insisincts. I feel very guided on my journey right now. I\u2019d tell him he was going to do great, and be on my way. I\u2019m really enjoying how it\u2019s going.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Popularity is relative, especially in the digital age. For our series, Coolest Person in the Room, we pinpoint…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":565726,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[321,238870,93,1424,61,60,238869,278,7492],"class_list":["post-565725","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-celebrities","tag-celebrities","tag-coolest-person-in-the-room","tag-entertainment","tag-fashion","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-malcolm-todd","tag-music","tag-pop-music"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/565725","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=565725"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/565725\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/565726"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=565725"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=565725"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=565725"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}