Malcolm Todd

Malcolm Todd Hobert was born on September 15, 2003, in Los Angeles, California.^[1] His father, Tim Hobert, is a former television scriptwriter who worked as co-executive producer on the sitcom The Middle. As a child, Todd made a cameo as a trick-or-treater in the sixth episode of the fourth season of the show. His mother, who participated in musical theater, introduced Todd to Broadway soundtracks and artists like Stevie Wonder, while his father introduced him to folk and rock artists such as the Grateful Dead and James Taylor.^[2] Todd's sister Audrey Hobert is also a singer-songwriter, having released her debut studio album Who's the Clown? in 2025.^[3]

Todd was raised in the Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles and attended Palisades Charter High School.^[4] Todd received a bass guitar at age 16 and taught himself to play during the COVID-19 pandemic, eventually moving on to acoustic guitar. While attending high school, he began writing and producing music with his friend Charlie Ziman, resulting in his first EP, Demos Before Prom (2022).^[5][6] He also wrote sketch comedies and played bass in the pit ensemble for his high school's musical theatre productions.^[4] Following graduation, Todd planned to attend the University of Oregon to study music production, but dropped out a week prior to pursue music full-time.^[7][8] To fund his early musical pursuits, he worked at a Cold Stone Creamery.^[7]

Todd's commercial breakthrough came in 2023 when his single "Art House" went viral on TikTok, catapulting his monthly listener count to millions.^[9] Following the success of "Art House" and another single, "Roommates", he was noticed by an executive at Columbia Records and was signed to the label.^[10] He made his live debut in July 2023, in a sold-out show at Winston House in Venice, Los Angeles.^[11] On April 5, 2024, Todd released his debut mixtape Sweet Boy, the first project under Columbia.^[10] Later that year, he served as an opening act for Omar Apollo on the North American leg of the God Said No World Tour.^[12]

Todd released his self-titled debut album, Malcolm Todd on April 4, 2025.^[13] The album's lead single "Chest Pain (I Love)" became his first entry on the Billboard Hot 100,^[14] peaking at number 68.^[15] It was also supported by the single "Bleed" featuring Apollo, with a music video that included cameo appearances from Jack Harlow and Harry Daniels.^[16] This was then followed by the third single "Cheer Me On".^[17] Upon release, the album debuted at number 103 on the Billboard 200, marking his first entry on the chart.^[18] In August 2025, he released a deluxe version Malcolm Todd (still) which was supported by the single "Original".^[19][20] Following the deluxe release, the album re-entered the Billboard 200 at a new peak of number 49.^[21] During this period, Todd also performed at several music festivals, including Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival and Laneway Festival.^[7]

Todd released his second studio album Do That Again on June 5, 2026.^[22] The album was preceded by two singles "Breathe" and "I Saw Your Face", released on March 13 and April 23, 2026, respectively.^[23][24] Concurrently, his 2024 track "Earrings" experienced a resurgence as a global sleeper hit, reaching the top 40 of the music charts in the US, UK, Ireland, Canada, and Australia.^{[25][26][27][28]}

Todd's music is a blend of indie pop and R&B, drawing influences from the bedroom pop scene and 2010s alternative R&B.^[29] He has stated that his music is inspired by alternative R&B artists like Steve Lacy, Omar Apollo, Dominic Fike, and Rex Orange County. Todd also enjoys music by The Beatles and Paul Simon.^[30] He has additionally been compared to Smino, Kali Uchis, and Tyler, the Creator.^[31][32] The website antiMusic described Todd's style as incorporating "groovy production with intricate vocal layers".^[11] Todd has said that he enjoys using obscure chords in his music to make him unique.^[9]