Forget about autograph books and Instagram-worthy selfies: Alex Warren appreciates a personal touch from his audience.
The Grammy-nominated pop singer, who recently wrapped his Finding Family on the Road tour, opened up about fans bringing the ashes of their deceased parents to his concerts in a joint Rolling Stone interview with country singer Megan Moroney, published Tuesday, Oct. 20.
Warren, 26, has previously been candid about his own fraught family history. The singer's father died of kidney failure when he was 9 years old, while his mother died in 2021 after a volatile relationship that included Warren being kicked out of his home at 18.
"As I've made these songs and I played these shows, people will bring their dead parents to my show,"
Warren told Moroney. "They’ll put the ashes in the urn or in a bag, and they'll bring them to my show and have me sign them. I think a lot of people would be like, 'That makes me uncomfortable.' I love it."
He added: "There's a reason. You get to keep that person alive with every conversation, and you have this beautiful memory. You can't control loss. You can't control grief, but you can control how you react to it."
Although Warren sometimes worries that his vulnerability might veer into oversharing, the "Ordinary" singer said he doesn't regret being an open book.
"I talk about losing my parents. I talk about my wife and everything real in my life that people don't typically talk about," Warren said. "For me, specifically, when I was homeless or when I met my wife or when I lost my parents, there were these feelings of aloneness. I felt like I was alone in that feeling and I was the only one who could experience that."
Sharing the lessons from his turbulent upbringing is the ultimate full circle for Warren. In an August interview with USA TODAY, the singer reflected on his evolved outlook.
"I battled very hard with losing my parents at a young age. I was heavily bullied growing up," Warren said. "There are so many things that kind of set me up to where I am today, and I appreciate it."
Contributing: Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Alex Warren welcomes fans bringing parents' ashes to concerts – 'I love it'
