KEY POINT
- Alex Warren said his in ear monitors stopped working seconds before his performance at the 68th Grammy Awards.
- The Best New Artist nominee performed his hit song Ordinary despite the technical issue during the live broadcast.
- The incident highlights the challenges performers face during complex live television productions such as the Grammy Awards.
LOS ANGELES — Social media personality and musician Alex Warren said a sudden technical failure left him unable to hear himself moments before performing at the 68th Grammy Awards, describing the experience as “horrifying” as he stepped onstage during a live broadcast at Crypto.com Arena.
A performance at the 68th Grammy Awards nearly unraveled for Alex Warren when a technical malfunction disrupted his audio feed moments before he stepped onstage.
Warren, nominated for Best New Artist, performed his Billboard Hot 100 track Ordinary during a medley segment featuring emerging performers.
In comments shared during an upcoming episode of the podcast Call Her Daddy, Warren said the malfunction occurred less than half a minute before his live appearance.
The Grammy Awards are among the most watched music broadcasts in the United States and globally, bringing together dozens of performers and complex stage setups in a live television format.
The ceremony is organized by the Recording Academy and frequently features collaborative performances from multiple artists within a single segment.
According to Warren, the performance had been rehearsed repeatedly during the week leading up to the event.
However, he said the audio feed in his in ear monitors suddenly cut out shortly before he was scheduled to perform between fellow nominees Leon Thomas and Lola Young.
“I can’t hear anything. I can’t hear myself,” Warren recalled telling production staff as the countdown to the live segment began.
With the broadcast already underway, the production team informed him that the show could not pause to fix the issue.
The performance began in a concession area inside Crypto.com Arena, where cameras showed Warren starting his segment near a popcorn stand before walking into the arena bowl to face the audience.
Other performers included Olivia Dean, Addison Rae, The Marías and the global girl group KATSEYE.
Live broadcast performances rely heavily on in-ear monitoring systems, which allow performers to hear backing tracks, pitch references and cues from musical directors.
When those systems fail, artists can lose timing or vocal reference points.
“An in-ear monitor is essentially the performer’s entire sound environment,” said Michael Santucci, a veteran sound engineer who has worked on televised award shows.
“If it drops out seconds before a live performance, the artist has to rely on instinct and stage monitors, which are often not designed for that scenario.”
Live television also leaves little room for correction, particularly during global broadcasts.
“Large productions like the Grammys involve dozens of simultaneous technical systems,” said Karen Fielding. “Even with extensive rehearsals, the unpredictability of live broadcasting means performers must sometimes adapt in real time.”
Warren said the experience was disorienting but ultimately forced him to commit to the moment.
“In my head I looked up and thought, ‘This is meant to happen,’” he said during the podcast interview.
Video shared later on Warren’s social media accounts showed distorted audio playing through his in ear monitors during the performance. The clip suggested a delayed signal that made it difficult for him to match the timing of the music.
Music industry analyst Jordan Patel said the incident reflects the pressure artists face when performing during high-profile broadcasts.
“Millions of viewers are watching and there is no second take,” Patel said. “The ability to recover from a technical failure in that environment is part of what defines a professional live performer.”
Despite the technical glitch, Warren continued his performance and completed the segment without stopping the broadcast.
Incidents involving live audio systems are not uncommon in large scale television productions, and producers often review them afterward to improve redundancy and technical safeguards.
For Warren, the moment may become part of his early career narrative as his music career expands beyond social media.
The technical malfunction during the 68th Grammy Awards illustrates the unpredictable nature of live entertainment broadcasts.
Even after weeks of rehearsals, a sudden audio failure left Alex Warren navigating a high stakes performance without the monitoring system most performers rely on.
The episode highlights the complex production environment behind major televised events and the split second decisions artists must make when technology fails on a global stage.
