Do you ever scroll TikTok, watching short clips of unknown singers come up on your feed? The occasional good song comes up and you decide to follow them, not thinking much of it. Well, those artists are now on headlining tours, performing at the VMAs. The three who took over - Alex Warren, ROSÉ, and Sombr.

Who Are They?

Let's start with Alex Warren. You might know him from "Hype House", a group of collaborators on Tiktok. Or, you might know him from his viral song "Ordinary", which came out in 2025. Ordinary was a breakout song on TikTok, and gained so much traction that Warren eventually released multiple versions of the song.

He recently released his debut album "You'll Be Alright Kid" on July 18th, 2025. It includes collaborations with famous country singer Jelly Roll, and currently trending artist ROSÉ. Warren has recently been on his North American tour, and is known for making jokes about his deceased parents, and having a dark sense of humor. Between that and his emotional music, he has connected with his fans in a very positive way.

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Next up is ROSÉ. She is known as being a quarter of the popular K-Pop group Blackpink, but has recently broken off on her own, and showed everybody that she is a strong solo artist with her eight nominations. Her debut album "rosie" was released in December of 2024. The album features powerful vocals and strong lyricism.

Her album has been described from many as authentic, which is exactly what you would hope for off of a debut album. ROSÉ has become extremely popular because of her song "APT" with Bruno Mars. TikTok stars all around the world can be seen dancing and singing to the track on the app.

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Lastly, we have Sombr. Sombr has just released his debut album "I Barely Know Her", which has quickly become a top ranking album. He is currently on his North American tour, and has been gaining a ton of popularity with his so called "crash outs" on stage. These include him throwing his mic stand over, trampling his guitarist, and jumping into the crowds.

He has a large presence on TikTok, collaborating on videos with artists like Laufey and Conan Gray, and can be seen saying out of pocket things to his fans, which eventually go viral. Because Sombr attracts so many Gen Z fans, his social media is constantly booming with new reels, posts, and even comments on supporters' posts.

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So Many Nominations... and a Few Wins?

The breakout artist Alex Warren was not only nominated for four categories; "Best New Artist", "Song of The Year", "Best Pop Video", and "Song of The Summer", but won the highly coveted "Best New Artist" award. As the award was being announced on the red carpet, a stunned Warren walks up to the mic, jaw open. After a period of shocked silence, Warren looks at the VMA with disbelief, exclaiming, "This is mine?".

Once he finished getting over the initial surprise, he thanked his fans, stating "Thank you so much, what the... this is awesome!" He then mentions his fellow nominee, showing his bafflement at him not being the winner of the award. "I was totally ready for Sombr to be somewhere to accept this, that is so cool, thank you so much" he expresses. He shows his appreciation and genuine humbleness while receiving the honor, showing fans who he truly is as a person.

ROSÉ, on the other hand, was nominated for "Song of The Year", "Best K-Pop Video", "Best Collaboration", "Best Visual Effects", "Video of The Year", "Best Art Direction", "Best Pop Video", and "Music Video Award for Best Direction". Trailing only four singers who had received more nominations, she ended up taking home a VMA for "Song of The Year", for her collaboration with popular artist Bruno Mars.

As she walks onto the stage to receive her award she is absolutely beaming. "Oh my gosh, I can't believe this." She remarks. During her four minute long speech, she is seen stumbling over her words out of excitement. "I accept this award proudly, because it has come with the hard work and discipline of my extremely hardworking team" she states, showing her gratitude towards everyone who has helped her.

Finally, Sombr was nominated for a total of three categories, "Best Alternative Video", "Best New Artist", and "Song of The Year". That night, he gained a new trophy on his shelf, by winning "Best Alternative Video" for his song "Back to Friends". He, like Alex Warren, received his award on the red carpet.

When his name is announced, he asks "Did I win? What did I win?" in classic Sombr fashion. He continues saying "Well thank you so much, I didn't expect this; I thought this was a prank". After forgetting his words, he slowly kisses his VMA. During his one minute speech he was monotone and clearly surprised. It was also very obvious he had not prepared a speech, as he blanked and didn't know who to thank.

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Performing at the VMAs

On top of winning "Best New Artist", Warren performed his two hit songs, "Eternity" and "Ordinary". While both were simple performances, which a marching band playing the music and Warren walking around the stage, he radiated an energy that captivated the crowd with every lyric. His low vibrato in "Eternity", and belts in "Ordinary", showed off his expansive range of singing, and further proved that he deserved to win his award.

Sombr tugged at heartstrings and put on an absolute powerhouse of a show with his performance of "Back to Friends/12 to 12" His set included a photo booth, live band, and dancers. In his all black ensemble, the entire stage was red, and people got up out of their seats to dance and sing along. Fans towards the front of the venue are seen waving their hands and trying to get the artists attention. Sombr proved that he is not only a talented performer, but his raspy voice and crowd work are what people should be looking for in their next favorite musical artist.

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The TikTok of It All

All three artists may not be considered TikTok stars in everyone's book, but they sure are in others. Alex Warren and his wife Kouvr are known for their music promoting videos, with anything from Kouvr reacting to another one of her husband's new songs, or Warren trust falling and his wife not catching him. As well as that, Warren creates videos at his actual concerts, with his fans. They include audios from the "Minions" movie, funny interactions between fans, and whatever viral trend is going around at the moment.

On the contrary, ROSÉ is more music focused on her account. She often shares clips of new videos and songs, in an attempt to capture the attention of current and new fans. On the page, you are also able to get a glimpse into her personal life, from posts that show the artist enjoying coffee, doing things behind the scenes and providing tutorials.

Sombr is very active on the platform. He, like ROSÉ, promotes his music on the app, and uses it as one of his primary forms of marketing. He can be seen singing along to songs, collaborating with other artists, and reposting/liking fans' content.

Along with that, he posts his inspiration for songs and the backstory behind his current releases. Lastly, he shares many of his fans interactions, whether in or out of his musical fame.

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Final Thoughts

I personally love the VMAs. The singing, dancing, and support throughout the entire show is really inspiring and let's face it; entertaining. The fact that these breakout TikTok stars have received so much recognition for their art is incredible, and it really shows us how much social media can boost someone's platform. I strongly encourage anyone reading this to go listen to these artists and even find new ones through different social media apps.

These TikTok stars hooked us. The question now is, what's next for these artists, and who will be the next breakout star?