Rex Orange County

Alex O'Connor records under the name Rex Orange County and creates literate, quirky bedroom pop that merges jazz, hip-hop, and soul influences. Still a teenager, he drew online notice in 2015 with the self-produced album bcos u will never b free. Building on that early viral response, he issued Apricot Princess in 2017 and broadened his sonic palette further; the album reached the Top Ten of Billboard's Independent Albums chart and set the stage for the more ambitious, jazz-inflected PONY, which surfaced in 2019. That release marked a commercial breakthrough, placing him inside the Top Five of the primary album charts across multiple territories, among them the U.K. and U.S. In 2022 his fourth studio album, Who Cares?, which includes a feature from Tyler, The Creator, ascended to number one in both the U.K. and New Zealand. He followed it in 2024 with the more intimate and stripped-back The Alexander Technique, whose title-track lead single confronts lifelong battles with mental health and chronic pain.

Born in 1998 and raised in the village of Grayshott on the Hampshire-Surrey border, O'Connor sang in the school choir and cultivated an affinity for pop through exposure to a range of classic and contemporary acts such as Queen, Stevie Wonder, Green Day, and Weezer. A self-taught drummer, he secured admission to London's BRIT School as a teenager. While enrolled there he added singing and guitar to his skills and acquired piano and production-software abilities during work on his debut album. At age 17 he adopted the Rex Orange County moniker—taking “O.C.” from his surname—and self-released bcos u will never b free to streaming platforms in 2015.

As awareness of his singular approach grew, he issued tracks including the 2016 single “Uno” and the early-2017 cuts “Best Friend” and “Sunflower,” then delivered his second self-made LP, Apricot Princess, that April. By then Tyler, The Creator had become a supporter and enlisted Rex Orange County for two songs on the July 2017 album Flower Boy. The next year O'Connor finished second in the BBC Sound of 2018 poll, behind Norwegian singer Sigrid.

February 2019 brought the bittersweet Valentine's Day-themed single “New House,” which preceded the September arrival of “10/10.” His third album, PONY, appeared in October and revealed an even deeper engagement with 1970s singer/songwriter and jazz influences; it also topped both the Billboard Top Rock Albums and Alternative Albums charts. In 2020 O'Connor marked the five-year anniversary of bcos u will never b free with a limited vinyl edition and released the live set Live at Radio City Music Hall. Early 2022 saw the single “Keep It Up” precede his fourth full-length, Who Cares?, which arrived that March. Recorded in Amsterdam with longtime collaborator Benny Sings, the album reunited him with Tyler, The Creator on the Billboard Hot Rock Songs-charting track “Open a Window.” Who Cares? achieved a mainstream breakthrough, peaking at number three in both the U.S. and Canada, number four in Australia, and number five in the United Kingdom.

Following that success, O'Connor delivered the album he has long envisioned. More pared-down and autobiographical, the self-produced The Alexander Technique appeared in September 2024 and explores personal encounters with chronic pain and mental health, themes foregrounded on its piano-driven title-track lead single.