The Kid LAROI

The Kid LAROI rose from Waterloo, Australia to score one of the decade’s biggest crossover singles with “Stay,” his 2021 collaboration with Justin Bieber. The track topped charts in numerous countries, including Australia, Canada and the United States, where it reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Born Charlton Kenneth Jeffrey Howard on 17 August 2003, he records as a singer, rapper and songwriter, moving between hip hop, rap, emo rap and pop rap.

Howard signed with American rapper Lil Bibby’s Grade A Productions in 2019 through a joint venture with Columbia Records. His early releases paired melodic vocals with rap performances, often placing relationship songs and vulnerable pop writing alongside hip-hop production. The name The Kid LAROI draws on his Indigenous Australian heritage, referencing the Gamilaraay, Gomeroi, Kamilaroi or Gamilaroi people of northern inland New South Wales.

His debut mixtape, F*ck Love, arrived in 2020 and became a major commercial breakthrough. It charted on the Billboard 200 in the United States and reached number one on Australia’s ARIA Charts, making him the youngest Australian solo act to do so. The project was subsequently expanded through two commercial reissues. F*ck Love: (Savage) produced “Without You,” later remixed with Miley Cyrus; the song reached the Billboard Hot 100’s top ten. The next edition, F*ck Love: Over You, included “Stay,” extending the mixtape’s run into 2021.

In 2023, The Kid LAROI released his debut studio album, The First Time. Its rollout included “Love Again” and “Too Much,” the latter featuring Jung Kook and Central Cee. His second album, Before I Forget, followed in 2026 and reached the top five of both the ARIA Albums Chart and the Billboard 200. Across these releases, he has worked within a pop-facing rap format while maintaining ties to Australian hip hop and an international recording career.