WATCH: The Kid Laroi's "Without You" Music Video
The First Nations performer might now be living in LA as one of the hottest young rappers in the biz, but that didn’t stop him charting at number one in his home country last Saturday with his debut album F*ck Love. The number one spot was previously held by Bluey the Album.
His new achievement makes him the youngest Australian solo artist to chart at number one on the ARIA charts, and the second First Nations male solo artist ever. For reference, Delta Goodrem was formerly the youngest Australian solo artist to hit number one with her album Innocent Eyes in 2003. So, when she was 18-years-old and before Laroi was born.
“[Number one] in my own country,” he said in total awe in a Twitter thread about the big news. “Words cannot describe this feeling. Anybody who knows me, knows that where I’m from means everything to me. I’m more than blessed to have my country behind me, and I promise that I won’t let them down.
“One of my biggest goals in this whole music sh*t from the beginning has always been to show the rest of the world what Australia has to offer, and how much raw and unseen talent that we have. It’s not an overnight process, but I can feel it slowly happening.
“And, I’m taking this sh*t all the way, too. I love you so much family. I cannot thank you enough. Australia to the world.”
Want to learn more about the hottest young Aussie rapper taking the world by storm? Keep reading for all the goss and what lead him to charting the ARIA and Billboard Charts.
Everything You Need To Know About The Kid Laroi
How Old Is The Kid Laroi?
The Kid Laroi, real name Charlton Kenneth Jeffery Howard, was born on the 17th of August, 2003, making him currently 17-years-old. The young Aussie rapper was always destined to have a career in music, born to parents Nick Howard, a music producer and sound engineer who has worked with Nelly and Fat Joe, and Sloane Howard, a model manager and music executive.
When Did The Kid Laroi Get Big?
While The Kid Laroi has been making music since 2015, it wasn’t until the late infamous rapper Juice Wrld shouted him out after he supported him on his Australian national tours in 2018 and 2019.
Then, in December 2019, Lyrical Lemonade published the music video to his song “Let Her Go,” and he gained international mass success. In March 2020, he dropped a song named after TikTok star Addison Rae. When Addison found out about the track, it went viral—the TikTok featuring the song has more than 15 million likes.
Then, on the 12th of June, he released a collaborated track with his late mentor Juice Wrld, titled “Go,” which quickly became his first single to hit the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, debuting at 52. The very next month, he was featured on Juice Wlrd’s post-death album, Legends Never Die, on the song, “Hate the Other Side,” which debuted at 10 on the Hot 100—what was to be his first top-ten. Later that month, he released a tribute track about him and the second single on his debut album F*ck Love, “Tell Me Why,” which debuted at 8.
In November 2020, The Kid Laroi released the deluxe edition of F*ck Love, featuring appearances by Machine Gun Kelly, Marshmello and Internet Money. As of February 2021, that album hit number one on the ARIA Charts, making him the youngest Australian solo artist and second Indigenous Australian male solo artist to hit the top spot.
Where Is The Kid Laroi From?
The Kid Laroi grew up in the backstreets of Waterloo, Sydney. In 2019, the then 15-year-old rapper gave a US-based podcast group No Jumper a tour around his local area.
WATCH: The Kid Laroi gives a tour around his childhood area in Waterloo, Sydney
Where Does The Name The Kid Laroi Come From?
The origins of the name "The Kid Laroi" stem from his identity as a Kamilaroi man. The Kamilaroi or Gamilaraay peoples are one of the four largest Indigenous nations in Australia, originally situated with New South Wales to southern Queensland.
While Howard grew up in Waterloo, his great-great grandfather was a part of the Stolen Generation—a period of our country’s ugly history when the Australian government removed First Nations people’s children from their homes and relocated them into white Australian families. So, “Laroi” represents his family’s Indigenous ancestry and origins as members of the Kamilaroi nation.
Is The Kid Laroi Dating?
On the 2nd of January, The Kid Laroi, sporting a prep school boy look, revealed that he’s dating 16-year-old Instagram star Katarina (@katarina.deme on IG). Posing in front of a nice warm fire, Laroi admitted, “I know I said f**k love but… Katarina 🥺💕💍.”
On the very next day, Katarina shared a cute pic of the pair on a boat island date, with a pair of blue-skinned emojis as the caption.
When the 17-year-old rapper dropped a short clip of his single “Addison Rae,” fans were fanatically pushing for him to drop the real thing, and speculating whether there was more to the song than seemed. Could Laroi have a crush on the 20-year-old socialite? In an interview with Genius about the track, Laroi only admitted that “she’s super cool… [a] super sweet girl.”
WATCH: The Kid Laroi spills on his song about TikTok star Addison Rae
