Malcolm Todd currently occupies 4th place in Spotify’s Global Top 50 with ‘Earrings’, a song released in 2024. It was recently at number 1, now in the possession of Karol G, Judeline and Rusowsky. Apparently, it is another case that demonstrates the power of a viral on TikTok, capable of rescuing a two-year-old topic and sending it to the top. That Todd is Audrey Hobert’s younger brother, and that they both hit it practically at the same time, is also important.
The 22-year-old artist began publishing what he had been cooking during the pandemic in 2022. A year later, he signed with Columbia Records. In April 2024, Todd released ‘Sweet Boy’, an album in which ‘Earrings’ appears as the first song, but it didn’t make much noise. His first real hit came with the release of ‘Chest Pain (I Love)’ on his self-titled album, a song with which he entered the Hot 100 for the first time (#68).
‘Earrings’ started breaking out in March of this year, making its debut at number 95 on the Billboard chart thanks to a TikTok viral. By the time June arrived, the topic had already accumulated more than 8 million creations and 6 billion views on videos associated with it. On July 25, it peaked at number 20 on the Hot 100.
The sudden success of ‘Earrings’ can be explained from many fronts, and perhaps it has to do with a marketing strategy worthy of Chaotic Goods or with his father’s career as showrunner and screenwriter in Hollywood, but it is understood quite well from the music. If there’s one massive hit that ‘Earrings’ is inspired by, it’s clearly Steve Lacy’s ‘Bad Habit’. It is also reminiscent in its accelerated structure of the song ‘Helmet’, also from ‘Gemini Rights’.
It seems that Steve Lacy captured the formula for success on that album, because it has worked very well for Todd. Despite the very clear inspiration, the truth is that ‘Earrings’ has everything to be a hit: it is catchy from its first seconds, it is short enough to have it on loop indefinitely and its mix of R&B, funk and DIY is simply very cool.
The young artist does not complicate the lyrics, focusing on making a chorus and a saying that can be repeated forever, without falling into the verses at any time. ‘Earrings’ starts at the top and stays there until the end, between guitar solos and various arrangements: “Extra, extra / Read all about it / Mac is trapped in his feelings and can’t get out.” Simple, to the point and top of the charts.
