Malcolm Todd currently sits at No. 4 on Spotify’s Global Top 50 with ‘Earrings,’ a track released in 2024. Not long ago it held the No. 1 spot, now occupied by Karol G, Judeline, and rusowsky. Apparently, it’s another case illustrating the power of a TikTok viral moment, capable of reviving a track two years old and sending it to the top. That Todd is the younger brother of Audrey Hobert, and that both have hit big almost simultaneously, is also noteworthy.
The 22-year-old artist began releasing what he had been cooking up 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 opening track, but it didn’t make much noise. His first real hit arrived with the release of ‘Chest Pain (I Love)’ from his self-titled album, a song that marked his first entry on the Hot 100 at #68.
‘Earrings’ started to surge in March of this year, making its debut at number 95 on the Billboard chart thanks to a TikTok viral. By June, the track had accumulated more than 8 million creations and 6,000 million views on videos associated with it. On July 25, it reached its peak at number 20 on the Hot 100.
The sudden success of ‘Earrings’ can be explained from many angles, and perhaps it has to do with a marketing strategy worthy of Chaotic Goods or with his father’s career as a showrunner and screenwriter in Hollywood, but it is fairly well understood from the music. If there is a massive hit from which ‘Earrings’ draws inspiration, it is clearly Steve Lacy’s ‘Bad Habit.’ It also recalls, in its brisk structure, the song ‘Helmet,’ also from ‘Gemini Rights.’
It seems Steve Lacy captured the formula for success on that album, because it has worked very well for Todd. Despite the 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 loop indefinitely, and its blend of R&B, funk and DIY simply comes off as very cool.
The young artist doesn’t overcomplicate the lyrics, focusing on crafting a chorus and a refrain that can be repeated forever, without ever slipping into the verses. ‘Earrings’ starts strong and stays there until the end, amid guitar solos and various arrangements: ‘Extra, extra / Read all about it / Mac is trapped in his feelings and can’t get out.’ Simple, direct, and at the top of the charts.
