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If you've so much as opened TikTok in the last year, you've probably heard Chris Grey — even if you didn't know it yet. The Toronto-born artist has quickly become one of the defining voices in dark pop, stacking over 11 million monthly listeners and more than a billion total streams without ever chasing a trend. His breakout single "LET THE WORLD BURN" generated 500 million streams in just six months, landed on Spotify's Global Top 200, and became the unofficial soundtrack to every pop culture fan edit on your feed. 

His latest single "ENEMIES" is out now — a love/hate anthem that's sure to be another fandom favourite — and he's gearing up for a North America and Europe tour kicking off this April, as well as a new album, PARADISE LOST, set to release next spring. 

We sat down with Chris to talk about finding songwriting inspiration in unexpected places, the fan edits that keep spoiling his favourite shows, his love for a good rom-com, and his recent descent into WatchTok.

OnesToWatch: Who is Chris Grey in three words?

Chris Grey: Passionate, dark, and….Curious.

“ENEMIES” drops this Friday. This song feels like an anthem for anyone who’s been in a love/hate relationship. Tell me how this song came to be, and why this felt like the right moment to put it out.

All of my songs draw inspiration from so many different places; whether that’s my own life, a book I’m reading, or a TV show I’m watching. A lot of the time it’ll be another form of media, and that sparks an idea. Sometimes I don’t even connect that I was watching something and that’s what gave me the idea for a song until, like, a year later. This one’s been in the vault for a while, probably about a year. I had it unfinished, and as I was working on this project, it just felt like the right time to finish it. I’m really happy with how it all came together in the end.

I know you self-produce. I’m super curious about what your creative process was writing and producing “ENEMIES.”

So this one actually started as a bit of a Western beat, weirdly—that was kind of my inspiration sonically. If you listen, you can still hear some of those elements. There’s a couple of twanging guitars, and the drum pattern’s a little different for me. So that’s where I started from on an inspiration level. It got taken in a bit of a different direction, but that was the core idea. When I start a song, I’m always opening up a blank canvas, and it’s kind of random idea generation until I make something and I’m like, “Okay, that’s an idea,” and then I develop it further. Until then, it’s just playing random stuff, looking for samples, trying everything. And then I’ll hear something or make something and go, “That’s the idea.” And then I continue to finish the song.

You’ve built an incredibly loyal fanbase—over 11 million monthly listeners and more than a billion streams. When “Let The World Burn” took off, was there a specific moment where it hit you: “Okay, this is really happening”?

I remember the day I found out it blew up, actually. I was at a photo shoot. I was checking my Spotify streams and saw they’d spiked up, and I didn’t know where it was coming from. The whole photo shoot, in the back of my mind, I’m like, “What the hell is going on?” Then later, I was scrolling through TikTok, and I finally found the sound that had this trend around it. At the time, it was only like 200 videos. And then over the next week, it just went further and further. It felt very surreal. Every day that week I would check and be like, “There’s no way this is actually happening.” And then again this fall, when it kind of did that next wave and hit the charts—I still haven’t fully processed the song being in the Top 200. It was that same moment all over again, checking the streams and just not really believing it’s real.

Your songs have been used in a lot of fan edits for TV and movie series. I’m curious—have any movies or TV series inspired your work?

The edits of shows that my songs get used in—I actually watch those shows. When my song “WRONG” was blowing up as part of this huge Wednesday trend, I was watching the show. As I was watching it, I was like, “This makes a lot of sense.” A lot of the time I have to stay away from the edits of my own songs so I don’t spoil the show while I’m mid-watch. Same with all the Stranger Things edits with “LET THE WORLD BURN.” I was watching that, and when I saw all the fire scenes, I was like, “Oh, that makes sense now.” I think my taste kind of aligns with how the songs blow up, which makes sense.

Did you ever expect your music to become the soundtrack for these really cinematic fan edits?

I always kind of saw my music as cinematic and was inspired by that, even before my songs started getting used that way. So I think it makes a lot of sense. I love that they get used like that, because I was almost making them to be experienced that way before anyone did it. And the fact that now they’re able to be paired with the visuals—it feels very full circle.

You’re known for cinematic, emotionally intense storytelling in your music. Where does that instinct come from?

Growing up, my passions were music, photography, and filmmaking, and now I get to really pair those. I self-direct most of my videos, direct my photo shoots, and edit my own music videos. So I get to take everything I was interested in growing up and combine them. And in terms of my visual brand, I’ve always been a very passionate person, so the music and the visuals reflect that kind of passion and yearning.

Do you have a favourite fan edit?

Some of the Wednesday edits with “WRONG” were pretty good. I saw those before I finished the season. And then after I finished it, I was like, “I see it. I get it.”

I’m kind of hoping someone makes a Heated Rivalry edit to “ENEMIES.”

Oh yeah, that’d be perfect.

Your sound feels global, and I can see why it resonates with such a large audience. Why do you think that is? Is there something specific about your music that connects so broadly?

I think it comes from the raw emotion of my songs. I like to take these feelings I’ve felt throughout my life and then turn them up to 10. I think that crosses borders easily, because ultimately we’re all feeling these things. Even if some people aren’t understanding the lyrics, I try to make the production and the vocal delivery come through so that whether you speak the language or not, you can understand what I’m singing about. I think that’s really helped the music spread globally.

How do your family background and early musical influences show up in your music?

I grew up with a very diverse musical palette. On my mom’s side, it was the classic ’80s pop—big, clean, Michael Jackson, Madonna, all that stuff. On my dad’s side, it was the polar opposite—I’d get in the car and it would be reggae, R&B, and again, big Michael Jackson fan on that side too. I think I got to hear so many different types of music, especially with my dad being a DJ. There was always something new playing, and that really expanded my taste and is something that’s incorporated into my music now.

If you could raid the demos on anyone’s hard drive, who would you pick?

Oh, I’d go for The Weeknd. Before I was fully into being an artist myself, I was producing for other artists and sending beats to everyone. Some beats were sent to The Weeknd, and I heard that he recorded on them. I’ve never heard those demos, but I would love to find the ones with my beats.

You’re hitting the road soon. What’s your favourite part of touring?

I’d say meeting the fans. Either meeting them in a meet and greet before, or even meeting them while I’m on stage and just seeing their faces. So much of what I do is online—I make music in my home studio, I have a small crew, I only have two co-writers I work with—so it’s very contained. I’m posting online, and I think it’s easy for me to sometimes get lost and forget that there are real people listening who have their own connection with the music and their own stories. When I go on tour, I get to hear those stories and see those reactions.

Is there any particular fan moment or experience you’ve had on tour that you love to think about?

Some of the most special moments are with the couples. I’ve had people tell me, “This is the song that kind of started our relationship—we bonded over this song.” I’ve had people say, “This is our song.” I’ve been asked to sing at weddings. I even met someone who said they played my song at their wedding. Just to be a part of that moment for them and play a role in that from afar—I think that’s really special.

Lots of artists talk about how touring can be demanding mentally and physically. Any tips or unique things you’ve tried to cope with this?

Take care of yourself. It’s definitely a marathon, not a sprint. I see a lot of artists that get hit in the first few shows—and it’s not on stage, you always give your all on stage. But it’s the offstage elements. When I get off stage, I don’t go clubbing, I don’t go anywhere. I go to the bus and I go to bed. I also think eating right on tour is key. It can be really hard, especially when you’ve been driving and the only food available is a McDonald’s for the next 50 miles. So if you can properly plan—like, if you know you’re about to have a stretch where it’s only fast food, get something good before—I find that makes a huge difference. Sleep and eating well is the best thing you can do. In my touring, even from the scheduling, I try to route it so I can always get a good night’s sleep.

Any cities you’re particularly excited to check out on this tour?

I’m excited to play everywhere. A lot of these are cities I haven’t played in before. I’m extra excited to play Europe because it’s new for me—I’ve played one show in London, but I’ve never actually played a show in mainland Europe. I’m very excited for Paris. I think that’s going to be one of the biggest shows on tour. They’ve shown so much love there—we just did our second venue upgrade and already sold out. They’re excited, so I’m just as excited. I’m kind of feeding off their energy for that show. And then, of course, I’m excited for a hometown show in Toronto. We’re playing Danforth Music Hall. I’ve been to that venue countless times. It’s always a full circle moment when you get to play venues that you grew up going to.

Do you have any rituals when you get to a new city?

I’m a big fan of going for whatever the local food is. Whatever the thing to get is, I’ll normally try to find that. I’m excited because this is my first bus tour. When you do the van tours, you’d play the show, go to a hotel, and then go straight to the next venue because you have to drive like, seven hours. You never get to see more than just the venue. What’s nice about the tour bus is you actually get to have a bit of a day in the city. I’m hoping I’m able to actually see some of these places, because a lot of them I haven’t been to. That’s going to be fun.

If you had to start a tribute band for another artist, who would it be and what song would definitely be on the setlist?

I’d probably do a Weeknd tribute band. And the song? I’d do “Wicked Games.”

If you had to get one of your lyrics tattooed, what would it be?

“LET THE WORLD BURN.” I’m gonna be singing that song until the day I die, so I may as well put it on me.

If your music was a scent, what would it smell like?

Sandalwood.

What’s the most Canadian thing about you?

How I say “tomorrow” and “sorry.” My team calls me out on it all the time—the way I say “sorry” especially.

What’s the most off-brand thing about you? Any surprising hobbies?

I love a good rom-com. I don’t know if that’s off-brand at this point. My favourite? How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. I love that one.

What TikTok content are you being targeted with right now? Any weird algorithms you’ve fallen into?

I made it onto WatchTok. I think it’s part of the funnel as a guy to end up on WatchTok, but I didn’t even try—it just happened. Now it’s, like, every other video. People buying watches, modifying them—it’s a whole thing. And now I’m deep in it. This all started in, like, the last two weeks.

Who are your OnesToWatch? Any great artists or projects that you’ve recently discovered?

I’ve been listening to a lot of Allegra Jordyn. Big fan. She’s my One To Watch.