The Stunning Transformation Of Post Malone

Post Malone may be always tired, but it’s probably because he shot to fame overnight and hasn’t let up on his career since. The artist, whose real name is Austin Post, has had a record-breaking career that seemed unimaginable a decade prior when he was living in a small town in Texas. Part of the reason the singer has achieved such amazing feats, like surpassing Bruno Mars for the most diamond-certified singles by any artist, is his ability to do what no other artist is doing.

Malone dubbed his music "genre-less," and his versatility combines multiple styles of music. His sound has been described as many things—ranging from country and pop to hip hop and rock and roll. But the singer is the first to admit he doesn’t want to be placed in any categories. His moody lyrics transcend the listener from a place of melancholy nostalgia to an unapologetic swagger that oozes confidence with lyrics like, "They was never friendly, yeah/Now I’m jumping out the Bentley, yeah."

He’s a self-taught guitarist, Bud Light fanatic, and lover of the simpler things in life—like waking up to snow-capped mountain views from his Salt Lake City mansion. Don’t let Malone’s face tattoos fool you; he’s the kind of guy you’d want to crack open a beer with. From college dropout to international star, we’re taking a look at the ever-evolving stunning transformation of Malone.

Table of Contents

• Biography
• Post Malone's Childhood Friends Knew He Would Be a Star
• Guitar Hero Inspired Post Malone to Learn Guitar
• Post Malone Lived in a Closet in Los Angeles
• Post Malone Got Famous Off of SoundCloud
• Post Malone Got His Name from a Rap Name Generator
• Post Malone Hasn't Let Fame Get to His Head
• Post Malone Is Insecure About His Looks
• Drinking Helps Post Malone Create Music
• Post Malone's Cigarette Use Altered His Voice
• Post Malone Bought a Utah Mansion
• Post Malone Got Engaged and Welcomed a Baby in 2022
• Post Malone Lost Nearly 60 Pounds

Biography

Post Malone's Childhood Friends Knew He Would Be a Star

Some of us had childhood dreams of becoming doctors, lawyers, or journalists, but Post Malone knew he was destined for stardom. At least, that’s what many of his childhood friends predicted early on. In a Rolling Stone interview, the "Stay" singer admitted he was voted "Most Likely to Become Famous" at his school growing up, but Posty was no prom king. The award has less to do with being a cool kid and more to do with his quirky nature. Apparently, Malone was submitting video clips of him twerking in leopard print scarves for art class assignments long before the thought of fame crossed his mind.

The singer's musical influences emerged from the places he grew up. Malone spent his childhood in Central New York until he was 10 years old, and grew up listening to much of his father's musical influences—which included a lot of heavy metal and rock. His father also spent time working as a DJ for wedding events, which meant Malone was privy to the music industry's top hits—from country and hip-hop to pop and rock.

"My dad was always playing music," Malone told radio station Hot 97 in 2015. "Not like playing music, but listening to music. And he put me on everything ... Folk and funk and rap. I moved to Dallas and I started making music."

Guitar Hero Inspired Post Malone to Learn Guitar

If anyone is the true "Guitar Hero," it’s Post Malone. It’s hard to believe that the "Rich & Sad" singer is a self-taught guitarist given his immense success, but he’s admitted it was the iconic "Guitar Hero" video game that inspired him to learn the instrument. The concept of the game involves people using a guitar-shaped controller to hit specific notes which light up on the screen as the track plays. It’s a popular pastime for many, but for Malone, it became a jumpstart to his music career.

In a 2015 interview with The Fader, the singer admitted: "Six years ago I started playing guitar because of 'Guitar Hero.' I am five-star everything on expert mode 'Guitar Hero 3.'" Malone said that while his family always played music, they didn’t know how to make it. Surrounded by music and inspired by a video game, he took it upon himself to learn on his own. "I just wanted to rock out. I taught myself how to play real guitar off YouTube videos. Watching people play stuff, like a lot of AC/DC and Metallica," he recounted.

The "White Iverson" singer got involved in a hardcore band while still in high school and started making his own beats. While he released a mixtape when he was just 16 years old, Malone still had a lot of growing up to do. "My beats were hard, but I sucked. I had no identity or anything, I was 16," he admitted to the publication.

Post Malone Lived in a Closet in Los Angeles

After graduating high school, Post Malone pursued an education at a Fort Worth community college but dropped out shortly after. "I wasn’t getting anywhere in Texas at all. I went to school for six months and wasn’t feeling the vibe," he told The Fader. The artist quickly realized he would need to leave Texas to pursue a music career, and he left behind his country roots for the Hollywood Hills when he was just 18 years old.

Posty decided to move to Los Angeles with a childhood friend named Jason Probst, whose streams of online video gaming had garnered him minor fame at the time. In a Rolling Stone interview, the artist admitted he tagged along with Probst, who had rented a house in Encino, California. Hoping that Hollywood’s close proximity would rub off on him, Malone left his fast food job behind and set his sights on the big leagues. "I had to make it work," he said. "It was that or Chicken Express." But it took a toll on the artist, who told GQ that the struggles he endured formed the lyrics for his hit tracks. "When I was young and I came out here, I had a super dark time ... I was sleeping in a closet," he revealed.

Eventually, Malone met music producer FKi 1st, who helped shape his sound and led him to his first big break. FKi started collaborating with the artist, which led to the hit track "White Iverson" making Malone a household name.

Post Malone Got Famous Off of SoundCloud

After creating the song, "White Iverson," in 2015, Post Malone launched the track on SoundCloud. In just a short amount of time, the "Congratulations" singer went from sleeping in a closet to becoming an overnight sensation. "I woke up, it had — I don’t remember if it was 7,000 or 30,000," he told GQ. "I sat at that computer all f***in’ day, smoking weed, drinking, watching that s*** going up. And I was like, 'This is so f***in’ awesome, dude!' That was, like, one of the best days of my life."

In an interview with Noisey, the singer revealed that he was advised not to release "White Iverson" when he did, but he ignored the advice and did it anyway. "