Malcolm Todd’s in his feelings, and fans at Penn State can’t get enough of it! On March 24, the singer-songwriter made his debut on campus at the Bryce Jordan Center, presented by the Student Programming Association (SPA).
With two albums under his belt in the past two years, Todd has only been growing in popularity since he made his start on TikTok a few years ago. Often described as a blend of indie pop and R&B, he shares similarities with artists like Steve Lacy and Dominic Fike. When he was just getting started, he’d even acknowledge these similarities to promote his own music.
Many people may also be familiar with his sister, Audrey Hobert. As a close friend of Gracie Abrams, she co-wrote many of the artist’s songs and later released her own first studio album, “Who’s the Clown?” in 2025.
Now, Todd is beginning to release new music and has brought the fresh energy that comes with that to Penn State.
The night opened with pop-rock band LAUNDRY DAY. Hailing from New York City, they had a similar jump-start to Todd with internet fame when their song “FRIENDS” went viral and was even used in the Netflix show “On My Block.”
With no time to waste, LAUNDRY DAY entered the stage by dancing to the tune of “Dancing Queen” by ABBA. Their set was young and sweet, featuring a mix of older songs like “Jane” and “FRIENDS” while also mixing in recent tracks like “I KINDA LIKE THAT.”
While keeping the energy up, the band also looked out for the audience and paused the show when someone needed to be attended to in the crowd. A reassurance and a few more songs later, they ended their set with a cover of “Party in the U.S.A.”
By now, almost the entire lower bowl of the BJC was filled, and the pit was packed right up to the barricade. A backdrop of a blue screen reading “MALCOLM TODD” shed light on the crowd as the main event began.
Todd jumped right into one of his most popular tracks, “Earrings,” and “4Me 4Me” from his 2024 album “Sweet Boy” before addressing the crowd. Like most other artists who perform here, he chanted the school’s “We Are” motto for that chorus of “Penn State” back from the crowd.
From there, he transitioned into songs from his most recent self-titled album, “Malcolm Todd.” He played tracks such as “Make Me A Better Man,” “Bleed” and “Concrete.”
Later in the night, Todd announced he would play two songs he had never played live before — one he wrote when he was a kid, and one when he was “a big grown sexy man.” These tracks were “Attention” and his most recent single, “Breathe.”
Promptly after those songs, a bright orange wig was thrown on stage containing the message “Malcolm Todd we love you daddy.” After a sultry song like “Breathe,” nothing could be more appropriate.
Finally, Todd rounded off the night with one of his most popular tracks, “Chest Pain (I Love).” The chorus of the song went viral online and peaked at 68 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. The crowd screamed that very chorus back to him, leaving Todd to not even need to say the words.
In an encore, he ended the show with “Roommates,” a song he’s played to close most of his live performances. Feeling the upbeat drum track and addictive guitar riff, the crowd was jumping up and down for the final 30 seconds. After his final song, he promptly left the crowd with a night they will never forget.
Did you see Malcolm Todd at the BJC? Tag us on Instagram, @VALLEYmag, with pics and videos of your favorite moments!
