Rising singer-songwriter Adam Klobi has had a wild start to his career in music. The Toronto native went from surviving on one meal a day and scanning stadium tickets to landing a major record deal with Darkroom Records in just a little over a year.
“I still don’t feel like I know what I’m doing. I’m just doing it.”
As with other similar stories these days, Klobi’s profile exploded after going viral on TikTok with his cover of “Sailor Song” by Gigi Perez. It was only three years ago that Klobi was primarily focused on visual illustrations but there music was always in the mix, going to live shows and connecting with favorites ranging from rock standards of Pearl Jam and Green Day to Noah Kahan and Medium Build, amongst others. As a teenager, he didn’t really put effort into singing seriously, but it was during a late-night Uber ride and belting out the Red Hot Chili Peppers that would change that. Validation from a friend on that ride sparked an obsession with music and inspired him to teach himself guitar, songwriting, and eventually quit his retail job cold turkey to pursue music with a self-imposed, nine-month deadline. He’d strike a chord with listeners worldwide with his third original release, the deeply personal track “Dinner”. The song quickly went viral on TikTok, ultimately accumulating roughly 10 million streams across streaming platforms. Now, following the release of his debut EP, ‘YESTERDAY TODAY’, Klobi is turning his focus toward performing live and touring.
Adam Klobi speaks with B-Sides host Pete Mar about his musical journey that took him from singing along to Red Hot Chili Peppers to going viral with the song “Dinner”. He talks about growing up with conservative immigrant parents, his insecurities with his self-image, upcoming new music and more.
