How a small-town Brit named Rex Orange County became Gen Z's favorite crooner

Within the space of a few months last year, Rex Orange County performed alongside two of his musical heroes.

First the young British singer surprised his audience at the Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles by bringing out Randy Newman for the live debut of their Spotify-sponsored remake of Newman's "You've Got a Friend in Me." Then he played the main stage at Tyler, the Creator's annual Camp Flog Gnaw festival not long before Tyler himself, who'd given Rex his big break in 2017 when Tyler featured him on his album "Flower Boy."

The contrasting moments - one involving a master of old-fashioned pop, the other hip-hop's reigning enfant terrible - went some way toward illustrating Rex's unique position as a heart-on-his-sleeve balladeer beloved by