Magnus Ferrell Is Taking The Mic

Magnus Ferrell likes to manifest. Well, “not manifest” exactly, the songwriter and musician says. For his performances, he wants to “bring in positive thoughts, and bring in good visuals that I know will happen.” Whatever Ferrell wants to call it, it’s paying off. Fresh off a set at Outside Lands and mid-residency at the Blue Note LA, Ferrell is riding the wave of his April single, “Asleep Talking,” going viral. The breathy, bedroom pop single took over airwaves and FYPs in July after former first lady Michelle Obama listened to it on her podcast. “Wow. He’s got an amazing groove,” Obama said. Ferrell sums up the moment with one word: “Crazy.” 

The fact that it was his dad — yes, the Will Ferrell — who shared the snippet of his song with Obama only made the moment even more surreal. Ferrell’s dad is proud, even going as far as to say in a recent interview that he wants to retire and be his son’s roadie. Ferrell’s reaction to that? “Just to have him around [on the road] would be fun, ’cause he’s my dad,” Ferrell laughs. “But he just kind of wants to hide away and let me have my thing, and just watch the music.”

Ferrell comes from an acting family (there’s his dad, of course, of SNL and Step Brothers fame, as well as his mom, Vivica Paulin Ferrell, an actress and producer herself), but his musical roots run deep, too. His paternal grandfather, Roy Lee Ferrell Jr., played piano and saxophone for The Righteous Brothers for over two decades. Following in his footsteps, Ferrell started playing piano at age 5, and transitioned to jazz piano at 14. His musical inspirations are Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson, and D’Angelo. “I always come back to them,” Ferrell says. “They’re just legends.”

After high school, Ferrell considered skipping the college thing altogether — but, turns out, that wasn’t an option. “My parents were like, ‘Uh, not quite. You have to go to school.’ And I’m like, ‘Fair,’” he laughs. Ferrell attended the University of Southern California for two years, where — “funny enough,” he notes — he majored in acting. It wasn’t his first choice. “They didn’t let me into the songwriting program. I auditioned for it and I got rejected, which was like, ‘OK, this is going to light a fire under me,’” he says. “Those first two years were really just [me] trying to find a reason to be able to pursue music full-time.” 

Ferrell made the most of his experience, incorporating music into his life wherever he could. He was roommates with his childhood friend and writing partner Gabe Yaron, he listened to a lot of “Where You Are” by John Summit, and even DJed his fraternity parties — including one where his dad took over the turntables during parents’ weekend. “We were like, ‘Would you want to just show up for parents’ weekend and pretend to DJ?’” he says. “[I] made a mix that day, and the rest is kind of history.”

Those silly, quintessential college moments actually helped Ferrell learn more about his craft. “We listened to music that [got me thinking], ‘Oh wow, what are people at this party moving to? Why are these people at this party moving to this specific song?’” he says. (The songs in question? Usually party classics he made a point to play, like Pitbull’s “Hotel Room Service,” Katy Perry’s “California Gurls,” and T-Pain’s “Buy U a Drank.”) Ferrell says, “These social experiences just help you evolve as a human being, and for me in my case, as a songwriter and as an artist.”

All told, Ferrell’s glad he went to college. “Being in school, being in that environment, helped me grow,” he says. “I’m super grateful for that.” But getting his degree and following in his family’s acting footsteps wasn’t his goal. Ferrell left school after signing to Republic Records in late 2024. “Since [“Asleep Talking”], we have made a more developed sound, and I’m just so, so, so excited to share upbeat stuff, mid-tempo stuff, all different vibes that people haven’t gotten to hear yet,” he says. And maybe one day he’ll put those college acting courses to work. “During an off-cycle [from music], I’d love to do a movie,” he says. “It’s a passion that has made me happy, too.”

For now, Ferrell’s fully focused on the music. He’s performing in Los Angeles, heading on tour with the Jonas Brothers this fall, and bringing in those good show visualizations along the way. “I try and keep [the show] fresh, I try and keep it new every time,” he says. “I think it makes it more exciting.”

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