Magnus Ferrell's 'Asleep Talking' Is His First Billboard Hit
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- Magnus Ferrell scored his first Billboard hit with "Asleep Talking," landing on the chart two weeks after his father Will Ferrell played the single on Michelle Obama's "IMO" podcast.
- Will Ferrell showcased his son's music to former first lady Michelle Obama on her "IMO" podcast; Magnus says he knew the moment was planned but was "freaking out" in an Oregon forest when it dropped.
- Magnus Ferrell's musical roots trace to his grandfather Roy Lee Ferrell, who played saxophone and piano with the Righteous Brothers throughout the 1960s and '70s and now owns a 1953 organ passed down from him.
- "Asleep Talking" was written in a single session in December after Ferrell dove into old soul and disco—citing The Gap Band, Teddy Pendergrass, and Jamiroquai—and drew on a period of "romantic and emotional distress" for its yearning tone.
- Ferrell rejected the idea of a stage name, keeping his Swedish first name paired with his Irish-American surname, and acknowledged his privileged start while insisting "the music speaks for itself" in response to nepotism criticism.
- Ferrell's dream collaborator is Billie Eilish, noting he'd like to hear her voice "on a really, really funky track"—a combination he says he's never heard her attempt.
Why it matters: Ferrell's first Billboard entry arrived on the back of a viral father-son moment rather than a traditional label push, and his deliberate embrace of his family name—while acknowledging nepotism concerns—signals he's choosing visibility over distance as he builds a solo career on his grandfather's jazz-and-soul foundation.
