# Roommates (Malcolm Todd song)
"Roommates" is a song by the American singer and songwriter [Malcolm Todd](https://www.edgepedia.org/malcolm-todd) (born Malcolm Todd Hobert, 2003), released as a single on June 22, 2023 and later included on his debut mixtape *Sweet Boy* (2024). Written and produced by Todd under his legal name, Malcolm Hobert, with Charlie Ziman, the track blends indie pop, alternative R&B, and bedroom pop and became the viral breakthrough that led to his signing with [Columbia Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/columbia-records).[1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNN88hijp-o) • [2](https://www.shazam.com/en-us/song/1703837703/roommates) • [3](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2026-06-04/malcolm-todd-found-fame-on-tiktok-now-hes-handling-stardom-in-real-life)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | Single released June 22, 2023; MusicBrainz records a worldwide release event of June 23, 2023[1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNN88hijp-o) • [4](https://musicbrainz.org/release/f0c52ad5-b4d0-4134-b78c-bba74b2f65d1/details) |
| Album | *Sweet Boy*, the 16-song mixtape released April 5, 2024 on Columbia[2](https://www.shazam.com/en-us/song/1703837703/roommates) • [5](https://kxsc.org/articles/sweet-boy) |
| Length and tempo | 3:35 (listed as 3:34 on Spotify and Qobuz); 109 BPM per Shazam[4](https://musicbrainz.org/release/f0c52ad5-b4d0-4134-b78c-bba74b2f65d1/details) • [6](https://www.qobuz.com/us-en/album/roommates-malcolm-todd/om4ndlprk55cb) • [2](https://www.shazam.com/en-us/song/1703837703/roommates) |
| Credits | Written and produced by Malcolm Hobert; Charlie Ziman as producer, recording, mixing, and mastering engineer[6](https://www.qobuz.com/us-en/album/roommates-malcolm-todd/om4ndlprk55cb) |
| Label | ℗ 2023 Malcolm Todd, Inc. under exclusive license to Columbia Records, a Division of Sony Music Entertainment[1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNN88hijp-o) |
| Streaming total | 355,604,268 Spotify streams as of October 19, 2026; passed 300 million in August 2026[7](https://kworb.net/spotify/artist/7eKkW1zo5uzW8kUntiiBvz_songs.html) • [8](https://chartmasters.org/artist/malcolm-todd) |
| Genre | Alternative; described by commentators as indie pop, alternative R&B, and bedroom pop[2](https://www.shazam.com/en-us/song/1703837703/roommates) • [9](https://los40.com/2026/07/01/un-nuevo-caso-djo-quien-es-malcolm-todd-el-artista-que-ha-ascendido-en-listas-de-exitos-con-una-cancion-de-hace-dos-anos/) |
## Background and release
Todd wrote and recorded the song while enrolled at the [University of Oregon](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-oregon), producing music in his bedroom, a setting that shaped the track's intimate bedroom-pop sound.[10](https://songsense.io/malcolm-todd/roommates) He had begun posting music on TikTok in 2022, and videos featuring "Art House" and "Roommates" accumulated more than a million views; less than a year after he began posting, he signed with Columbia Records in July 2023.[3](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2026-06-04/malcolm-todd-found-fame-on-tiktok-now-hes-handling-stardom-in-real-life) The single was released on June 22, 2023, described by the song-meaning site itsMong as the second single from his then-forthcoming debut mixtape *Sweet Boy*.[1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNN88hijp-o) • [11](https://www.itsmong.com/meaning/malcolm-todd/roommates) A music video directed by Colin Tunney and Malcolm Todd followed on July 3, 2023.[12](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRGtgkN-8QU)
## Lyrics and meaning
The song is a breakup track about a relationship that has cooled into distance. Its chorus moves from losing a former self, "I'm losing the person I was when I found you," through going on dates while "hanging my head," to the line Todd has cited among his favorite lyrics: "I wanna share an apartment, a room and a bed."[2](https://www.shazam.com/en-us/song/1703837703/roommates) • [11](https://www.itsmong.com/meaning/malcolm-todd/roommates) The outro closes on the repeated refrain "I'll still miss you," which interpreters read as a cycle of grief that recurs each time the narrator tries to move on.[2](https://www.shazam.com/en-us/song/1703837703/roommates) • [10](https://songsense.io/malcolm-todd/roommates)
**Interpretation.** Commentators treat the title as a metaphor rather than a literal description: the domestic intimacy the narrator craves, sharing an apartment, a room, and a bed, is set against a reality in which the two people now live apart, and the phrase "I'm learning to lose, that's the thing they don't teach you" reframes heartbreak as a skill that has to be acquired.[10](https://songsense.io/malcolm-todd/roommates) • [13](https://songtell.com/malcolm-todd/roommates) These readings are interpretations of the lyrics, not statements from the artist.[11](https://www.itsmong.com/meaning/malcolm-todd/roommates)
## Commercial performance and reception
The song spread on TikTok before and after its release, with Todd teasing snippets that highlighted its guitar riffs; its virality, together with "Art House," drew industry attention and led directly to the Columbia Records deal.[10](https://songsense.io/malcolm-todd/roommates) • [9](https://los40.com/2026/07/01/un-nuevo-caso-djo-quien-es-malcolm-todd-el-artista-que-ha-ascendido-en-listas-de-exitos-con-una-cancion-de-hace-dos-anos/) On Spotify it had reached almost 30 million streams within a few months of the *Sweet Boy* era, and by October 19, 2026 it stood at 355,604,268 streams, making it Todd's fourth most-streamed song behind "Earrings," "Chest Pain (I Love)," and "Sweet Boy."[5](https://kxsc.org/articles/sweet-boy) • [7](https://kworb.net/spotify/artist/7eKkW1zo5uzW8kUntiiBvz_songs.html) ChartMasters records the single crossing 300 million streams on August 9, 2026.[8](https://chartmasters.org/artist/malcolm-todd)
On the review aggregator Album of The Year, the single holds a user score of 89 from 70 reviews, with reviewers praising its groove and guitar hook.[14](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/702567-malcolm-todd-roommates/user-reviews/) In a 2024 interview with [Rice University](https://www.edgepedia.org/rice-university)'s student newspaper, Todd called it "my most popular song, a fan favorite for sure," and said he likes to end shows with it.[15](https://texasipa.org/Previously_Published_Winners/TIPA_Awards_2024/8._Individual_Overall_Excellence/910_Editor-News_Director_of_the_Year_%28combined%29_%28D1%2CD2%2CD3%2CD4%29/Honorable_Mention_Rice_4/Attachment_01.pdf)
## Live performances
"Roommates" became a fixture of Todd's setlists. At a 2026 Fonda Theatre show celebrating the second anniversary of *Sweet Boy*, he opened with "Earrings" and "Roommates," the first two tracks on the mixtape; a UCLA Radio review described the song's rising rhythm and "a real earworm of a guitar hook."[16](https://uclaradio.com/malcolm-todd-the-fonda-theatre-4-2-26/) At a Los Angeles show, a setlist.fm reviewer noted that the live arrangement starts slowly and builds toward a final beat drop that Todd used to get the whole venue jumping.[17](https://www.setlist.fm/news/06-25/review-malcolm-todd-brings-it-home-in-la-13d6a19d) At a [University of California, Santa Barbara](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-california-santa-barbara) performance, Todd jumped offstage to play the song's guitar solo among the audience.[18](https://dailynexus.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/dailynexus/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/13190918/UCSB_052925_A_001_0001-combined-compressed.pdf)
## References
1. [Roommates (audio), Malcolm Todd official YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNN88hijp-o)
2. [Roommates – Malcolm Todd: Song Lyrics, Music Videos & Concerts, Shazam](https://www.shazam.com/en-us/song/1703837703/roommates)
3. [Malcolm Todd found fame on TikTok. Now he's handling stardom in real life., Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2026-06-04/malcolm-todd-found-fame-on-tiktok-now-hes-handling-stardom-in-real-life)
4. [Release "Roommates" by Malcolm Todd, MusicBrainz](https://musicbrainz.org/release/f0c52ad5-b4d0-4134-b78c-bba74b2f65d1/details)
5. [ALBUM REVIEW: 'Sweet Boy' Malcolm Todd, KXSC Radio](https://kxsc.org/articles/sweet-boy)
6. [Roommates, Malcolm Todd, Qobuz](https://www.qobuz.com/us-en/album/roommates-malcolm-todd/om4ndlprk55cb)
7. [Malcolm Todd – Spotify Top Songs, kworb.net](https://kworb.net/spotify/artist/7eKkW1zo5uzW8kUntiiBvz_songs.html)
8. [Malcolm Todd – Album Sales, Streaming & Chart Stats, ChartMasters](https://chartmasters.org/artist/malcolm-todd)
9. [¿Un nuevo 'caso Djo'? Quién es Malcolm Todd, LOS40](https://los40.com/2026/07/01/un-nuevo-caso-djo-quien-es-malcolm-todd-el-artista-que-ha-ascendido-en-listas-de-exitos-con-una-cancion-de-hace-dos-anos/)
10. [Meaning of "Roommates" by Malcolm Todd, SongSense](https://songsense.io/malcolm-todd/roommates)
11. [Roommates Meaning: What Malcolm Todd's Song Is Really About, itsMong](https://www.itsmong.com/meaning/malcolm-todd/roommates)
12. [Roommates – Malcolm Todd (Music Video), YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRGtgkN-8QU)
13. ["Roommates" by Malcolm Todd – Meaning & Analysis, Songtell](https://songtell.com/malcolm-todd/roommates)
14. [Malcolm Todd – Roommates – User Reviews, Album of The Year](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/702567-malcolm-todd-roommates/user-reviews/)
15. [Meet the ACL artist: Malcolm Todd, The Rice Thresher (TIPA archive PDF)](https://texasipa.org/Previously_Published_Winners/TIPA_Awards_2024/8._Individual_Overall_Excellence/910_Editor-News_Director_of_the_Year_%28combined%29_%28D1%2CD2%2CD3%2CD4%29/Honorable_Mention_Rice_4/Attachment_01.pdf)
16. [Malcolm Todd @ The Fonda Theatre [4/2/26], UCLA Radio](https://uclaradio.com/malcolm-todd-the-fonda-theatre-4-2-26/)
17. [Review: Malcolm Todd Brings it Home in LA, setlist.fm](https://www.setlist.fm/news/06-25/review-malcolm-todd-brings-it-home-in-la-13d6a19d)
18. [Daily Nexus Artsweek, May 29, 2025](https://dailynexus.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/dailynexus/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/13190918/UCSB_052925_A_001_0001-combined-compressed.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Compositions and songs › Pop, rock, and metal songs › Alternative rock songs › 2020s alternative songs*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license