Don Toliver’s signature melodic style has taken him to the top of the charts, but where does he find musical inspiration? In a conversation with pop singer Malcolm Todd for Rolling Stone’s Musicians on Musicians cover story, the Texas-bred performer shared where he finds unique earworms.
“How do you find crazy, obscure music? Are you just surfing Apple Music?” asked Todd before Toliver’s surprising yet honest answer.
“I don’t really go out there to search too much anymore, but where I find the craziest music is Instagram. Stories, Reels, photos. I’m like, ‘Damn, thanks. Give me that.’ I’ll take it from wherever it comes. If I hear it, I need it.”
The 32-year-old continued to detail, “I love these Instagram pages that dedicate to retro music videos or retro songs. Sometimes it just hits my feed. I’m like, ‘Yo, dang, I forgot about that,’” adding, “And listening to a lot of music. I like the old, the new, house, drum-and-bass. I love all of that in some way. It helps with blending genres together.”
Elsewhere in the conversation, both musicians found common ground on the downsides of having online visibility. “Everyone has an opinion, and everything’s on the internet. How much did you stay in and out of that? I’ve learned to disconnect from it, but reading sh*t about yourself is the most unhealthy thing,” confessed Todd.
Toliver followed up, saying, “I disconnected. When I got to a point in my career, bro, I just hated everything. I hated whatever somebody said. I just disconnected. I stopped getting on those apps. All I got is Instagram, literally. I like to post on it. Just let my fans and people know, like, ‘Hey, I’m here, and we’re doing sh*t.’ And that’s it, bro. But honestly, the internet, you just got to really limit it. Having five or six apps and all of this sh*t, to me, it’s overstimulating, bro.”
The realization comes as Don Toliver prepares to wrap up one of his biggest career years yet. In 2026, the Houston breakout earned his first No. 1 album with OCTANE, made his BET Awards mainstage debut, sold out the first leg of the OCTANE Tour, and expanded his fan base globally.
“Whatever feels the most authentic to me,” explained the “E85” performer of crafting the acclaimed project. “I’ve been making music for a little while now. I kind of know what my fans react to and what I react to, so I try to stay in that world.”
Read the full conversation between Don Toliver and Malcolm Todd at Rolling Stone.