“It’s very rare for a kid like me — a refugee — to say things like, ‘I live in L.A.,’ ‘I moved my parents into a bigger home,’ ‘I got my father a car,’” he said. “It doesn’t feel real. I’m afraid if I blink I will miss this moment.”

Big break: As a young boy in Munich, Gashi made money for his family by performing Michael Jackson moves on the streets. He hasn’t stopped grooving since. In 2016, a video of him dancing to his breakout single “Disrespectful,” filmed by his mother, blew up online, spurring millions of streams on SoundCloud and a deal with Roc Nation.

During a meeting with RCA Records soon after, he wowed a conference room full of executives with an energetic impromptu performance. They signed him on the spot. “All my life, I can never stand in one place when I’m listening to music,” he said.