Kushner was raised in the suburbs of
Chicago,
Illinois. After realizing he could sing after finishing twelfth grade, he began writing songs with a close friend while living in
Florida. Kushner played the guitar and taught music to himself. Although never using a vocal coach, Kushner released the single "
Miserable Man" in January 2022, which went viral on
TikTok. The song peaked at number 11 on the charts in Norway and number 19 in Ireland, additionally reaching the top 40 in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Manny Patston of
Happy commented: "He really, really cares about music. You can tell from his sheer excitement [...] I'm sure Kushner's youthful energy, magnetism, and blessed DNA will result in flocks of adoration". Along with the single "Mr. Forgettable", it appeared on his debut
extended play Footprints I Found (2022). "Mr. Forgettable", written from the perspective of an
Alzheimer's patient, also gained attention on TikTok, with some users expressing being forgotten by family members and others relating it to
mental illness. Kushner accumulated 556 million streams within a year of his released music, and toured with
Lauv later on in the year. He released the single "
Daylight" on April 14, 2023. He commented on his success on TikTok: "TikTok has played the biggest role in my music career. It started as a fun thing. I definitely had not planned to market my music [... but after the unexpected success] I knew that TikTok would be a powerful tool to be able to connect with new people." Kushner was due to tour Australia and New Zealand for the first time in November 2023, however was forced to cancel the tour at short notice due to "unforeseen circumstances". In May 2024, it was announced that Kushner was the Grand Prize winner of the 2023 International Songwriting Competition (ISC) for the song "Daylight." In late 2024, he announced plans for a single, titled "Empty Bench". The single was released on December 6, 2024. In early 2025, he began releasing teasers for a song titled "Breathe In, Breathe Out". The song was released on January 31, 2025. His second extended play,
20 Years from Now, was released on February 14, 2025. ==Personal life==