Post Malone has built a career on being an iconoclast, so it’s no surprise that the “Rockstar” singer isn’t settling for a typical Hollywood lifestyle. Last year, Malone traded his luxurious Beverly Hills rented abode for a compound in rural Utah. It certainly offers a change of pace compared to the many cities he’s lived in since birth—and that’s just the way he likes it. Find out why Post Malone moved to Utah, and whether or not he’s there to stay.
Where Is Post Malone From?
Post Malone was born Austin Richard Post on July 4, 1995, in Syracuse, New York. He lived there until he was 10 years old, at which point his family relocated to Grapevine, Texas for his father’s job. (Rich Post is the Assistant Director of Food and Beverage for the Dallas Cowboys.)
But despite spending the first decade of his life in central New York, Malone identifies as a Texan. Any true fan has spotted the singer in his Cowboys attire; he also sports a tattoo of his favorite President, John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in Dallas. And then there’s his music, which sneaks country sounds into his unique style of hip-hop.
Malone moved to LA when he was 18, crashing with a buddy who live-streamed video game sessions from his Encino rental house. He eventually upgraded to a mansion in the San Fernando Valley, and the house was burglarized in 2018. Malone was no longer living there, but the news reportedly shook him.
By then, Malone had progressed from a freeloader to a full-blown baller, renting a $26 million dollar home in Beverly Hills. But the six-bedroom, seven-bath house with a wraparound pool and private movie theater didn’t provide the happiness he sought. In a November 2017 interview with Rolling Stone, Malone revealed that he was about to close on a new home in Utah.
Why Post Malone Left LA And Moved To Utah
In a 2019 interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music, Malone talked about the move. “I feel like a lot of people want to be somebody, and they’ll use every last piece they can get out of you to better themselves,” he said. “I kind of just wanted to get away to where I can have my own oasis. We’re building a studio up there right now, and whenever I gotta go to LA, I can go…”
He went into more detail in a July 2020 appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience, saying that in Utah, “You feel like you’re a part of something bigger, but you’re so insignificant. And then you can just say I accept everything around me, and I’m relaxed and at peace, knowing the world is spinning around you.”
“[Living in Los Angeles] definitely affected my creative process for sure,” Malone added. “There’s always someone hitting you up… there’s a lot of people who kind of want to drain you.”
Another deciding factor was Utah’s lax gun laws. Malone is a staunch gun rights advocate and wanted a place where he could feel safe and secure with his vast collection of weapons. “It’s free country out there,” he told Rolling Stone. “Like, you can buy suppressors in Utah. You can do open-carry. Walk into the grocery store with a handgun on your hip. Cowboy sh-t. I can’t wait.”
But at the end of the day, he just wants a place to relax. In 2019, he told Variety, “Being in Utah and being away from the grind and from everybody else and it’s just me with my video games and a cold one—that feels good to me.”
Malone has been quick to show love for his adopted home state. For his spot in a Doritos Locos commercial, he flashed a Utah driver’s license, making locals beam with pride. And in the second verse of his 2018 track “Wow,” he sings, “750 Lambo in the Utah snow (Skrrt).” He hasn’t traded in his Cowboys jersey, but perhaps that’s because Utah doesn’t have an NFL team. Malone settled for the local college team, wearing a University of Utah Utes hat during his interview with Rogan.
Post Malone’s Utah Home Was Made For The Apocalypse
Malone’s new home is half a party pad, half-survivalist compound. Located in a secluded area outside of Salt Lake City, the 5-bedroom, 6-bath mansion is set on almost seven acres of land. There’s a basketball court, home gym, wine cellar, and hot tub; Malone also told Rolling Stone he’d build a recording studio and install “like, 30 bunk beds” for members of his entourage.
But he also intends for it to double as an apocalypse bunker. In 2017, Malone was a guest on the H3 podcast and revealed tentative plans to build a shelter. “I’m just buying a place out in the sticks,” he said. “I’m building it underground. It’s going to be fun until the world ends. But whenever the world ends, it’s going to be functional.”
Coming from the guy who sings, “I’m stone cold with the flex,” it’s no surprise that even his doomsday digs will be top-notch.