Getting “Weird!” with YUNGBLUD
Taking the lead of the pop punk and rock movement of this generation is none other than 23 year old Dominic Harrison from Doncaster, England. Better known by his moniker “Yungblud,” Dom has been fostering a community within his fan base that is centered around the acceptance of all and the neglect of none by producing electrifying music that will liven any mood.
At the beginning of November, Soul Talk Magazine attended a press release with Dom, hearing what he had to say about his upcoming album, thoughts on present society, and the essence behind his craft.
Dom’s first album,“21st Century Liability” was released in 2018 and brought him quickly under the spotlight, accruing a base of over 8 million monthly listeners (Via Spotify). He will be releasing his sophomore album, “weird!” on December 4th along with hosting “The Weird Time of Life” Tour in light of the pandemic. When asked to describe “weird!” he explained it as “an album for the pandemic going on right now. I want this album to be for the weirdest years of our lives, in terms of gender and sexuality.”
Tickets to “The Weird Time of Life” Tour: https://www.yungbludofficial.com/tour
Prior to the album release, singles such as “cotton candy,” “mars,” and “acting like that” (featuring Machine Gun Kelly) have been released and are available for streaming now.
Soul Talk Magazine asked Dom in regards to “cotton candy” if his favorite sweet is in fact cotton candy and additionally about the meaning behind the lyric, “I figured out that the modern world is turning the wrong way round.” He responded:
“Firstly, I love cotton candy and that's why I wanted to write this song, I wanted it to be flamboyant because ultimately the song’s about sex. The song’s about sexual liberation and sexual identity and sexuality, nothing needs to be that much fucking pressure. You know, you got to lose yourself in as many people as you can to really figure out who you are and to grow up. So that's ultimately what it means and I kind of was like, ‘how can I make it flamboyant and sexually fluid.’ I was like cotton candy sounds kind of cool.”
“The line about “the modern world is turning the wrong way round” I finished during quarantine with everything I was experiencing with the BLM movement. I was in California for that and I was at a protest and it got kind of ugly. And when we stop and when we actually think. People don't like you to think in this world, people above loath people being free. Governments loathe people being free. Guess what, our generation is free as fuck because we don't give a shit about saying what we think. And with it we realize when we stop and have an opportunity to think.
In the world right now there's still oppression for someone's fucking skin color. There's still oppression if someone wants to be fucking gay, there's still climate change denial. But at the end of the day, we're talking about it and we are going to be the ones to change our genuine belief, and that's what that lyric means.”
Listen to “cotton candy” here: https://open.spotify.com/album/3mhknog4VQUGnE2xTq6gg4?si=T3aYOrWdRzOj48vIVuxEmw
Dom is well known for his striking individuality, resonating with a fan base that knows what it is like to be an outcast, different, or to generally just hold a strong opinion in disregard to the status quo. He grew up within the working class, claiming to wear nail varnish and skirts at thirteen, providing that he is no stranger to feeling different. By growing up in a working community he acknowledged that “it taught me a sense of wanting to build a community and wanting to build a culture of people who felt and acted and belonged like me.”
Being heavily influenced while growing up by Lady Gaga, The Cure, Placebo, The Stone Roses, Blondie, Gerard Way, David Bowie, Marilyn Manson, and the New York Dolls alludes to the unapologetic artist Dom has become. He derives both musical and visual influences from these artists which can be seen in the cover art for his upcoming album “weird!” that depicts seven different versions of himself.
To Dom, “Yungblud” is more than just a mere stage name, it is the embodiment of his fans and supporters. Dom is notorious for forming close relationships with his followers whether it be through conversations on his podcast, sending gifts, planning FaceTime calls, or reaching out over social media. He mentioned that the song “mars” itself is about a transgender fan he had met in Maryland who’s story struck him deeply.
When asked about the growth and meaning of the “Yungblud” community, Dom said “all this thing that Yungblud is about has always been about culture and about making young people feel like they've got some place to belong, no matter what they might be going through.”
Yungblud brings forth not only music that is impossible to ignore but also a present reminder to unapologetically be yourself. As a “revolutionary” in the present generation he says “Our generation man, we are changing shit and we are pushing things forward with the idea that being yourself isn’t a sin or anything to be ashamed about. And that’s what I want this record (“weird!”) to tell.”