English singer and songwriter Yungblud is evidence that punk is not dead! Since his first album in 2018, he became famous due to his extravagant and androgyne look and his music became therapeutic. Last December, he dropped “Weird “, a new project where he talked about his mental breakdown, his fans, and how important it is to support others, especially during a worldwide pandemic. Yungblud is more than a pop-rock singer who reshaped the current pop culture, Yungblud is about a community and how confident we need to be in our daily life.
Your record is called “Weird” and it was a coincidence naming it like this due to this current weird period we are living in?
I mean to be honest, even if there was not a global pandemic in the world right now, I wanted to write an album about all the weird things happening in our life. It’s more about our weird experiences, identity, gender, sexuality, drugs, love, or heartbreak…I wanted this album to be fucking truthful. It’s about what it means to be young, old, fat, thin, black, white, Asian, gay, straight, bisexual, whatever you fucking are, it’s fucking good to be yourself!
Releasing such a symbolic album during a pandemic was a choice?
Oh yes, man! This year was fucking weird and my fanbase needs this album! I’ve stopped thinking about whatever people think about me, everything is for my fans. I love them so much, they are my family. They needed this album right now. Fuck everything, it’s me, it’s them and it’s growing up every day, I’m so in love with them!
You have 2,9 million followers on Instagram, how do you use this platform to stay connected to your fans?
My fans are my family, I feel so connected to my fanbase. Yungblud is not just me, Yungblud is a community! We exist together and being proud of being exactly who we are. If you feel that you don’t have a family, then call me and I’ll be here!
Due to this climate and social situation where many feel lonely and anxious, are you proud that your music gathers people from all around the world?
I think music has no fucking gender. It’s so emotive when I write music, it’s for a reason and it’s to speak to people, I could never write a song about “Oh my god I love you so much!”…I wanna write music about people. This album is about the people I met! It’s all about truth! I love Lady Gaga, David Bowie, and Marilyn Manson, they all wrote songs about being true. It’s connecting people for a reason. This new record is part of my whole existence.
And did you have an icon who saved you when you were young?
Yes, David Bowie!
You have such an incredible androgyne style, it was a choice to be out of the box of this punk-rock musical scene?
Yes man, a box is for cereal, not for people. We need to be proud of who we are, if you still don’t know who you are, just live your life and fuck everyone! You know, being punk is freedom!
What is the most punk thing you made right now?
I guess bringing and connecting different people is the most punk thing I’ve done
The process of making this album was not so complicated?
These were the hardest 16 months of my life. We got really big, really quickly. I traveled the world, I fell in love, I broke up and at the same time, I was on tour and depressed because I did not know why. I will always remember after getting back from Paris, we played a sold-out show at the O2 Academy Brixton in London, that show energized me. Years ago, we were sleeping in the same tiny hotel room with my musicians looking videos on my laptop of amazing artists performing there and we made it. It was sold-out on the first day! All these events made me think about the album and what it will talk about!
Which is the most personal song you made on that record?
The track “Mars” is a statement in my album. It’s about a young transgender girl whose parents could not understand earlier what was happening. They came to my show and I was proud to contribute to helping the young ones! Yungblud is a community!
You seem to love France a lot, right?
I love the French people, it’s incredible how French people know what they want. If you don’t get it you don’t give a fuck! And I just love the streets, the food, the fashion and playing gigs there!
And talking about fashion, do you have a favorite brand?
Yes, fashion is what you want to say without opening your mouth! You dressed and you say that you want! For me, it’s early Vivienne Westwood.
