At just 24 years old British singer-songwriter, Dominic Harrison, better known as YUNGBLUD, has steadily been making waves in today’s ever-growing alternative music scene. After his collabs with Halsey and Machine Gun Kelly on tracks like “11 Minutes” and “I Think I’m Okay”, Yungblud’s popularity began to skyrocket, and with his latest release “fleabag” he shows no signs of slowing down.
Immediately upon introducing himself, Dom mentions his desire to get out to South Africa and play a show, followed by an excitable gasp upon hearing he has many fans here who are just as hopeful, “that just blows my mind,” and from there, we jump right in.
Dying to know more about his creative process and the inner workings of Dom’s eclectic mind, I asked him about the juxtaposition of noise between the chaos of performance and the stillness of being alone. “I think it’s gotten worse,” he thinks for a moment, “as you get bigger, the voices get louder…” but he follows it up with a realization, “I had to get over the transition period of just starting out… I’m there now.”
I asked him if it’s this, along with the pressures to be constantly authentic, that inspired “fleabag,” his latest single. “With it all, I’m authentic as fuck, there’s a lot of moronic people saying moronic things, ‘fleabag’ is about me being like YUNGBLUD is a community of people radiating the idea that to be yourself is the best thing you can be,” and it’s this that forms the core of what Dom himself, and YUNGBLUD as an artist and community are creating.
“People are gonna misunderstand me, people have been misunderstanding me since I came out the womb… but I think I internalize it and let it swim around inside my body before I put it in my music – ‘fleabag’ was a kickback against my family, friends, my label – I have an idea, and you may not understand it, but you will one day. That’s what ‘fleabag’ is about,” he explains.
You don’t have to look very hard to see that Dom is above all else, genuine. The last thing he wants is to put up a facade for his community and that’s clear in the music he writes, “I found myself conforming to keep people around,” his demeanour changes slightly as he reflects the attitude of the track, “I’ve never fucking done that in my life, so why the fuck am I doing it now?”
It’s no secret that YUNGBLUD’s discography seems to be influenced by a wide array of predecessors, from Beastie Boys, to David Bowie, to iconic Britpop artists like Oasis and Blur, you hear it in “fleabag”‘s distinctly grunge feel, which seems to further confuse publications that try to nail down Yungblud’s music into one neat genre. “I don’t really preconceive anything. There’s such a stigma against rock music that it can’t evolve or morph,” he laments on the ways people in media tend to force him into boxes.
“I am whatever I am on that day. I wanted to write something heavy, the drums sound like that, cause I’m playing it all,” and with that, gets to the essence of what most songwriters can relate to, the feeling that it, “sounds like the song, it sounds dirty, it sounds mental. It’s what it had to be.”
The music video for “fleabag” further evokes this grimy, grungy imagery, with a distinctly black and white, Bela Lugosi-esque aesthetic. He speaks about wanting something like 1994’s cult classic The Crow, “I wanted it to be me.” And with every metaphor in the video, he cements that, “From running against the fan to learning the words backwards, I wanted to radiate that pain.”
If anything can be said for certain about YUNGBLUD it is this: the community is everything. The Black Hearts Club is about acceptance, loving unconditionally, and standing up for what is right, creating a safe space for all who may need it. “Anyone can say be yourself, but what separates this fanbase is what people don’t understand, they will not hesitate to share a feeling of love or acceptance.” He takes a moment before saying, “I don’t know how it got this big, all I wanted to do was find some friends, I’m so proud of it.” His demeanour changes again as he sounds off on label pressures, “It’s about the culture. I hope I don’t have a hit in my whole life, it’s about the people.”
Early in 2021, YUNGBLUD took the stage at the David Bowie celebration to honour Bowie, one of his personal heroes, with a moving rendition of “Life on Mars?” He describes the experience as terrifying, “Bowie’s everything to me… it literally felt like he was with me. I was so honoured.”
At the essence of YUNGBLUD is Dom’s love for the community he has built, and above all else, he’s sure that he’s “always gonna tell the truth,” he breaks into a cheeky grin, “even if it gets me in trouble.”
