- First of all, congratulations on your nomination
for PUSH Best New Artist. - Ah!
- Which has got to be a big, big deal.
But, you've been doing this for a long time.
Do you still feel like a new artist?
- Dude, it's so crazy, man.
When that came through, I was like,
"This is pretty mental, innit?"
And we have been doing it for a long time,
but I don't know. It still kind of feels like
we're just getting started.
I always say that.
Do you know what I mean? Like,
kind of your perception of things changes. You know what I mean?
When you kind of build a culture and bring together people,
you only want it to get bigger and bigger and bigger.
So, kind of what feels like you've been doing it
for a long time, kind of feels like it's just the beginning.
Do you know what I mean? So it's weird, but it's cool.
- Your fan base has grown just as organically
as your sound has grown throughout the years.
What has been like, the biggest change for you
elevating from YUNGBLUD from back in the day
to the person that you are now
and the artist that you are now?
- It's weird, man.
As I say, it kind of like,
the sound just got a bit bigger,
You know what I mean? I think as we kind of grew.
Before, it was just like, punk and just like,
throw to the wall.
Just like, kids in a room, just hitting my pillows. You know what I mean?
In my bedroom. But now, it kind of like--
the rooms are getting so much bigger,
and the kind of, the crowds, and the people,
and the kind of, the passion, and the togetherness.
It's just getting so loud.
The music's got to do the same thing. You know what I mean?
And I kind of get ensued with so much hope
in terms of my fan base and my family.
Just all that kind of, that magic just goes in the tunes.
You know what I mean?
- Man, we heard a glimpse of that big sound
and that growth in this collaboration,
"Lemonade," with Denzel Curry.
Love the record, Denzel is one of my favorite MCs. - Dude, he's the best.
- I think he's crazy underrated, super dope.
How did this collaboration come together?
- It was weird, man.
As I say, with Denzel, man, I've always loved him, man.
My passion for him really cemented
when he did the Rage [Against the Machine] cover.
'Cause I'm such-- obviously, I do rock music.
And I had this record, this idea about, kind of, society
putting so much pressure in our brain
and just wanting to explode.
And if anybody knows my shows, my shows go absolutely crazy. You know what I mean?
Like, there's normally like, 20 people
in the the medical room by song two.
Do you know what I mean? Because it gets so hot
and everyone was just so compressed.
And I was like, "I wanna find an artist
"who is just like that."
Who is an activist,
who talks about, kind of, equality,
and just, kind of, the world we wanna be a part of.
And I was like, "It's gotta be Denzel Curry, man."
So, I hit him up and I was like,
"Love your stuff, man.
"Love the Rage cover.
"Do you wanna get in the studio?"
And I just sent him an idea,
and he just snapped on that verse.
I was like, it sounds old school, that verse.
It sounds like N.W.A or something.
I was like, "That's sick."
- Yeah, man, you said that, too.
That his lyrics inspire you, man.
He's such an ill lyricist.
You do get that nostalgia on this record.
And when I hear the song, I think about how badly
I wanna see Dom and Denzel on the stage together.
- That's what I'm saying. I'm like, when we--
I just can't wait to bring him out and open that mosh pit up
You know what I mean? It's just gonna be insane.
Like, that's why we did it when we were in the studio.
That why it's like (sings).
We were literally jumping. I was in the studio like,
"Let's make it this tempo so people can just jump to it
"and go crazy." You know what I mean?
And I was like, "Yeah, I can't wait to play that live."
It's gonna go bonkers.
- But see, I want to ask an artist like you, though.
Someone who has a crazy live performance.
How do you adapt in this COVID environment?
Like, we've got Best Quarantine Performance right now,
which is one of the categories.
But, I imagine that you feed off of the energy of the fans.
What is like right now? - Bro, it's mental. It's mental.
But the thing about it is, right now, with what we've been doing,
like live stream gigs and stuff.
When we did 'The YUNGBLUD Show' thing for the first time,
you can see the people commenting.
So, just because you can't hear them
don't mean you can't feel the noise.
You know what I mean?
I can feel the noise, and I'm just kind of--
it's a bit like, "Is there anybody out there?"
(laughing)
- But, you just see the comment section like--
And it's like, yeah, there is, man. You know what I mean?
Which is sick.
- That's dope, man.
Yeah, the energy is kinetic.
I never thought of it that way, that's interesting.
You captioned the meaning of "Lemonade."
You said it right here about the intense pressure
society places on our brains right now.
But, you also said the the song is about "Equality
and inclusion across the (beep) planet."
And equality and inclusion has been a part of YUNGBLUD's
message from the beginning,
Dom's message from the beginning.
Why do you feel that this message is so important,
delivered in the time we're in right now, specifically?
- If you just look at the state of the world, man,
this has been a moment for us to actually stop.
And it's kind of-- the world literally went, "All right then,
"you (beep) idiots." I'm probably not allowed to swear,
we'll bleep it out.
"It's time to stop, think about what is wrong,
"and analyze everything wrong in society."
I was in all the BLM marches in L.A.
when I was out there.
And it was just so incredible to see my generation
fighting for the world that we are gonna be in
in the future.
And I think this stop, this pause, this moment
has allowed us to look at climate change.
It's allowed us to address racism.
It's allowed us to address equality within the LGBTQ+
community, with what's going on in Poland.
And it's a moment for us to genuinely fight
and get started and get going. You know what I mean?
- That's a fact.
Not only were you a part of those protests, too, in L.A.
Like, you were actually helping people who had been injured
by police officers.
Did you know when you went out there
that you would have such an outsized role,
or were you just expecting to be there spectating
and then you just found yourself in that position?
- It was mental, it was like a movie, man. You know what I mean?
And it was so scary and frightening.
But like, everybody out there
was just doing the right thing. You know what I mean?
If it weren't me, like people can say that me and Ashley,
the person I was out with, were like, kind of--
we can glamorize that. But, every single person there
was doing the exact same thing
because it was the right thing to do as humans.
As equal human beings.
And it was just so
messed up to see that this is the society we're living in,
but incredible to see the passion of everybody
of every color and every size
fighting for what is simply right.
- Yeah, absolutely.
And that energy is infectious, just like yours.
It makes me think about this sophomore album
because I think the ecosystem could use some more
YUNGBLUD music right now.
I hear it's in the mixing process.
Do you have a name for it already?
- I can't tell you that,
but the name I've already talked about.
So, in some of my interviews, if you're smart enough,
you might figure out what the name is.
- Ooh! I got to go back and finish doing my research
and-- oh my god!
OK, OK.
So, we got the name has been dropped
as little clues, as bread crumbs in the interviews.
Well, how far will this project evolve
the idea of YUNGBLUD?
Can you give us the theme
of what this project might be? - Absolutely.
- This is literally a neat whiskey album about life.
You know what I mean?
I wanted it to be like an episode of 'Skins' within an album.
A series of 'Skins' or 'Euphoria' or 'Sex Education.'
It's like, this coming of age record--
that don't mean growing up, you can come of age at 74.
You can be like, "Ah, man. I figured out what I am
"for the first time."
But, it's legitimate. It explores the ideas of identity,
of sexuality, of equality, of depression, of anxiety,
of life, of love, of heartbreak, everything.
I just wanted to create a record
because me and my fan base, man,
we're coming of age together,
and I want to do it side by side.
You know what I mean?
And it's about the stories that they told me.
Like, I'm outside of shows every, kind of, night--
well, I was.
And I just heard the most incredible stories
from the most incredible people.
And I wanted to, kind of, this album to be representation
for the misrepresented.
- I love that, man.
Do you have a timeframe as far as
the release date? - Yeah, it's gonna be
the fall.
It's gonna be the fall. - Coming out this fall?
- [YUNGBLUD] Yeah, baby.
- I'm excited, man.
I'm excited for that. - Ah!
- Man, I can't wait to see you pull home,
hopefully, PUSH Best New Artist this year.
It's such a different energy with all of us being at home,
and on our laptops, and accepting this thing virtually.
But I wanna know, if you win that award,
what can we expect from your acceptance speech?
What's the vibe gonna be like accepting from home?
- As I say to my fan base, "This ain't my award.
"This is our award."
And the stunt I might pull if we win this
will reflect that wholeheartedly.