Release
YUNGBLUD’s solution to the pandemic? Get weird!
Even amidst a global pandemic, Dominic Harrison, known professionally as YUNGBLUD, has released his sophomore album, weird! and embarked on a virtual tour.
The English singer/songwriter sat down for a press conference in October, hosted by Interscope Records and °1824, to chat about his new music and tour plans. With a bottle of prosecco by his side, he carried the conference much like a party with friends.
Harrison held to a theme throughout the day, periodically coming back to a message for young people to feel inspired to be active in the world and create the environment they want to live in. It’s a message that, he says, inspired most of his new album, too.
Regardless of what project he’s working on, from his music to the YUNGBLUD podcast, even his comic book, The Twisted Tales of the Ritalin Club, Harrison says the name represents everyone involved, especially his fans.
“YUNGBLUD isn’t me,” he said, “YUNGBLUD is us. YUNGBLUD is my fan base. YUNGBLUD is each and every fu**ing one of us”
In a time where we’re all stuck in our homes and separated, he reminds us of the importance of coming together, talking about important issues, and doing our part to define a world that we belong in.
“A lot of people feel trapped and a lot of people feel pressured to have an answer, and this album reflects that it’s alright to just have questions, and it’s alright to feel scared, and it’s alright to feel confused,” he said, “because every fu**ing one of us is and it’s alright to fundamentally be different, and weird, and strange, and abnormal.”
At the core of the album is the singer’s fundamental desire to connect with his community and amplify their stories and experiences. In order to do that, he says that he prioritizes the truth and being fundamentally himself.
“In a time of distress and a time of fear, to be completely truthful it’s how you get answers, and how you connect with people like you. because if you hide a part of anything, then you’re not going to connect with people, because those people are wrong for you.”
“Tell the truth in a way that Amy Winehouse did it, in the way that The Verve did it, in a way that Gerard Way did it, in the way that Gaga does it, in a way that Manson did it. If you’re supposed to understand it, you will.”
The weird! tour, while attended online, is being performed locally for each date, in order to truly connect with each community.
“My favorite thing in the world is coming to each city and experiencing each culture,” he said, “Although the shows are the same, because we’re very much similar in my fan base, they’re worlds apart.
As if to warm the souls of music fans all over the globe, Harrison addressed the pandemic as it relates to this release. “Just because we can’t touch each other, doesn’t mean we can’t feel each other,” he said.
YUNGBLUD’s new release is out now anywhere you get your music, and his virtual tour has commenced.
Listen to weird! now:
Dec. 4: Atlanta
Dec. 5: Seattle
Dec. 6: Los Angeles
Dec. 7: Sydney, AUS
