YUNGBLUD Explains The Story Behind His Upcoming Single 'Weird'
By Katrina Nattress
April 21, 2020
Last week, YUNGBLUD announced a new single (his first this year). "Weird!" is dropping on Wednesday (April 22), and before its arrival the UK rocker chatted with NME about how the song came about.
“I was going for an LCD Soundsystem and Depeche Mode thing,” he said of the song. “I wanted a naivety to the song because this is a coming of age record.”
The song was inspired by YUNGBLUD's quick rise to fame coupled with some personal hardships. “The past 18 months were so weird for me,” he said. “I nearly lost my mum in a car accident. I was in a relationship and got my heart broken. We blew up and got famous really quickly. I started from depression and thought about suicide again.”
“It felt like I was walking down the pavement but I felt like I was going to fall down the cracks," he continued, "It’s just been a dark twisted, mental time. I thought that it was going to swallow me whole and I’d never be seen again – but I came out the other side of it.”
Now, YUNGBLUD feels like he's begun a new era — one of optimism. “I’m not angry anymore. The first album was so angry and leading into the EP [2019’s ‘The Underrated Youth’] I got hopeful and now I feel optimistic," he said. “This song is about f**king life. I was crying when I was writing this song. I envisioned a couple in Fred Perry and Harringtons and they’re sharing headphones on the bus listening to this song. They’re sat there and know that everything is going to be alright.”
While quarantining in Los Angeles, YUNGBLUD has been interacting with fans through his YUNGBLUD Show, and shared his full Brixton Academy set (the biggest of his career) on YouTube.
Photo: Getty Images