Yungblud on "Future of Rock" Label: "I am a middle-class kid, I never claimed I wasn’t"

Yungblud has said he resists the idea that he is the “future of rock”, and has clarified certain misconceptions about his upbringing.

- READ MORE: Yungblud – ‘Idols’ and ‘Idols II’ review: a king-sized statement from the crown prince of rock

The musician is currently out on an extended North American leg of his massive ‘Idols’ world tour , and recently sat down with i Paper to discuss setting his sights on even bigger shows: “I’ve done arenas, I’ve done festivals, but I want to be a stadium artist”, he said. “I’ve just got to block out false narratives.”

To that end, he explained the Yungblud moniker had changed over time, and had now “become many different things to many different people”, meaning he felt more able to be himself.

“There are many different iterations of Yungblud,” he continued. “I didn’t know if Yungblud was going to be a [ David Bowie ] Ziggy Stardust character, but the name is now bigger than a bright kid from the north of England. Even the fucking customs officials at 6am between Buffalo and Toronto know who Yungblud is.”

He also addressed the apparent tension between being dubbed the future of rock – with Dave Grohl and former  Guns N’ Roses member Matt Sorum each proclaiming his success was proof that “rock ‘n’ roll is not dead” – and his own sense of self.

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“It’s been a great year, but I don’t like being called the future of rock. I don’t like people thinking I said that,” he said, going on to clarify perceptions that had built around him off the back of that.

“I am a middle-class kid, I never claimed I wasn’t, and I’m just doing my thing,” he said. “I’m an English kid who loves his country.”

It comes shortly after fans became convinced that MGK ’s new single ‘Fix Ur Face’ included a sly diss at Yungblud’s upbringing with the line: “ Mickey Mouse kids turned rockstars / Leaving private schools, tryna be outlaws ”.

Yungblud attended the private day and boarding school Ackworth School in Yorkshire and later enrolled at the independent Arts Educational School in London, and went on to appear on the Disney show The Lodge.

Back in 2022, he shed more light on his upbringing on an episode of Louis Theroux Interviews…, opening up about the impact of witnessing his parents’ “abusive” relationship growing up.

The Doncaster-born singer, whose real name is Dominic Harrison, told Theroux he grew up living with his parents and two younger sisters, and recalled frequently wanting to “escape” from the arguments that took place.

Later this summer, he’ll be bringing the  third edition of his BludFest to Czechia – having been held in Milton Keynes for its first two years – and the line-up includes Biffy Clyro ,  Primal Scream ,  Pale Waves  and more.

Last year, he revealed aims of building $100million business empire , saying: “I wanna build a system like the solar system, where I’m the sun.” The Doncaster singer later launched a brand new community space and store , based on the historic Denmark Street in central London.

The ‘B.R.A.T’ store fuses music, fashion and community  – creating a space where fans can buy clothing, watch live performances, have a coffee together, attend poetry nights and film screenings, and more.

Reflecting on balancing multiple projects of late, he told NME last year : “The past couple of weeks have been mental because I think people are finding this community, when some of them in the past had been dissuaded from it.

“There’s a lot of vapid shit out there, and some people felt that I was falling into that category, until they gave me a chance and discovered this community. They came to the [Bludfest] festival, they fell into my music, they discovered this space. So, to people who’ve just come here, I want to say welcome! If you’re thinking about having a nosy into our world, you’ll have a good time. I promise.”

Yungblud released the second half of his ‘Idols’ double album in February and it was given  a glowing four-star review by  NME , which described it as “a king-sized statement from the crown prince of rock”.

“It bookmarks the latest chapter in the story of Dominic Harrison with a fairytale ending, now living with the freedom of thought that once eluded him,” the review continued. “Sonically, the double album might not redefine the future of rock, but – as the soundtrack to his most successful era yet – it has helped guarantee the future of Yungblud.”

The post Yungblud doesn’t like being called “the future of rock”, says “I am a middle-class kid, I never claimed I wasn’t” appeared first on NME .

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