YUNGBLUD: Finding Confidence When You Don't Fit In | GREAT MOMENTS

0:02Hello everyone, I'm Jamie Laying and this is Great Moments. hey guys welcome back to today's great moment which is with young blood okay he's an absolute icon he's traveling the world he's going crazy at the moment all around the world especially in australia um and when we sat down i love chatting to him are you ready let's get into it so someone once said to me right that we have like four different personalities one one with our family one with our partner one with our friends and one with we're by ourself 100 and And you, Youngblood and Dominic are obviously the same person, but they're separate.

0:39One's more volumed up. No, 100%. Because it's like I needed to protect myself. Why? Because I hated myself. I grew up my whole life waking up with pain in my stomach, hating myself. So I was like, how can I create something that I love and want to be? I almost like created a caricature to become like a superhero. Like, I don't know, like fucking Spider-Man or some shit. In my head, I was like, I don't just want to sing. I don't just want to blah, blah, blah. I want to create something that I can put on that makes me feel powerful and people can connect to that make them feel powerful. It was literally just like, that's why I've always said Youngblood isn't me.

1:27I've always said it's each and every one of those people because you come to the gig, you put on the socks, you paint the nails, you get the heart tattoos, you find a community of people that are exactly like you and you can forget about everything for two hours. And that was what it was. And now what's crazy is like, now it's caught up with me a little bit because you don't think, you don't expect for it to kind of get as big as it is. No, you don't. And then you get into a point where people start to not believe it because it's not real. I was like, well, it isn't. It's literally, it was a character that was built to make me feel like I could belong on this planet.

2:05I don't know why that makes you feel emotional. It's crazy. Yeah, that makes me feel really emotional for some reason. It is fucking emotional. Because it's really childlike as well because it's your superhero. 100%. And then the superhero you're putting on your cape. 100 % because it's just like, I am ordinary. I am an ordinary dude who fucking likes a cup of tea with one sugar in it. and fucking, like, is really anxious and doesn't fucking like cinnamon. You know what I mean? But when I'm fucking young blood, I'm like, can walk out on stage in front of 35 ,000 people and be like, yo, it's fucking going to be all right.

2:44And then while I'm telling them that, I'm telling myself that because it never fucking, pain doesn't stop. We all know that. It doesn't fucking end. It just doesn't for every one of us. It's not like in a way that it's like, every one of us goes through shit. And it's just like, I want that to be by people's side forever. And I think what I've realized is like, going into our next album is like, people will leave this community. People come and go. People outgrow it. People like, oh, it was great when I was 15, but now I don't know anymore. And it's kind of used to worry me, but I'm like, I'm going to be here forever.

3:19So when you want to come back, when you want to leave, when you want to vibe out, when you don't, it's cool like i kind of had to really come to terms with that been like every album is a is a personal thing and i think i kind of really went into a thing i was trying to cater for everybody and when you're trying to cater for five million people it's like fucking hell you can't do it so i just kind of had to say to myself like especially this next album that's coming that i'm making at the minute dominic is really bleeding into it really you know i mean it's kind of got to the point where i'm like okay like because you're becoming more your organics authentic yeah i've just kind of i've kind of gone on a mental journey where i've learned a lot i've been kicked i've been scratched i've been scarred i've also been loved and i've also met i don't know 200 300 400 000 people and heard their stories and kind of realized that you know what like it'll be all right because i have a lot of faith in humanity even though the world's pretty fucked right now when i meet these people i'm like there's something there's some fucking hope here because because you're almost then starting to accept yourself and you're going like i can actually lean into dominic now just actually it's okay i'm and you're comfortable but it's a trip because it's scary it's the most scary because i'm like oh well people fell in love with the character if i like change it or morph it or drop it a little bit i'm like fuck like will my biggest fear is abandonment you know i mean from everything hey snap padlock you know i mean don't leave me don't leave me and i think kind of that's why i love bowie and i turn to bowie a lot because that was i was i think even though it might not have seemed intentional bowie's career was like whatever 60 years long and he changed every fucking two years and became something new and I don't know if that was because he didn't fucking know who he was the whole time.

5:18Like I'm talking about. And he had to put on these, create these superheroes. You know what I mean? It's all a trip. But do you know, it's so funny. The more, when you were that seven year old kid, that naivety that you had. Oh my God, it's the best thing ever. Because you're not worried. You don't have anything to lose. And then when you get to your position now, which is you're globally famous. Yeah, it's crazy. Your albums are number one. You know, you're selling out everywhere. You have so much more to lose. 100%. And then for someone with the fear of abandonment, that pressure is almost so great because you're like, shit, what happens if this now goes?

5:54Yeah, it's crazy. And the worst shit is like, I used to like your stuff. It's like, oh. It's the worst thing ever. It's like, I used to like your shit. I'm like, it's literally just like, blood. I'm like, oh, fuck. I'm like, what do I say to that? Like, I'll make something for you. Yeah, I'm like, what do you want? What do you want? What can I give you? You want a jazz album? Sick. One, two, three. I'm like, whatever. Do you know what I mean? I'm like, literally, it's like fucking crazy to do that. You want a jazz album? I'm just like, what do you want? It's like, oh, shit, you used to be an emo, but now you work in accounts at a fucking law firm.

6:37Sick. What are you like? Swing? Okay. You know what I mean? It's fucking mental. but then like then you realise like all you gotta do is get back to the naivety and just be like I'm fucking doing this fuck you I'm doing it because it's for me right it's not actually because then you start when you start doing things for other people that's when the creativity is ruined because you're not being your true authentic self everything when you start doing something for other people you're lying completely you know what I mean it's just literally just like even if a little bit 2 % lie the fucking people can smell it and I think that's why Youngblood broke through in the first place because it was so fucking unhinged like I remember like Like, everyone's like, really?

7:12Do you want to do this? We put out parents. And the line is like, like, my daddy put a gun to my head, said, if you kiss a boy, I'm going to shoot you dead. So I tied him up with a gaffer tape, locked him in a shed, then went out to the garden, fucked my best friend. And Interscope, a crazy label, they're like, you cannot release that. That you cannot release that. You're literally talking about gun violence and tying up your dad in the name of love. And I'm like, yeah. And we put it out and it was fucking huge. It's like two times platinum. Is it true? It was a resemblance of an older generation.

7:47It was just like, it was like every, it put the words in every young queer kid's mouth. It's like, you're not literally going to do that, but it's like, take the fucking power back. It's what you want to do. Yeah, take the power back. It's just like, get with it because it's going to happen. And it did, you know what I mean? It was cool, man. It was cool to be a part of a movement around artists like Lil Peep, Mac Miller, Billie Eilish. Mac Miller, man. You know what I mean? Like a generation, like when you look back on it, I don't think you can really look at it now because you don't feel like you're a part of something.

8:20But it was like the Pistols and the Clash and a young movement across the country. It's like Billy and Lil Nas X and Lil Peep and Mac Miller handling America. And then like we were trying to hold it down over here. You know what I mean? It was cool. It was cool to just kind of have this shift. Are you quite trusting? Too trusting, actually. Really? Yeah, I get bitten a lot. Because I really fuck with people. In what way? I just love meeting people. Honestly, I'll have a conversation with anyone. The other day, right, my taxi driver, I brought him into the studio. Honestly, I got a taxi driver from the station.

9:06I was like, do you want to come in? Because he started talking about U2. I was like, come and have a cup of tea. And they were there for six hours. What? Yeah, in Leeds. Just there for six hours. Started talking about U2 and everything. And I came in the studio and my band was like, what the fuck? Why are you doing this? Why is this like old Leeds United fan sat down in the studio? I'm like, nice guy in here. I love that because there's something you, because I see this like with all your fans that you have, right? because your fans are so dedicated to you. And I see it, you know, I see it in, you know, Louis Theroux documentary.

9:43I see it when you talk about it on social media or, you know, in your music. You're so obsessed with your fans. And because we, I honestly think it's a British thing. Yeah, no, it really is. But there's a different thing. But also in a British thing, there's something like when people are so dedicated and wanting to know people, whether it's like getting the taxi driver out, people want to think, oh, there's another alternative to that. There's something more to, oh is he doing that just because oh he wants to look like he's one of the people and stuff like that and it's negative but actually with you it's not you generally just want you just like these people and want to connect with them I just love meeting people I think like I think it's quite a northern thing as well to like say hello to everyone you meet I remember first moving out of London I was on the tube I'm like how you doing alright and someone's like fuck off I'm like oh like you know what I mean I was quite naive I was like me just come down to London at 15 like how you doing mate alright and everyone's like what the fuck are you talking to me for you know what I mean um but i always loved people and i always kind of it when i grew up i always spent a lot of time in my imagination because i felt quite lonely where i was from because i just look like this and it wasn't really like uh i don't know it wasn't really accepted where i was from so it was a bit rough this is doncaster yeah doncaster so i really wanted to meet people i just loved hearing people's stories from like whatever and I loved music and I loved talking to people I just wanted to I think like again like talking about my sleep pattern I don't like having quiet quiet in my head like I'm really bright person but then it kind of like can turn dark quite quickly so I like to meet people because I don't know I love like vibing off people's energy and then um i don't know i think people do find it quite a lot me quite a lot and disingenuous you know i mean i think people find me quite a lot and i think that's why a lot of people um i'm a little bit like marmite me you know i mean people absolutely love it or hate it and i think if you're gonna like my music you've got to kind of like me and i'm quite a lot to deal with sometimes you know i mean do you find that tricky though because look we just met just now and i think we're similar in lots of ways relating myself to young blood straight away we are similar we are we are like madheads yeah like i want to talk about adhd and things like that and just the energy but i'm sensitive i'm so sensitive so sensitive right and so that must be tricky because in my life i i'm desperate for people to love me and want me and accept me and all those things but that's impossible to do yeah it's horrible and yours is even more so because you're a musician it's you really want people to like but of course you're going to have people who do think you're but how do you deal with that because that's a tricky thing i i've i really get affected by things you know i mean i'm really like i i'm i call it an empath i think right i'm really empathetic or whatever you call it i feel empathy a lot i'm like if i see someone's down in the room i want to be like yo and like try and bring them up because i feel i kind of take on everyone's energy energy in the room i think that's kind of why like really the most probably one of the most fundamental reasons why i think we've got to where we got to because i was i was really good at vibing with people you know i mean i was really good at being like oh you don't seem all right what's going on or oh you seem really happy I would love to talk about that because I'm having a rubbish day today and I think it's hard because it it's like I've got thicker skin and I've kind of like more so that now than ever like I'm hitting 27 next and I'm kind of like oh I'm starting to kind of not care as much anymore but I've said I've not cared for years and it's been a complete front and it's been a complete unutter lie because it's just like whoa and and the internet can make up the truth like everything you read on the internet is true yeah of course it is you know i mean and then you like you don't want to stoop to a level where you got to defend yourself but like when people leave shit you read it you know that you know i mean it's like oh well that sucks or like one of your favorite like people's like oh that fucking young blood what a wanker and you're like oh fuck all right fair i'm down i I mean, I get it.

14:02You know what I mean? I get that I'm loud and a bit mental, but I'm like, oh, shit. Fair. I know exactly. You just want to meet everyone and be like, yo, honestly. I'm really nice. Honestly. I mean, just incredible. I mean, I love chatting to Youngblood, okay? I mean, the way he explained why he created this character, this kind of bigger, louder version of himself so he could feel more confident. But he seemed so confident on the outside. I think we've all had this, but I definitely was always someone who wanted to be liked, to be accepted. and I'm sure there are loads of you out there who feel the same way.

14:32So it was really interesting hearing it from him, this huge musician who's so confident on stage. Now, if you haven't already, go back and check out Youngblood's full episode. We're going to leave the link in the show notes, so just go and click on it. And he's just one of the many incredible guests we've had on Great Company. So if you haven't already, make sure you go and check them out as well. Don't forget to follow, to subscribe, and I'll see you next week for another episode of Great Company.

15:00Bye.