Yungblud Artistfacts

August 5, 1997
Yungblud's real name is Dominic Richard Harrison. He grew up in Doncaster, England, a gritty city with a rich musical history that he tells Americans is like the UK version of Detroit. His grandfather, Rick Harrison, owned a popular guitar store in Doncaster called Music Ground and instilled in Dominic a deep appreciation for vintage instruments and classic rock.
Yungblud adopted his stage name around 2017 when he was starting out in the music industry. The name came from his management team, who called him "young blood" because he was the youngest artist they were working with at the time. He stylized it as "Yungblud" to match his energetic, rebellious spirit.
He was just 19 when he started work on his debut album, 21st Century Liability, and 20 when it was released in 2018. The songs are aimed at his generation, dealing with issues like gun violence ("Machine Gun (F--k The NRA)"), corporate exploitation ("I Love You, Will You Marry Me") and anxiety ("Medication"). Through touring and word-of-mouth, he developed a very passionate fanbase that could relate to these songs.
In 2017 while still trying to find his voice, he found himself in London singing "vapid pop music that means nothing." When someone told him he should audition for The Voice, he knew he had to make a change. He holed up for a month in a dodgy apartment (or as he calls it, a flat) where he reinvented himself with a look and sound that was distinctly his own. He found a new manager, took the name Yungblud, and made sure he didn't conform to anyone else's expectations.
His trademark accessory is pink socks, which he's been wearing since becoming Yungblud. "Pink represents my personality, because I'm a nutter," he told the German magazine tipBerlin.
In 2024 he started his own festival, BludFest, which took place at the Milton Keynes Bowl in England and featured Lil Yachty, The Damned, Nessa Barrett and Lola Young. The second BludFest returned to the same location in 2025 and expanded to two days with a lineup that included Chase Atlantic, Blackbear, Denzel Curry, Rachel Chinouriri and a surprise appearance by Billy Idol, who joined Yungblud to sing "White Wedding."

BludFest was designed to be more affordable and less corporate than most modern festivals, with lineups that are genre agnostic.
Yungblud co-writes his songs, often with producer Matt Schwartz, who is 26 years older and brings a wealth of experience. Before working with Yungblud, he produced tracks for Massive Attack, Deepest Blue and Kylie Minogue.
He has loads of energy and is wildly creative, but also deals with ADHD and anxiety, which he's been very open about. He calls his ADHD "my biggest happiness and my biggest curse."
He's very accessible to his fans, which he finds therapeutic. "I felt lonely and I've spent a lot of time on my own in my own head," he told the BBC. "So I cherish every single person I come across. When I'm on my own, that's when I get freaked out."
Outside of the UK he's best known for two 2019 collaborations: "11 Minutes" with Halsey and Travis Barker, and "I Think I'm Okay" with Machine Gun Kelly and Travis Barker.
Yungblud is unapologetically expressive about gender and sexuality, often wearing dresses, skirts, and eyeliner. He describes himself as "very fluid" and says boxes are "irrelevant in terms of sexual identity."
He's a big fan of The Cure, particularly their frontman, Robert Smith, whom Yungblud says is the reason he wears eyeliner. He was very excited when Smith granted permission to sample the Cure song "Close To Me" on Yungblud's 2022 track "Tissues."

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