(Apple Music) English singer-songwriter YUNGBLUD joins Apple Music's Zane Lowe to talk about his upcoming studio album, 'Idols.' In the interview, he opens up about the meaning behind the album and its title, feeling disconnected from his name after his third record, meeting Liam Gallagher, and more.
The Zane Lowe Show on Apple Music 1 sent over the following transcript and video clip from the interview. Fans can watch the full episode anytime on demand with an Apple Music subscription here.
YUNGBLUD tells Apple Music about the vision behind his album, 'Idols'
YUNGBLUD: I just wanted to make something. And even when we came down to the mixing process and the recording process, I didn't want to try and make the past modern. I wanted to make something that felt like it had always been there and always will be. Could it have been recorded 50 years ago or 50 years in the future? That's why it was really important for me to be like, "The way we're going to make this album is we're going to set up a bunch of instruments in the room. I'm going to be able to get on a drum kit, I'm going to be able to get on a Wurly, I'm going to on keys, everything in the rain in the North of England." And I really kind of, we just wanted to lead with emotion first.
Zane Lowe: You can hear that on "Idols Part 1." It's the first time I've heard your voice break and you kept it in.
YUNGBLUD: Yeah, 100%. Because I remember recording that vocal at 9:00 in the morning as the sun was coming up.
YUNGBLUD tells Apple Music why he named his album 'Idols'
YUNGBLUD: It was all about finding the truth within it, because I called the record 'Idols' because it's actually the first time I'm kind of being like, "Thanks very much. I've got this from here." And I'm turning to myself. You know what I mean?
Zane Lowe: Who are you taking it back from?
YUNGBLUD: Bowie, Freddie, Robbie. I think I'd look at these photographs on the wall, and you want to be the photograph on the wall. And then kind of in my case, to some people, you become the photograph on the wall, and then you realize that they actually never had the answer, because I never knew Bowie. I never knew Freddie. I never knew Robbie. Never met them. Answer was always within me. That photograph was a mirror. I would look at it and I would find the inspiration or I would find the meaning or I would find the purpose myself. And I really think kind of when we circle back to I've always wanted to appease people, but I've always wanted to please everyone.
YUNGBLUD tells Apple Music about feeling disconnected from himself after releasing his third album, 'YUNGBLUD'
Zane Lowe: So when did you bottom out?
YUNGBLUD: I remember after the third album, 'YUNGBLUD', came out, I was in New York in a penthouse like, "What the f***?" It'd gone number one in seven countries, and I was so unhappy because I thought I compromised on that album. There were good songs on it, but I called my third album 'YUNGBLUD' because I was trying to figure out who the f*** YUNGBLUD was. And almost that was a coping mechanism to be like, "Yeah, man, that's it. That's it," when I didn't f***ing know, because I remember after-
Zane Lowe: You were the most detached from that name ever.
YUNGBLUD: I was the most detached from that name ever. I was trying to claw it back and hold on for dear life. And I remember because 'Idols' was the album I wanted to make after 'weird!,' but I remember I'd been discouraged because everyone's like, "We've just had commercial success."
Zane Lowe: You got it.
YUNGBLUD: "Time changes, harmonies, f***ing analogue recording, no, no, no, no, we need f***ing-"
Zane Lowe: Give us something we can dance to.
YUNGBLUD Yeah, "We need hits right now. We need hits right now." So then I came out to LA and they put me on the songwriter circuit and whatever, and little by little I was going, "Okay, what do people know YUNGBLUD is? What is the brand of YUNGBLUD? What is the day-to-day of YUNGBLUD? And that's how YUNGBLUD came out. And after that, I said to everyone on my team, I was like, "I got to f***ing stop." Because I've always done this for the truth, and I've always done this from a place of, "I don't know where we're going to go." The next album might be different because I'm going to marvel at the world and write what I'm inspired by.
YUNGBLUD tells Apple Music about meeting Liam Gallagher backstage once at a show
YUNGBLUD: Me and Scottish Adam met him [Liam Gallagher] backstage once, and he said something about me apparently.
Zane Lowe: What'd he say?
YUNGBLUD: He was like... Obviously I was wearing skirts onstage at the time. And he goes to Adam, guitar players are having a glass of brandy with him or something, he's like, "What the f***? What you doing back here?" And he's like, "Oh, I'm just drinking." He's like, "You in a band?" He's like, "Yeah, I play with YUNGBLUD." He's like, "Ah, f***ing hell. Don't f***ing like YUNGBLUD." Walks off. And then he comes back to him, he's like, "I do. She's amazing."
Zane Lowe: Look at you.
YUNGBLUD: Because I was wearing skirts at the time.
Zane Lowe: "She's amazing."
YUNGBLUD: "She's amazing."
Zane Lowe: What a beautiful compliment.
YUNGBLUD: I was like, "I'm down with that." And honestly, they all came back running to the bus like, "You'll never f***ing guess what's happened!"
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