A 20-year-old ball of energy comes barreling towards me and engulfs me in a hug. “Rock and roll, baby!” the punk rocker says with a flirtatious smile. Adorned with silver rings, blue velvet platform shoes and black heart tattoos across his knuckles, Dominic Harrison definitely has the glam-rock aesthetic perfected. His charming British accent and general rock vibe is only enhanced by his message though. “Say what you want. As long as you’re talking about something, it can be discussed. I know what I want and I want to move towards a better future. Say what you think because you’re entitled to that and no one can take it away from you,” he tells me, leaning in.
Harrison performs under the moniker YUNGBLUD, inspired by the nickname his manager gave him since he was the youngest artist on his label: young blood. Harrison’s debut album, 21st Century Liability was released earlier this summer as a reaction to the political discourse going on in the United Kingdom from Brexit. Harrison tells me that after Brexit, he had a ton of opinions and wanted to express himself. “People don’t like to be confronted, especially when it’s by someone who is younger than them,” he says. “But, my generation has something to say. We’re not just bratty kids rebelling against the system.”
Speaking to Harrison, you can feel his emotion and passion is palpable. As a young artist, he is rooting for change across the globe, not just in the United Kingdom. “I don’t want to divide. I want to unite people,” he says of his music.
Of his debut album Harrison says, “The record is an outlet for people who can’t be themselves. Or feel like they can’t say what they think, or like they can’t talk because someone expects them not to.” Recently, Harrison’s song “Falling Skies” featuring Charlotte Lawrence was included on the soundtrack for season two of the hit show on Netflix, 13 Reasons Why. The song feels like an anthem for youth culture to bond together for a singular reason. Encouraging people to not be “sheep” and to stand for something or at least with someone, YUNGBLUD is prepared to get his message across and create change.
Watch the official video for “Falling Skies” below.
Main image credit: @yungblud
