Joining KROQ’s Nicole Alvarez backstage before his Coachella 2023 set, U.K. artist YUNGBLUD breaks down what fans could expect from his performance this year, the general energy surrounding this edition of the long-running festival, and more.
LISTEN NOW: YUNGBLUD backstage at Coachella 2023
"To be honest, in the past, I've come and it's really chill," he admits. "When they asked us to play I was like, 'I don't know how this is gonna go down for us because like, we're mental!' But already it seems like it's more energetic than the past times I've come. It's lit this year, I think."
When beginning his journey in music, the idea of vulnerability, a "superpower," he believes, and experiencing all of life's ups and downs with his audience was always at the top of his mind.
The feeling is the same when he watches other artists perform; it's not about studying the craft, rather it comes down to emotion. "I just kind of go there, get lit, and just do it how I've done it since I was fifteen. I think that's the point... I might nick some things, steal 'em. But I like, honestly, a show that I didn't think I would like, and then I'm like, 'Whoa, this is f***ing crazy!'"
The driving force behind his music now, YUNGBLUD says, comes from feeling in the past that he was unable to express his true self as a kid. "I just wanted to build a place where people can come without limitation and truly be able to express themselves in a way that they think is beautiful. I think that's what I'll fight for forever."
After playing Wembley Stadium during the band's last tour in the U.K., he remembers a 65-year-old man in a Cure tee shirt coming up to him afterward at a bar. YUNGBLUD says, "he was just like, 'Yo I'm 65 and I felt like that was the first time I've ever been able to use my voice,' and that tripped me out. That's given me a year's worth of, 'we're on the right track.'"
Check out the full interview above.
Stay tuned for even more continuing coverage of Coachella 2023 right here on Audacy.
Related
