Yungblud on his love-hate relationship with social media: “It’s damaged me more than anything in my life”
Yungblud has opened up about his love-hate relationship with social media, saying “it’s damaged me more than anything in my life.”
In a new interview with MusicWeek, Yungblud spoke about the pressure of social media on artists, particularly seeing opinions from people “in real time” on a mass scale.
He explained: “It’s hard being on the internet, and the craziest thing about being ‘successful’ – whatever that means now – is that you have opinion[s] in real time.“
He continued: “Can you imagine if Pink Floyd had that while putting ‘The Dark Side Of The Moon out?’ They probably wouldn’t have fucking done it. They didn’t have the whole world on their phone going, ‘You’re sick, you’re shit, you’re fake, you’re a liar, you’re dope, I hate you, I love you, my sister loves you, blah, blah, blah.’
“People love you or hate you, and it’s really hard to deal with because you become fucking ketchup. It’s like, ‘You fucking love ketchup on your bacon sarnie or you fucking hate it.’ Once I’d into my head, it was like, ‘This is just the way it’s meant to be.’”
He went on to say that his own relationship with social media is complex, admitting that he “wouldn’t have made it without it” but that he also struggles with the “savage” comments he can sometimes receive.
He explained: “I wouldn’t have made it without it. Everyone in a position of power turned their nose up at me, and all that mattered was the people and me being able to have a platform. But also, it’s damaged me more than anything in my life.
“It’s made me afraid to go outside or to the pub sometimes, because those people who were so savage about me could be in that bar. So it’s pretty dark, but it’s also beautiful. You live by the sword, you die by the sword. It’s coming to terms with the fact that people will like me and people will not, and that is not in my control.”
Back in June, Yungblud released his new single ‘Breakdown’ in support of mental health charities.
The musician opened up about his own mental health struggles in the song, and committed donating £1 (up to £25,000) to the charities Mind and Sound Mind Live for every use of the song’s CapCut template.
Yungblud shared a teaser of the track in June, and discussed the inspiration of the song, which he said he wrote “because it’s been the hardest year for my mental health”.
“In my life I’ve always never felt good enough, it’s just the thing that’s eaten me up,” he added. “For as long as I can remember i have felt constantly afraid of how quickly my head can turn dark.”
“It’s always been so hard to fight the darkness that i inevitably have. A lot of people will say it’s a phase and it will go away. But it doesn’t and the reality of the situation is I have to find strategies to deal with it.”
He concluded by linking to Mind, and added: “Try and get out of your head and notice the world around you, notice the things and people around you. Connect with them, the chances are they probably feel the same. Don’t let the bullshit inside your head consume you. It just wastes precious time. Remember what is real. Help people, be kind, help the world, help yourself.”
“If you think you can’t do it, you can. You can get through this, trust me. Use this poem in a mornin’ to get u out of bed, use it when you’re about to back out of something last minute, use it when you’re at your darkest. It’s got a little bit of light in it. Don’t forget to put your feet in the grass.”
Meanwhile, Yungblud is preparing to host BludFest at the Milton Keynes Bowl on August 11, where he will be joined on the bill by recent collaborator Lil Yachty, as well as Soft Play, Nessa Barrett, The Damned, Lola Young and Jazmin Bean.
In recent weeks, he confirmed that a second stage had been added to the event, which will include performances from Jesse Jo Stark, Landon Barker (the son of Yungblud’s collaborator and Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker), Hannah Grae and Aziya.
For help and advice on mental health:
- ‘Am I depressed?‘ – Help and advice on mental health and what to do next
- Help Musicians UK – Around the clock mental health support and advice for musicians
- Music Support Org – Help and support for musicians struggling with alcoholism, addiction, or mental health issues
- YOUNG MINDS – The voice for young people’s health and wellbeing
- CALM – The Campaign Against Living Miserably for young men
- Time To Change – Let’s end mental health discrimination
- The Samaritans – Confidential support 24 hours a day
The post Yungblud on his love-hate relationship with social media: “It’s damaged me more than anything in my life” appeared first on NME.
Elizabeth Aubrey
NME
