“No, thank you!” 

These are the frequent words of alternative rock artist Yungblud during an interview press conference for his new album, “Weird!” 

When the Zoom meeting began, I felt an immediate sense of comfort and belonging by just being in the same digital space as the rockstar. Yungblud’s exudes enthusiasm and transparent graciousness through his responses were the perfect fit for his setting: a newly purchased apartment, unfurnished, except for a freshly popped bottle of moscato. 

He feels like he’s in his own movie, like this is how he wants his journey to pan out. It fit the scenery for an Almost Famous-esque characterization of this colorful, sometimes outlandish figure. Except for Yungblud— he clearly doesn’t want any barriers of fame and stardom between him and his fans. Thematically speaking, much of his music is concerned with identity, as the artist has also been an outspoken proponent of normalizing sexual and gender fluidity. 

With this being a very sensitive and personal subject for many, Yungblud fearlessly belts his insecurities to the world, hopefully scattering some of this infectious assurance along the way. I asked Yungblud, whose real name is Dominic, about how his outward confidence on stage and in his music may have a ripple effect for his fans, especially concerning any social norm-related boundaries or barriers that may be hindering one’s uniqueness from blooming.

“Boundaries are for football players, boxes are for cereal,” Yungblud said. “It’s a two-way street with my fan base. I tell the truth. As soon as I start telling the truth, people started listening to me and telling the truth back. The fact that everyone is responding to me telling the truth makes me take one more step forward in my truth. That’s such a mutual thing between me and my fanbase.” 

Yungblud’s passion for this subject is tied to how expressive he is, as he theatrically proposed a hypothetical scenario as to what makes inclusiveness so key to his persona. 

“You come to my show, outside my show, you can kick the shit out of me and call me a freak,” he said. “In this space [his concerts], I am fucking beautiful. You, out there, will probably be here in a year because you realize how insecure you are. You are not speaking from a place of reason, you’re speaking from a place of wanting to be something you’re not. It’s all about uplifting each other, no matter who you are. If you want to wear a skirt and be sexually fluid, be proud of it. If you don’t know what you are yet, be proud of that.” 

Yungblud has a fair amount of ground in these statements, with his shows selling out worldwide and his monthly listeners on Spotify nearing the nine million mark, as if any of this was of much of a concern to the star. With two EP’s and a debut album already fastened underneath his pearly white dress, this 23-year-old has more accomplishments than he does years already lived. Despite this, Dominic is continually learning as much of the rest of us, just on a much larger, and louder, scale.

“[My first album] was so angry,” Yungblud said “People never understood who I was my whole life. It was almost a battle cry. With this record, I’m a product of my influences, but you have to mix things together that have already been made to make something new. This album is a direct response to right now. In the past year, people felt trapped and pressured to have an answer. The world is so full of questions, hate for waiting to ask questions. It’s alright not to have an answer. It’s how you get the answers.” 

For Yungblud, the stage is the place to perform as a musician as much as it is a place to inspire. He works best having something to kick against, where he even plans to continue with a virtual tour later this year. But it really just all adds up for Yungblud, who has so much love for this head-banging community that he strives to foster. 

“I came from a working-class, industrial town, ” he said. “I’d compare it to Detroit. That oppressive, working-class environment was tough. There is such pride in these communities, though, since that’s all you’ve got. It taught me a sense of wanting to build a community.”

“All Yungblud is about is humanity and equality no matter what,” Dom stated. “Being divided is old, boring, for idiots. Our generation has unity right now… if we come together and talk about what we believe rationally, we’ll get to the next stage.”