Artist of the year - Yungblud - How to win fans and influence people
Rolling Stone UK|December 2022/January 2023
Love him or hate him, Yungblud exemplifies what it means to be a Gen Z rock star. Dominic Harrison harnessed an influencer model to rise to fame but in 2022 proved he's well on the way to becoming a British pop culture icon. Rolling Stone UK goes on the road with our Artist of the Year to find out how he intends to use more than his highenergy persona to be taken seriously.
By Hannah Ewens. Photography by Kosmas Pavlos
Artist of the year - Yungblud - How to win fans and influence people

While Dominic Harrison was unwinding with a pint in a bar in Portugal recently, a stray bloke from a stag do asked him if one of his mates could come over. Harrison, ever the people pleaser, said yes. The rest of the stag party went to bed drunk, but this friend came over and started drinking with the singer known to the world as Yungblud. My wife is a big fan, he told Harrison, but I think you're a bit of a dick. Harrison entertained this man and his monologue because he is used to interactions like this a portion of the general public finds his animated persona irritating and something about his relentless enthusiasm invites what essentially amounts to abuse. Strangers speak to him as though he's a toddler or not really in the room. These scenarios in which Harrison plays unpaid therapist to his adversaries are why he must soon move from his home on Old Street, a siren call of a roundabout in London for people without respectful boundaries to gather: bankers, tourists and 20-somethings from Essex.

I just don't know why you're always so fucking excited all the time, like on the telly, the man informed Harrison.

I don't believe it. I told him: I'm on the fucking telly, of course I'm excited, Harrison relays to me in his Yorkshire accent. What would you do if you're on the telly and radio?

This story is from the December 2022/January 2023 edition of Rolling Stone UK.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the December 2022/January 2023 edition of Rolling Stone UK.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM ROLLING STONE UKView All
Declan McKenna Breaks Free
Rolling Stone UK

Declan McKenna Breaks Free

The singer-songwriter discusses the more chilled vibe that defines his third album, the pressure on artists to engage with social media, and how he's becoming the artist he always wanted to be

time-read
9 mins  |
February/March 2024
BIG BOI & J.I.D
Rolling Stone UK

BIG BOI & J.I.D

Two of the sharpest lyricists in Atlanta meet up at Stankonia Studios the birthplace of too many classic verses to count to trade industry stories and favourite bars, and talk about how they want to see hip-hop keep evolving

time-read
9 mins  |
February/March 2024
SNOOP DOGG & LATTO
Rolling Stone UK

SNOOP DOGG & LATTO

Two uniquely charismatic rappers, from two different generations, sit down and go deep on their come-up, their studio secrets, the importance of fighting hate with love, and that time Pharrell got too high and left Snoop alone to produce Stevie Wonder

time-read
10+ mins  |
February/March 2024
DJ KHALED CAN'T STOP WINNING
Rolling Stone UK

DJ KHALED CAN'T STOP WINNING

LATELY, DJ KHALED has been listening to a lot of Jay-Z. Namely The Blueprint, the 2001 opus that helped solidify Hov as a commercial juggernaut in hip-hop.

time-read
10+ mins  |
February/March 2024
THE WORLD BELONGS TO 21 SAVAGE
Rolling Stone UK

THE WORLD BELONGS TO 21 SAVAGE

He became your favourite rapper’s favourite rapper while overcoming all manner of turbulence. We ride along as Savage heads to Europe and starts a new chapter in one of hip-hop’s most unique stories

time-read
10+ mins  |
February/March 2024
BETWEEN DREAMS AND REALITY
Rolling Stone UK

BETWEEN DREAMS AND REALITY

Yard Act are back with a new sound for their second album, Where's My Utopia? Here, they discuss the record's more personal focus, and how the fantasy of making it big measures up to living through it

time-read
8 mins  |
February/March 2024
TO CAPTURE A FIRE
Rolling Stone UK

TO CAPTURE A FIRE

Actor Kingsley Ben-Adir on playing Jamaica's most famous son, reggae icon Bob Marley - a role he embodies with the full support of the Marley family-in forthcoming biopic, One Love

time-read
10+ mins  |
February/March 2024
IT MUST BE LOVE
Rolling Stone UK

IT MUST BE LOVE

On their fifth album, TANGK, rock band IDLES lean further into experimentation and softer textures while focusing on a central theme: love. At his home in Bristol, frontman Joe Talbot explains how making an album of love songs helped him to heal, while the band's guitarist and producer Mark Bowen explains the key to their writing partnership

time-read
10+ mins  |
February/March 2024
DUA LIPA IS GIVING US EVERYTHING
Rolling Stone UK

DUA LIPA IS GIVING US EVERYTHING

After a whirlwind couple of years, the wildly ambitious pop star is embracing freedom and fun both in her life and on her upcoming album. As she kicks off a new era, she lets us into her dreams, her anxieties, and what she wants to stand for

time-read
10+ mins  |
February/March 2024
The greatest show on earth!
Rolling Stone UK

The greatest show on earth!

The inaugural Rolling Stone UK Awards, in collaboration with Rémy Martin, were presented at Camden's legendary Roundhouse in November. The stars came out to play, and with Munya Chawawa as host-for one night only - we rocked the world a little bit harder...

time-read
3 mins  |
February/March 2024