YUNGBLUD has posted an emotional new statement outlining his mental health struggles he currently finds himself facing amid his increasingly meteoric rise in the music industry. When it comes to highs, earlier this year, he won his first-ever GRAMMY, taking home the Best Rock Performance award for his collaborative live cover of Black Sabbath‘s “Changes” at last year’s ‘Back To The Beginning‘ concert.
As for the lows, he’s more recently been contending with industry plant allegations, amid feuding with MGK, who has claimed YUNGBLUD canceled a tour due to low ticket sales and not for health issues, and further took issue with YUNGBLUD in song and commentary. MGK went so far as to further call him a, “silver spooned preachy wanker.”
Falling In Reverse vocalist Ronnie Radke has also taken shots at YUNGBLUD lately, calling him a, “silicon valley tech CEO funded punk rock liberator” on social media. The Darkness vocalist Justin Hawkins has further been an outspoken critic of YUNGBLUD.
Taking to his Instagram today, July 01st, YUNGBLUD posted a teary-eyed onstage moment that saw him addressing his mental health while performing at ‘BLUDFEST‘ in Hradec Králové, Czechia last week on June 27th. In that clip, YUNGBLUD stated:
“Lately I have felt so disconnected from everything. I have been trying my best to wake up every day. I have felt in pain a lot and I don’t know why for a long time. But every time I find your faces, every time I find your eyes, every time I look at you, I know that I belong somewhere.
To feel safe from the outside world is something that I can never thank you enough for. And all I want to say is that this is your family and if you are ever scared, if you are ever frightened, if you are ever threatened, we will be there. I will fucking be there for you.”
In a separate statement on his Instagram that was shared alongside that video clip, YUNGBLUD added:
“Honestly, I’ve been debating whether or not I should post this clip because I don’t want it to feel disingenuous like I’m doing it for a reason like clicks or personal game but at the end of the day this is what happened and it’s genuine so I thought fuck it.
To be truthful. Recently, I’ve been really struggling and this moment is a byproduct of my body releasing the wave of emotion that has hit me in the past year that I’ve been unable to process. I’m not gonna lie to you when I got off this stage I felt elated but 20 minutes later when I was in the shower on my own I had a breakdown.
Being an artist in this day and age is so strange because everything moves so quickly. You never get to sit in what happens for more than a couple hours therefore you fail to navigate or process anything you feel both good or bad at all.
In the past 10 years I’ve been on a million different journeys tried a million different sounds trying to figure out who I am or what I can mean to the world everyday whilst the world shouts back.
The amount of hate and disbelief around me from strangers on the internet or bitter musicians really weighs on my heart as all I’ve been trying to do for the past 10 years is spread love, build something I believe in and unify people in a safe space.
I should really say nothing about this because it would makes me seem cooler and like it isn’t affecting me but deep down but I don’t think that’s who I am or why we all connect to each other.
I read an article yesterday morning that felt validating to me. It’s strange because the press don’t usually like to compliment me. Writers and influencers get more clicks out of negativity around me. I don’t complain about it because I think that’s just the space that I take up for them, that’s the kind of artist I am and that’s the way of the world.
This article said ‘Yungblud isn’t an industry plant. The internet just missed the grind.’ This made me feel happy. I think when things appear to happen so quickly and you get millions of eyes upon you that didn’t know you existed there two hours before of course it feels unbelievable, of course it feels disingenuous, of course it feels inauthentic.
I think that’s why I’m so grateful to have all of you. We relish in a journey together that started nearly 10 years ago in 100 seater venue upstairs in Amsterdam. I think this is why I got so emotional when I saw 20,000 of you in a field in Czechia on a festival we started from scratch two years ago in the UK now it’s first International year.
We’ve been moving so fast that I haven’t really been able to process anything at all but in this moment my emotions got the better of me. I needed that. Thank you for providing a space that makes me feel safe enough where I could express myself truly. This community is created by us, for all of us.
I think the most beautiful thing about this festival is that WE built it. This place is a house that is ours. Here, I feel like I’m like standing in front of my girlfriend or my mother. I can’t hold it in. I can’t hold anything back. I can’t be ‘“’professional.’”’ I can’t hide.
Right now, deep down, I know I need to do a bit of work on myself to process everything I’m feeling and attain the a strength I need to keep going at this pace as we move into another chapter together. I feel good about the next couple months before I hibernate and take the time to prioritise that work.
To all my beautiful community reading this I just want to let you know how lucky I feel to have you all. This day reminded me of why I do this and how special what we have is. I love you with all my heart and I am truly thankful. What an honour it is to spend this life with you.
If you are a journalist reading this, please don’t twist it. This is how I feel.”
His post has drawn support from some noted metal veterans, with Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian offering:
“I stood side stage at BTTB and watched you breathe rarified air the way you elevated Changes. You’ve earned it all Dom. Cheers brother.”
Exodus/Slayer guitarist Gary Holt added:
“An industry plant cannot do what you did at Back to the beginning. Genuine and real and convinced a horde of headbangers of this. Not easy to do”
