"Weird!" - YUNGBLUD

When I discovered YUNGBLUD, I had no clue of the personal journey I had in front of me.

Growing up, I loved being part of the popular group, and nothing secured a spot in the group more, than playing it safe and not standing out. Through my years of school, I was absolutely terrified of being called weird. I spent so much time wondering how I could make everyone like me even more. Look up to me. Think of me as cool. I feel ashamed when I think about, how I used to look at people that were simply expressing themselves differently, as “freaks” or “weird”. So many years, I spent distancing myself as much from the word “weird” as possible, when in fact it should be the biggest compliment.

“Weird!” is an obvious celebration of anyone, who has ever felt misunderstood, or felt as if they didn’t belong. Since the beginning, Dom has been vocal about his ADHD, and how he grew up feeling like the weird kid. He always had these big dreams - dreams that seemed too big for a small town in Northern England.

One of my absolute favorite songs on the album is “Love Song”, a song written about his childhood, and how he wasn’t really taught to love himself. Many things are heartbreaking about this song, but especially the amount of people who relates to it. Unconditional love is key to a healthy relationship with yourself and the outside world. Having a safe environment, in which you are allowed to grow, find yourself and just simply exist is so important.

My other favorites are “God Save Me But Don’t Drown Me Out” and “Mars”, which both have a hope for change in common, and that’s really what Yungblud is all about.

Not only is this album one of the best musical projects in a long time, but it also has a great personal value to me. I made a bunch of friends, when going to his concerts, I said screw it and got that nose ring I always wanted, I was more inspired to produce and write music than ever before, and I simply have never been happier to just simply exist.

I wish this album had come out when I was 15, crying in my bedroom because I didn’t feel good enough. But I’m just glad some kid, who really needs an album like this, now gets to have it.