Three-time Grammy award nominee (and perhaps soon-to-be winner) Dominic Harrison, professionally known as Yungblud, took part in the Grammy U Masterclass at Grammy House on Friday, January 30 in Downtown LA. The event was moderated by music journalist Allison Hagendorf who began the conversation with a nod to “Zombie.” The English musician’s track earned the nomination for Best Rock Song with some stiff competition in Sleep Token’s “Caramel,” Turnstile’s “Never Enough,” Hayley Williams’ “Glum” and Nine Inch Nails’ “As Alive As You Need Me To Be.”
Hagendorf prefaced the conversation by acknowledging that the song came from a deeply personal place for Yungblud. Harrison explained that the song was about losing his grandmother to alcohol addiction and that although it was a painful experience to write about, it helped to channel the grief. He went on to laud authentic songwriting practices, stating that “when a song makes you cringe, you know it’s real.”
Offering his outlook on artistic pursuits in general, Harrison asserted that “art can be great just because you made it” and that it doesn’t necessarily have to be critically acclaimed to deserve to be celebrated. He shared that some of the best songwriting comes from being brave enough to be uncomfortable, to be true to your feelings and to make the music you want to make regardless of genre boundaries.
Speaking about his latest album Idols, which is up for Best Rock Album alongside Turnstile’s Never Enough, Linkin Park’s From Zero, Haim’s I Quit and Deftones’ Private Music, Harrison said his goal was to make the record timeless. He named Tame Impala’s Currents as a modern day equivalent to Pink Floyd’s iconic Dark Side Of The Moon in terms of its timelessness. Harrison revealed that Idols was actually meant to be his third studio album but that he was dissuaded from releasing it at the time.
Transitioning into another topic, Hagendorf asked about Yungblud’s cover of “Changes” (which is also nominated for Best Rock Performance at the 2026 Grammys) at the now-legendary Back To The Beginning concert at Villa Park in Birmingham for Black Sabbath’s final show. The opportunity was as exhilarating as it was nerve-wracking for Harrison as it was a “you can’t fuck this up” moment. He spoke about how Ozzy felt like a beacon of hope for him and that he was grateful to see that Ozzy had garnered such respect and status within the music community, “If people could get Ozzy, then maybe they could get me.”
Hagendorf went on to ask Harrison about his experience working with Aerosmith on their collaborative EP One More Time which was released late last year. He said that it was important that they made the records as friends instead of viewing Steven Tyler and Joe Perry as legends. Harrison also critiqued the act of “ridiculing the reference point” in rock music, instead prizing the open embrace of musical inspiration.
When asked about advice for the next generation of aspiring musicians, Harrison praised social media for its role in the democratizing of the music industry, stating the importance of building a community and fanbase online while still remaining authentic. Harrison has also been advocating for boundary-breaking artists with his newly launched BludFest, giving musicians of all backgrounds the opportunity to play at the festival. When commenting on how he plans to maintain the intimacy of his shows despite the larger venues on his upcoming tour, Yungblud simply yet thoughtfully offered, “People are the show.”
Leave a Comment