The No. 1 chart debut caps a thrilling week for the Gibson artist
Yungblud’s fourth studio album Idols has debuted as the No. 1 album in the UK this week on the Official Albums Chart. Idols is the first installment of a double album, marking Yungblud’s third No. 1 album in the UK.
The chart debut caps a thrilling week for the Gibson artist, including headlining the second annual installment of his music festival creation, BludFest Festival in Milton Keynes, England. Yungblud created BludFest to curate a more inclusive, accessible, and affordable festival experience for his community of music fans. During the successful sophomore year of the day-long BludFest, he was joined by Billy Idol during the headline set, with a supporting bill including Chase Atlantic, blackbear, Denzel Curry, as well as British rising stars Rachel Chinouriri and Nieve Ella. Gibson provided a pop-up guitar shop onsite for festival goers to try guitars and take photos with Yungblud’s signature Epiphone SG Jr. Yungblud also signed one of his signature guitars and gave it away directly to one lucky fan during Bludfest. Additionally, the Gibson Garage London will have an extremely limited amount of Yungblud’s signature SG Jr.’s signed by the artist himself.
Idols was recorded just outside of where Yungblud grew up in the north of England, with producer Matt Schwartz at the helm, Bob Bradley on additional production, and guitarist Adam Warrington. A full nine minutes and six seconds, his first single “Hello Heaven, Hello,” premiered on BBC Radio 1 and garnered widespread airplay across the U.S. The raucous “Lovesick Lullaby” followed and was described by the BBC as “combining Liam Gallagher’s sneer with Beach Boys’ harmonies.”
Yungblud’s latest and most profound single to date, “Zombie,” features a stunning cinematic video, a creative collaboration starring the Academy Award-nominated actress, Florence Pugh, who Yungblud considers to be “our best export at the minute and a truly great British artist.” An ode to healthcare workers, the video depicts Pugh as a UK National Health Service nurse struggling to cope with the incredible pressures faced by frontline workers in an underfunded healthcare system.
Yungblud has undeniably become the voice of the new generation, using his music to unite and empower the youth of today. The 27-year-old artist is known for voicing what he feels are major concerns for his generation, including gentrification, assault, troubled upbringings, and political corruption. He has built and nurtured a vast collective of dedicated fans around the globe–a close-knit family that’s grown into the millions and has accumulated an astonishing 6 billion streams globally.
