Guide
How Did YUNGBLUD Get Discovered?
It’s hard to ignore YUNGBLUD these days. The Doncaster-born artist who is known offstage as Dominic Harrison has turned himself into one of the most urgent and unpredictable voices in modern rock. His blend of punk, pop, politics and pure chaos hasn’t just shaken things up in the music world, it’s struck a nerve with a generation that’s done pretending everything’s okay.
But how did he get here? How did this hyperactive kid from Yorkshire go from scribbling lyrics in his bedroom to racking up millions of streams and headlining festivals around the world?
Let’s rewind.
Growing Up in Doncaster (How Did YUNGBLUD Get Discovered)
YUNGBLUD’s story doesn’t start with a big city record exec or a viral TikTok. It starts in a music shop. His dad ran one in Doncaster, and music was always around. His granddad even played with glam rock legends T. Rex. So yeah, the guitars weren’t just decorative.
By the time Dom was in his teens, he was already writing tunes and using music as an outlet for the things he couldn’t say out loud. Anger, confusion, politics, identity. All of it ended up in his songs.
A Little Detour Through TV (How Did YUNGBLUD Get Discovered)
Before the music took over, Harrison dipped a toe into acting. If you’ve got a sharp eye, you might have spotted him in shows like Emmerdale or The Lodge. He was good, but acting didn’t light the same fire.
Still, that early experience in front of a camera probably helped — especially when it came to performing live later on. There’s a confidence and theatricality to YUNGBLUD that doesn’t just come from singing in a garage band.
Finding His Voice Online (How Did YUNGBLUD Get Discovered)
Like a lot of emerging artists, he started uploading his stuff to YouTube and SoundCloud. This was around 2015–2016. The music was rough around the edges, but there was something there, a frantic energy and honesty that cut through.
Early tracks like King Charles made some waves. Not huge ones, but enough to get noticed. His fanbase started forming naturally, drawn in by his raw lyrics and chaotic, lovable misfit energy.
The Breakthrough: Labels, London, and “King Charles”
Eventually, the labels took notice. Locomotion Recordings (later linked with Geffen) gave him a shot. It wasn’t an overnight explosion, but once he had backing, things started moving.
His first major single under a label, King Charles, got a proper re-release. From there, it was all about building, more shows, more singles, more fans. And crucially: staying true to the sound and message that got him this far in the first place.
Word Spreads Fast (How Did YUNGBLUD Get Discovered?)
By 2018, the buzz around YUNGBLUD was getting loud. His debut EP introduced him to a wider audience, but it was his full-length album 21st Century Liability that made people pay attention. Songs like Medication and Psychotic Kids didn’t hold back, tackling mental health, societal pressure, and disillusionment with a level of honesty that felt refreshing.
Music outlets like NME and Kerrang! quickly got behind him. So did BBC Radio 1, who put him on the map with early airplay and interviews.
Collabs, Chaos, and Culture (How Did YUNGBLUD Get Discovered?)
Once the momentum hit, it didn’t stop. YUNGBLUD kept pushing and collaborating with the likes of Halsey, Machine Gun Kelly, and Travis Barker on tracks like 11 Minutes and I Think I’m OKAY. Those collabs were clever and they widened his reach without watering him down.
But what really set him apart was the connection he built with his fans. He didn’t just want them to hear the music, he wanted them to feel seen. That mattered.
So, How Did He Actually Get Discovered?
Not through a single viral moment. Not through a TV talent show. And not by chasing trends.
YUNGBLUD got discovered by doing what most don’t have the guts to do: being completely himself from day one. He wrote songs about things others avoided, built a fanbase from the ground up, and turned his pain and passion into something that could fill stadiums.
Sure, signing to a label helped. So did the collabs. But at the heart of it all? A kid who never shut up, never played it safe, and never stopped believing he had something worth saying.
Final Thoughts On How Did YUNGBLUD Get Discovered?
In a music world full of polish and filters, YUNGBLUD’s messy, loud, and deeply human approach cut through the noise. That’s what got him discovered and what keeps him climbing.
If there’s a lesson in his rise, it’s this: there’s still power in raw honesty. And sometimes, the loudest kid in the room ends up being the one people listen to most.
He discovered the gem when he was 12 years old and still has it now, claiming it to be why he fell in love with music. He likes to play disc golf when he's not writing about music. He is a one-of-a-kind individual who is always the first to bust out his air guitar on the dance-floor.
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