In a revelation that somehow feels both shocking and extremely on-brand, YUNGBLUD has officially confessed that his earliest gigs weren’t built on grassroots hustle or underground hype — they were built on Tinder matches.
According to the singer (in this definitely real, totally reliable, not-at-all fabricated confession), filling a dingy bar in Doncaster required one thing: weaponized dating apps.
“I was broke, I was desperate, and nobody knew who I was,” he said, probably while adjusting fifteen necklaces. “So I thought, sod it — I’ll swipe me way into building an audience. That’s marketing, innit?”
The plan was simple:
Match with anyone who had a pulse.
Invite them to a “date” on Friday night.
Reveal that the date location was… the venue he was performing at.
Walk onstage and start screaming about heartbreak instead of ordering drinks.
And shockingly, it worked.
Crowds grew. Venues filled. And a concerning number of people showed up thinking they were about to have a romantic evening with a sweet, soft-spoken artsy lad.
But instead?
They got YUNGBLUD.
Live.
Loud.
Sweaty.
Screaming social commentary.
Zero candlelit dinners.
One mildly traumatised former match allegedly said, “I thought we were getting cocktails. Instead he jumped off a speaker at me and yelled about existential dread.”
Another reportedly left during the second chorus yelling, “YOU SAID THIS WAS A DATE, NOT A GIG!”
YUNGBLUD, however, feels no guilt.
“Look,” he said, unapologetic and eyeliner-smudged, “those early shows needed bodies in the room. And if a few people thought I was taking them out for a romantic night but instead got a punk therapy session… well… at least they got a story, didn’t they?”
He even bragged about it to other bands.
“They were out here saying, ‘We rely on our music to draw a crowd.’ And I was like, ‘That’s cute. I rely on the algorithm, babe.’”
Now that he’s famous?
He swears he’s retired the tactic.
“Don’t worry,” he added. “I don’t use Tinder anymore for promo. I use it for… well… actually, never mind.”
