Yungblud talks performing at the Black Sabbath celebration gig and his revealing new film ‘Are You Ready, Boy?’

Yungblud has spoken to NME about his upcoming documentary Are You Ready, Boy? and  what it was like to perform at the Black Sabbath celebration concert over the weekend.

• READ MORE: Yungblud is ready to leave his idols behind

Are You Ready, Boy? was recorded at the legendary Hansa Studios Building in Berlin (David Bowie recorded ‘Heroes’ in the same room) and sees director Paul Dugdale (Adele: One Night Only, Elton John: Live From Dodger Stadium) follow Yungblud as he performs new album ‘Idols’ live for the very first time. As well as a one-take performance of each track, the documentary captures the singer during an incredibly pivotal moment in his career.

“With this album, I made a conscious effort to not over explain what it was about,” Yungblud’s Dominic Harrison told NME. “This film will really show people what I was going through when I was making it. It’s a hell of a film. I watched it once, approved it, but I’ll never watch it again – It’s too uncomfortable.”

“The opportunity to capture Yungblud at such a turbulent but rewarding moment of change, was an absolute privilege,” said Dugdale in a statement. “Dom gave himself completely to the filmmaking process and I feel so proud of what we achieved together.”

Are You Ready, Boy? is in cinemas August 20 and 24 with tickets onsale now.

The announcement of Are You Ready, Boy? comes after a busy few weeks for Yungblud. He launched fourth album ‘Idols’ by taking over Milton Keynes Bowl for the second annual Bludfest and this weekend, he stepped in to headline Belgium’s Rock Werchter festival after both Sam Fender and Kings Of Leon pulled out due to illness.

There was also the small matter of a surprise appearance at Black Sabbath’s final concert at Birmingham’s Villa Park, where he performed a cover of Ozzy Osbourne classic ‘Changes’ backed by a supergroup that included Nuno Bettencourt from Extreme on guitar, II from Sleep Token on drums and Adam Wakeman of Ozzy Osbourne’s band – and son of rock legend Rick – on keys.

Yungblud spoke to NME a few days after the “life-affirming” performance and told us what it was like to record at Hansa Studios, revealed the text he got from Queen’s Brian May after ‘Changes’ and teased the supergroup he’s putting together for a future release.

Hey Dom, sounds like it’s been a busy few days for you…

Dominic Harrison: “It’s been life changing, honestly. You feel like you get to a level but then weekends like that remind you that you know nothing. I’m so happy though. Being in Birmingham with practically every rockstar who I had on my wall as a kid was wild. There was Scott Ian from Anthrax, James Hetfield (Metallica), Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers) Billy Corgan (The Smashing Pumpkins)… it was one of those weekends where you know you have to step up.”

Your performance of ‘Changes’ is getting a lot of love.

“I knew it was going to be a tough audience for me because it was all metalheads and a lot of people did not think I had the right to be there. Brian May sent me a message after the gig that said ‘the silence from those people was deafening’. I think it’s finally clicking for a lot of non-believers.”

Whose idea was it for you to take on ‘Changes’?

“I wanted it. Tom Morello put the whole thing together and I said ‘give me the ballad’. He wasn’t so sure but I told him ‘Trust me, I’ll bring the house down’.”

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You mentioned the crowd – did it feel like you had anything to prove at ‘Back To The Beginning’?

“As soon as I got on stage, I forgot about everything else. I was me saying thank you to my fucking hero. Backstage there were artists that collectively have probably sold a billion records, and Black Sabbath started it for all of us. I wasn’t nervous though, I was exactly where I needed to be.”

You had Rock Werchter the same day. Why was it so important that you were involved?

“I couldn’t miss it. We’ve become so close and I love him. His music has given me an outlet and he’s given me so much advice. When it felt like people didn’t understand me, I cried down the phone to him. He’s always told me ‘People will not get you, so do not deviate, keep fighting and keep pushing.’ Ozzy isn’t just my hero, he’s my family.”

Some fans have described your performance as a passing of the torch.

“I was speaking to Ozzy yesterday about it and I just said ‘Thank you, I’m going to try my best to make you proud.’ I do really love rock music and it feels like it’s coming back. People are ready for it again, so I’m going to hold onto the ball and I’m going to run with it.”

What was the vibe like backstage?

“It was like Christmas dinner for rock stars. There was a lot of hugging, a lot of respect between both the new and the old guard. It was so cool. The amount of people that messaged me afterwards about getting into the studio together is incredible.”

And have you replied?

I’ve spoken to Lenny Kravitz, Slash has just hit me up… I’m basically going to work with all of my heroes because why the fuck not? The plan is to go somewhere, maybe the Bahamas or Jamaica, at the end of the year and make a project with some of them. I want to get that sorted before we head out on the second leg of the ‘Idols’ tour.

“I just feel excited and invigorated again. When I first started out, I’d drop singles like a rapper and I’ve got that fearlessness back. ‘Idols Part 2’ is ready, there’s another project already recorded. I just want to keep putting out music.”

And then Are You Ready, Boy? is out in a few weeks. How did that come together?

“Idols’ is an old-school album and I always knew I wanted to make a live version of it. Paul Dugdale is a legend that I’ve wanted to work with for ages and I’ve always wanted to go to Hansa Studios because I’m a huge Bowie fan. So we came up with this plan – across 10 days, perform the most ambitious musical project of my life, film absolutely everything and see what happens.”

What did happen?

“I was going through the biggest change in my life, so there was all this trauma, excitement and energy. Me and the band had spent the past four years making a record and we hadn’t played a show in over a year, so there was also a lot of that frustration. I also address what happened between me and the love of my life for the first time.

“It’s not like one of those reality TV documentaries where you can tell someone is asking people to repeat what they’ve just said, it’s fucking raw. There are fights, tears, laughter and partying. Me and the director get into an argument as well. It really is mad.”

Is there anything you’re worried about people seeing?

“It’s all fucking horrible but fuck it. The biggest battle I face is that people still don’t believe me, so the only way to deal with that is to lead with the truth. At the start, I only wanted to get recordings of the songs at Hansa but it became about a director capturing us from his perspective. I hate it but it’s objectively true.”

And what was it like to perform in Hansa?

“The ceiling is just incredible. It’s where ‘Heroes’ was recorded. U2 did ‘One’ in that room. I felt like I had something to prove before getting there but as soon as I walked into that studio, I felt like I belonged there.

“The thing about ‘Idols’ is that it’s all about taking the pedestal away from your idols, standing on the same ground as they did and saying ‘It’s my turn now’. It’s about stepping into your potential. The documentary captures that – the red light in the studio comes on and you ask yourself ‘can you do this Dom? Are you ready, boy?”

Yungblud is set to tour Europe and North America later this year ahead of a 2026 UK arena tour. Are You Ready, Boy? hits cinemas August 20 and tickets are available now.

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