YUNGBLUD has released his inaugural Spotify Singles recordings. The British rocker, whose sophomore album, weird!, dropped in 2020, has over 345 Million streams on Spotify to date, and over 10 Million monthly listeners. The session follows YUNGBLUD’s surprise concert in LA on June 25.
Side A is an intimate and soulful stripped-down version of his Bowie-referencing single, “mars,” while Side B is a playful rendition of Madonna’s iconic “Like a Virgin.” Both songs were recorded at the legendary Sound City Studios in LA, which has seen the likes of Fleetwood Mac, Elton John, Guns N’ Roses, and Nirvana record within its walls.
When asked about the Spotify Singles experience, YUNGBLUD says: “Recording at Sound City just blew my mind. I’m still picking my brains up off the pavement to be honest. To record in that studio you need to bring everything you have or you don’t get past the car park. The two songs I chose were ‘Like a Virgin’ by Madonna and ‘mars’ by myself. I decided to strip ‘mars’ back, just me and the piano. It’s something that this song deserves, to exist in its purest form so the emotion can just radiate. I have owed my fan base a version like this for a long time. I hope they love it!
When we were choosing a song to cover, I wanted it to be completely out of the box yet make absolute sense all at the same time. Madonna is a massive idol of mine, I admire every move she artistically made. I wanted to take the classic, add some YUNGBLUD energy and shake it the f**k up! This is a song I heard growing up, my mum and my sisters used to play it all the time so that added real pressure to get it right!”