London, 2025 — In a moment that showed a different side of his artistry, YUNGBLUD stepped into the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge this week and delivered a haunting, heartfelt cover of Kenya Grace’s viral hit “Strangers” — transforming the track into something entirely his own.
The session began with a quiet introduction. The lights were dimmed, the audience hushed, and YUNGBLUD sat center stage, a microphone in front of him and his band arranged in a minimalist semi-circle. Gone were the flashing strobes and chaotic energy of his usual gigs. Instead, the mood was intimate, almost fragile.
From the very first note, it was clear this wasn’t going to be a carbon copy of the original. Kenya Grace’s version is airy, ethereal, and driven by sleek production, but YUNGBLUD stripped it back to the bare bones — piano, light bass, and soft percussion — letting his raspy, emotionally charged voice carry the weight of the lyrics. Each word felt deliberate, as though he was living the story in real time.
The first verse was sung in a near whisper, pulling listeners closer. As the track progressed, his voice swelled with intensity, his eyes closing as if he was lost inside the song’s world. By the time he hit the chorus, his delivery had shifted from tender to almost pleading, giving the melody a new depth of longing. The reimagining turned the dreamy melancholy of the original into something raw and vulnerable.
“It’s such a beautiful track, man,” he told the Radio 1 host afterwards. “Kenya’s version is ethereal — like floating — but I wanted to put my heart into it, to make it feel like a conversation you have with yourself at 2 a.m.”
The audience inside the studio remained silent for a few beats after the final chord, almost reluctant to break the spell, before erupting into applause. Clips quickly spread online, with fans calling it “hauntingly beautiful” and “the most vulnerable I’ve ever seen him.” Even Kenya Grace herself reposted a snippet on social media, praising the reinterpretation.
The Live Lounge session also included a stripped-down rendition of one of YUNGBLUD’s own tracks, but it was “Strangers” that stole the show — not because it was louder or bigger, but because it revealed a side of him often overshadowed by his high-energy persona.
For an artist known for his defiance and bold statements, this was a performance that spoke in whispers — and sometimes, whispers can hit harder than a scream.
