‘Can’t be that shit - they played it on Radio 2’: Meet Cardiff’s newest pop star, Yxngxr1
There are a few reasons as to why my Editor thought I was the best candidate to interview Welsh singer and rising star, YXNGXR1. Firstly because Yxngxr1’s real name is Timmy and everyone thinks my infatuation with TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET, affectionately known as Lil Timmy Tim, is hilarious. Secondly, Yxngxr1 found his fame on Soundcloud and Soundcloud boys are er… let’s just say a reoccurring type of mine. By the age of 23 I’d say I’m semi-fluent in this type of guy; I’ve dated more boys that resemble Lil Peep in some way than have had hot dinners (sorry if one of those said boys is reading this). It’s all lean, Juuls and henny, right? Except Yxngxr1 is not like the boys who's garages I’ve smoked a cig in and watched Rick & Morty with (spare me, my housemate insists it’s a show for intellectuals). He’s actually very charming and my mum would probably like him. Dare I say it; he is not like other boys.
Yxngxr1 carries himself with a humility that is absolutely charming, he’s funny and self-aware. Does he think he’s the next big thing? Maybe, sure, but he’ll also openly admit how nervous he is about the prospect of performing live or describe his early work as “overwhelmingly shit.” Yxngxr1, a.k.a Timothy Francis Lee (thanks Google, don’t know why I didn’t just ask), is from Cardiff. For our shoot on the banks of Silvertown with construction cranes and debris as our backdrop, he drove to London from the Welsh city this morning and will drive back there tonight. He likes where he’s from and frankly it’s refreshing to hear that come out of someone’s mouth who isn’t from London, but he tells me he does plan on moving here soon. And at just 22 (I think he said he was a Virgo), Yxngxr1 has already amassed quite the British following, a devout fanbase who patiently waited for his return to music over the summer.
So what’s his sound like? For an artist who made some of his greatest works out of a bedroom in Cardiff there’s an almost American feel to it (if you ignore the accent). But after picking Yxngxr1’s brain on his musical influences, this begins to add up; he loves TYLER, THE CREATOR and LIL PEEP. But back to the bedroom... He champions the D.I.Y routes of his music - and why shouldn’t he when it’s got him all the way here? His quarantine edition music video for I Don’t Suit Hats was filmed on an Apple Mac’s Photo Booth - reminding me of the glory days of Yung Lean on Tumblr all those years ago. He’s so into it that he slightly fears the thought of being shoved into a studio, prised away from a trusty GarageBand.
But enough of me trying to tell you about Timmy, why don’t I let him tell you himself; reader’s, meet Yxngxr1.
Phoebe Shardlow: Hello, hi…
Yxngxr1: Hi!
PS: Do you remember the first song you ever made?
Yxngxr1: Yes, oh my days it was shit. It’s still on my SoundCloud, honestly, it was the worst thing. Think of something that’s bad and times that by a trillion.
PS: What did it sound like?
Yxngxr1: It was like Lil Pump trap yeah, but the vocals are so distorted. I thought it was so sick but my boys were like ‘this ain’t it’.
PS: How old were you?
Yxngxr1: Old enough - like 18 or 19. Tragic, thanks for bringing it up.
PS: I was expecting you to tell some inspiring story.
Yxngxr1: I have no job, nothing. I came out of A-Levels like ‘fuck, I really don’t know what to do’. Everyone went to university but I was stuck. I got a job thankfully and then started picking [music] back up again and then it went off.
PS: So you had a breakthrough moment?
Yxngxr1: Definitely, it was wild. I still remember it, the 14th January 2019! I remember going to bed after I posted it and my phone was constantly lit up - I had a feeling something was happening, moving. The following week I had some time off and I remember waking up to 50,000 plays, all of the messages, likes, and comments. It was sick and it flew from there. I’m still so confused as to how it happened.
PS: If there was a movie made about your life - who would you want to play you?
Yxngxr1: Timothée Chalamet but he’d have to shave his hair. That would be a vibe. Or the guy that plays Joel Goldberg in You.
PS: The creepy guy?
Yxngxr1: Yeah, I like him.
PS: No, no, no.
Yxngxr1: Not him in You!
PS: I don’t enjoy him as an actor, he’s in the original Gossip Girl.
Yxngxr1: He’s probably really nice in person. Whenever I see a dickhead character I think ‘oh he’s probably really nice in person’. If you’re so vexed at them it means they’re doing their shit right.
“I’d say scuffed indie pop. It’s all made on GarageBand. It can’t be that shit - they played it on Radio 2.”
PS: How would you describe your current sound in three words?
Yxngxr1: Not. Very. Good.
PS: Don’t say that!
Yxngxr1: I’m joking, I’d say scuffed indie pop. It’s all made on GarageBand. It can’t be that shit - they played it on Radio 2.
PS: Pretty baller.
Yxngxr1: Literally, I call my mum and my dad- with Jo Wiley, bless her, quite weird honestly, my little GarageBand songs.
PS: Oodles of natural talent you could say.
Yxngxr1: Oodles! I’ll take that. Have you got oodles of questions, yeah? Can I ask you a question; what’s it like living in London?
PS: It’s really fun but I’m originally from this place called Aylesbury.
Yxngxr1: Aylesbury? Is that where ale comes from?
PS: I don’t think so. Do you know when you get those really big fat white ducks?
Yxngxr1: A swan?
PS: No it’s just a duck and it’s like named after Aylesbury I think.
Yxngxr1: Mad. Does it swim down the Thames?
PS: Maybe.
Yxngxr1: If you followed the Thames could you end up in Aylesbury?
PS: Probably.
“[Billie Eilish] gets too much hate from guys, too many stubborn boys that only want to listen to rap and Drake won’t give her a break. Open your music ears, bro.”
Yxngxr1: Mad, look at this! I’m interviewing you now.
PS: I’m going to get fired... You said you really like Tyler, The Creator, what is your favourite album of his? I may judge you.
*Editor’s note: Around the time of this interview Phoebe was about to break up with someone called Igor, much like the acclaimed fifth album of recording artist Tyler, The Creator.
Yxngxr1: Can I say three?
PS: Top two.
Yxngxr1: Flower Boy cause there are no skips on there for me.
PS: I don’t like Flower Boy.
Yxngxr1: Really? But it’s perfect, it’s REX ORANGE COUNTY vibes. I like how Cherry Bomb starts. It’s good.
PS: I like Cherry Bomb but my favourite is Wolf.
Yxngxr1: Yeah, the visuals for that are beautiful.
PS: Chef’s kiss. It’s the Tumblr in me, my former pink hair days. (I wince)
Yxngxr1: What’s wrong with pink hair?
*Editor’s Note: Yxngxr1 has pink hair.
PS: My hair started falling out.
Yxngxr1: Mad. Pink is a vibe though, was it like, pastel or bright?
PS: Subject to my mood.
Yxngxr1: Pastel pink is a vibe, I tried to do that this morning.
PS: What brand do you use?
Yxngxr1: [Redacted]
PS: Yeah, that’s the one that made my hair start falling out. Would you ever bleach your eyebrows?
Yxngxr1: I’m not one of them guys.
PS: Can you see yourself doing anything other than music?
Yxngxr1: Yeah man, I’d go back to FootLocker - that was a vibe, I used to fuck around all the time there. You know I opened the store in Reading? I built that.
PS: That’s your empire. They might need you back.
Yxngxr1: I’d jump back in a heartbeat.
PS: Who do you think is an underrated artist?
Yxngxr1: BILLIE EILISH.
PS: Eh?
Yxngxr1: She gets too much hate from guys, too many stubborn boys that only want to listen to rap and DRAKE won’t give her a break. Open your music ears, bro.
PS: True, actually. I don’t care for Drake.
Yxngxr1: Me neither, but you know those boys.
PS: Oh my god yeah.
Yxngxr1: Listen to other stuff, you might like it.
PS: I had a massive Drake stan stuck in my house once.
Yxngxr1: Fucking hell, why was he there?
PS: Well he seemed cool at my friend’s birthday party.
Yxngxr1: That could be a line from a song; you seemed cool at a party, now get out of my house.
PS: I dumped him after he left, anyway where do you see yourself in five years?
Yxngxr1: Making the same music but better.
PS: Harder, better, faster, stronger?
Yxngxr1: Radio plays, a couple of Brit Awards but no Grammy. Here’s what will happen; next year there’s no nomination, the year after that I get a Brit nomination and win but people say I don’t deserve it. Then I get a Grammy nod because the music has changed and sounds better, more pop - people say if he doesn’t win, this is a robbery. Guess who wins?
PS: Who?
Yxngxr1: Drake. Everyone kicks off. Riots. All of this for me; I’m telling everyone to calm down. So yeah, that’s where I’ll be in five years.
“I originally wanted to be called ‘user playing…’ on SoundCloud…it was taken.”
PS: Do you have a name for your fans?
Yxngxr1: Barbz.
PS: You can’t steal that.
Yxngxr1: NICKI MINAJ and I have the same following. They love us, we’ve got a feature together.
PS: You stole her from Drake.
Yxngxr1: Yeah but I never fucked Wayne, I never fucked Drake…
PS: If you could invite any three celebrities, dead or alive, to dinner - who would they be?
Yxngxr1: If they’re dead would it be their skeletons?
PS: No skeletons.
Yxngxr1: So I don’t have to ask the corpse of Michael Jackson if he’s enjoying his tea?
PS: No!
Yxngxr1: Okay, who has some mad beef - that would be funny.
PS: AZEALIA BANKS and GRIMES?
Yxngxr1: Facts. Azealia could sing that one song that I like.
PS: 212?
Yxngxr1: *He starts singing the chorus from 212* Actually I’d get X yeah.
PS: The extension cord fella?
Yxngxr1: Yeah, yeah.
PS: Can’t pronounce it but that’s controversial.
Yxngxr1: You saw that Da Baby shit? That’s awful.
PS: Da Baby is da over.
Yxngxr1: Actually I’d invite DUA LIPA and…you can come. Do you like Dua Lipa?
PS: Yes, I love her! So your name - why did you choose it?
Yxngxr1: I originally wanted to be called ‘user playing…’ on SoundCloud.
PS: Postmodern.
Yxngxr1: It was taken.
*Editor’s Note: Yxngxr1 proceeds to explain how he came to his current moniker and honestly, if we typed this out it would be far too convoluted. It’s a great name though, and you should check him out.
Yxngxr1’s latest album, Digikid 2, is out now and available to stream on Spotify and Apple Music. Tickets to his upcoming shows in Bristol, Leeds and Birmingham can be found here.
Creative direction by JEFFREY THOMSON
Photography by BRENNAN BUCANNAN
Styling by GRACE BREBNER
Featuring YXNGXR1
Special thanks to SILVERSPACE STUDIOS and Karim Khan from LUCID PUBLICITY
Yxngxr1 wears
LOOK 1 Top by AMON KALE; Denim jeans by GCDS; Shoes by DR MARTENS; Underwear by SUPREME; Belt, vintage.
LOOK 2 Jacket and trousers, both by RORY TOWNSEND.
LOOK 3 Top, vintage; Trousers by AMON KALE; Shoes by CONVERSE.
LOOK 4 Top by AMON KALE; White vest by NATHAN KORN; Jeans, vintage; Shoes by RICK OWENS for DR MARTENS.
LOOK 5 Shirt and trousers, both by CALVIN KLEIN; Shoes by CONVERSE.
Welcome to CHEW THE FAT WITH…, our long-form series where we invite you to sit down with fashion’s next generation as they dig deep into their memories. To chew some fat - an informal conversation brimming with small talk - we encourage you to pull up a chair and take a big old bite as we spill the tea on the life and work of the industry’s need-to-knows. Just remember to mop up after yourself.