Young & Sick On Their New Single and Covid Fundraising
We spoke to the artist on their new single ‘Angels’ and how they’ve been supporting venues.
Nick van Hofwegen, better known as musician and visual artist Young & Sick, has just released his lead single ‘Angels’ off of his upcoming album ‘Brother’. The single, featuring artist MUNYA, paves the way for what could be an incredible album, which is due for release on September 24th.
Described by NYLON as “an optimist bent on feel-good tunes that will get your feet going.” We couldn’t agree more.
But creating music isn’t Nick’s only creative outlet. Nick attempted the traditional route of art through design school. However, he quickly dropped out due to its regimented learning style. Soon after, as if it were destined to be, comedian Andy Dick came across a piece of his art – Nick’s friend, Mark Foster, has introduced them about a week prior. Nick now had his first client.
Not long after this fateful encounter, Mark’s own band – the then little-known Foster the People – asked Nick to do the artwork for their debut album ‘Torches’ in 2011.
During the pandemic, Nick decided to put his artistic talent to beneficial use and has emerged as a pioneer in the music/visual art NFT space. This spring he partnered with the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) for an NFT fundraising effort that raised $250k for struggling independent venues.
The fundraiser featured NFT artwork designed by Nick, with winning bids by artists including Shawn Mendes (The Troubadour), Dillon Francis (Neumos) and Tove Lo (First Avenue), all to give back to their favourite independent venues.
We were lucky enough to speak to Young & Sick about his work. Keep reading to hear what he had to say.
You’ve worked with a lot of amazing artists, often producing artwork for them. What artists would you say influence your work the most, both musically and visually?
This constantly changes but, visually I’d say Rick Griffin, Stanley Mouse and R. Crumb are the biggest influences. Musically I’m all over the map, but I’ve recently become a deadhead to an annoying degree.
You’re doing incredible work fundraising for independent venues. What do independent venues mean to you? Can you highlight just how important they are in the music world?
Thank you! Independent venues are paramount to the growth of any artist trying to come up. Whether it’s opening up locally for a band with a bigger audience, or being able to see big bands in smaller rooms and smaller cities. There is no better place to see sound, than in an independent venue.
What advice would you give to young people out there who are aspiring artists and musicians?
Make the music you want to hear, not what others might like.
Check out Young & Sick’s latest single ‘Angels’ here.
Next Up, Watch Billie Eilish’s Self-Directed Video For New Single “NDA”
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