Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones has been very successfully writing and playing rock for over six decades at this point. So the dude has seen trends come and go plenty of times, and has seen rock ebb and flow between the mainstream and underground states. Jagger said in an interview with The Independent that there hasn't been many rock singers keeping the scene alive in recent years, but that Yungblud and Machine Gun Kelly are certainly doing their parts.
"In rock music you need energy and there have not been a lot of new rock singers around. Now there are a few," said Jagger. "You have Yungblud and Machine Gun Kelly. That kind of post-punk vibe makes me think there is still a bit of life in rock and roll."
Opinions aside, good on Jagger for keeping up with what's going on in modern music. It's great to see that someone who's been at this long, and who's achieved legendary status many years ago, still cares about emerging artists. As far as the assertion that Yungblud and Machine Gun Kelly are giving rock and roll a little more life, he's not wrong.
Machine Gun Kelly's recent record Mainstream Sellout is one of the best selling rock records of the year outside The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and they've been around a lot longer than Kelly. Then there's Yungblud, who's been making waves with his recent single "The Funeral" featuring Ozzy Osbourne himself in the music video. I'd also wager that Yungblud and Machine Gun Kelly have a bit of luck with their timing now as well, given the recent emo revival going on (look no further than the insanely popular When We Were Young festival). But still – if these are the artists that are going to inspire kids to pick up a guitar or make rock music, then cool! That's all that matters.
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