Yung Lean: In My Head | The Short List

where they've definitely reached a turning point, yeah, yeah, oh yeah, but you're definitely with them on that tour bus, yeah, it's got young Lean background. Being such a privileged kid from Sweden affected the general public's perception of him. Who he is is definitely part of this story. I think it's very easy to apply that criticism until you see how it connects with his peer group around the world. world, how he's having such a big influence on their lives that these kids like him saved my life, that you're like, okay, it doesn't matter, like he's going through it all. that you know there's something very real there, it's my nature or people's nature to have your initial perception of it and it takes time to peel back the layers of the onion and get a true understanding oh yeah definitely and I think I went into this movie with that too and that's why I was so interested in having this conversation including your movie as part of the show because I came into my house, yeah, with my own misperceptions about who he was or what the story was, so you dispelled that being in the spotlight, especially at an age early, can be very hard on the artist's mental health.

Is there more the music industry could be doing to protect artist well-being? In your opinion, yes, yes, definitely and hopefully, that's something. That's coming more and more because as the music industry has changed so much over the last decade, I think even the managements that record labels need also need to change a lot and I think they need to work closer to their artists, but this is another thing. . What is captured in the film is that people were aware that it was out of control, that they are teenagers, they are not even adults, they do a lot of drugs, but they are making money and we are going to take advantage of this and profit while we can at the expense of people's lives and their mental health, so is the industry really going to change?

You know, I think it's up to the management teams around the artist to protect them, but then the management teams say, well, it's me. I'm making a lot of money right now Jungleling is now working with his record label. They are working very closely. It's Emilio and Oscar. They are really doing it. in such a modern way, I think they get into that in the movie, which is that you need to pace yourself and slow down, if you do too many shows it will get dark again. He was the young skinny character, a way for a nerdy teenager to be something he wasn't and now he's finally becoming a person since he's older, he's in his early 20s, yeah, I think so, I mean, He was only 15 years old when he created young Lean.

I was reading Vice or the loud interviews with him. They're more than five or six years old about that and he's talking like, yeah, we got hoes, we got hoes and he loves 50 cents, get rich or die trying, like he's a 15-year-old kid in Stockholm, venerable magazine hip hop xxl. nominates him for newcomer of the year why should people care about the young

lean

? I'm like that, he was like an alter ego, right, yeah, and he was playing a lot, yeah, I mean, he was real too, he was the music and the art. Really, I think, but he was also that alter ego and he played with that a lot, to them they were probably like that.

This was never supposed to be anything more than us making beats in the bedroom, having fun, and releasing something for our friends. and it's like that's exactly what they're saying i wonder where they would be today if it hadn't blown up what would they be doing would they like to go to engineering school it's so weird how they all got together it's like they found each other and started to make music together and everything happened, it happened very quickly, but do you think that after being in the hospital and being institutionalized and getting better and receiving medication, that it affected his creativity and the art was better? when he was at his craziest i think strange is my absolute favorite album, that's where he started talking more about himself to be more personal, that's the album where young

lean

and jonathan became one person, i think Yes, for me, no, what is important about your story?

Recovery and redemption are also part of the story. Right now there are so many stories about young artists, musicians, hip-hop artists dying prematurely and with mental health problems affecting young people in Japan, the United States, Sweden, it's increasing all the time. message you are trying to communicate through the film about mental health and addiction. I hope people can look at this and maybe see it as helping in some way that would be beautiful and who do you hope the audience for this movie is? to obviously be the fans, do you think it will go further than that?

Yes I hope so. That's why I wanted this film to start the film festivals, but since corona came, that never happened, so now we are finding other ways of what's next for you. Are you going to continue making music documentaries or are you going to venture into something else. Have you thought about? I'm doing a lot of research right now, maybe I found a story and that's about surprise music right now. I just want you to know to enjoy this. journey with this film it's always difficult to make a film I think that's what I learned and it's a lot about keeping in touch with the people you're filming I think you should show them that you're there even if you're not When filming you feel like you're with him, you know you've been through similar things, it's more than music, it's because he saves my life every day.

I hear it, it literally saves me, what's the overall impact? movie to have with the audience someone said this is a movie about friendship, I really like it someone said it's a movie about creativity, I like it a lot too, but it's very much a story about life, see how Jonathan develops as a person in this story and at the same time seeing the young Lean develop as an artist, I think it's beautiful and I hope that people can really see and feel that when they see this film, congratulations again, it must be very rewarding for you to have spent so many years of your life on This is your first documentary and turning it into an incredibly compelling film that is more than just a traditional music documentary, so congratulations, thank you very much, yes, it's a pleasure and let's stay in touch.

Thank you so much for your time, man, I appreciate it. you what I oh I chose morbid like some of my friends I don't want to share you with you you make my biggest job but I would but I would do it if I were a ccsabc I wish I loved myself just for myself yes I still have it together we can do everything right so oh if you