MM Exclusive: In Conversation with YoungIz

YoungIZ raps like he’s already ahead of you, like he’s walking you through a night he’s lived twice before. There’s confidence there, sure, but also detail: the smell of the club, the laughter with friends, the quiet thoughts that creep in after the crowd goes home.

From the infectious bounce of “Shop Until We Drop,” born in a rare magic-hour session in Sweden, to the chaos-in-motion of “War in the Club,” and the sharp self-belief of “Sharks and Fishes,” YoungIZ isn’t just stacking streams; he’s shaping a world. His verses carry both celebration and intent, speaking to the ones building their own lanes rather than waiting to be let in.

Fresh off a stop at New York’s cult platform On The Radar, his freestyle set the tone for “Jay-Z,” not just a drop, a line in the sand. It moves between steel and softness, ambition and cost, tipping the hat to a great while cementing his voice. The momentum isn’t guesswork either: steady radio love from KISS FM, Ellie Prohan (since 2021), Snoochie Shy, and more has been pushing the records wider. “Jay-Z” feels like a switch flicked, the quiet part said out loud.

Ireland’s rap scene is in the middle of a breakthrough, and YoungIZ is right where underground energy meets mainstream potential. His music feels global without losing the rawness of where he’s from. Records for the moment and the memory. This is the first proper sit-down, the right time to slow things down and step inside his vision, to trace the bounce, the hunger, and the story of an artist turning momentum into something bigger, TGE.

First play, first impression: what do you want a new listener to feel in the opening 10 seconds of a YoungIZ track?

I want you to think I’m good, but more so to be intrigued. I want to at least capture your attention, so you can be like, “OK, I’m tryna hear more of what’s going on.” For a new listener I’d say listen to Bars at the Sesh Part 1 and Bars at the Sesh Part 2. Those tracks are from the most raw times, musically speaking, before I went a bit more corporate and stuff like that, put it that way.

Intrigue first, got it. When you say “my sound,” what’s the non-negotiable thread that runs through all your records?

I don’t really think that way if I’m being so honest. I think that’s more for the listeners to pick themselves. I’d say I have a distinctive voice though, in my opinion. But in terms of a non-negotiable thread, I don’t ever really think like that, I think that’s more for the listeners to decide.

Fair. If the thread is for listeners to name, what do you feel you do that nobody else from your corner is doing, whether in writing, cadence, or how you hear beats?

I just feel like I’m different from everyone else. I have a personality, I don’t know how to explain it. I feel like the way I carry myself is just unique in itself. When they see me more and I’m exposed to the world a bit more, that will make way more sense.

So the person leads the sound. Was there a moment when the artist you pictured and the artist you are finally matched?

That’s a good question. Yeah, this is always how I envisioned myself to look, in terms of how I rap, what I dress like, how I want the people to perceive me. It was always this sort of lane. It’s just a bit more developed now. I don’t think I’ve changed too much.

Consistency over reinvention, noted. How would you say Kildare shaped your ear, the parties, the pace, the people around you? Or not really?

I don’t even know if I would say that it was any of that. I was a fan of J Hus though, that’s what kind of made me think or consider the rap career. That was my first sort of sign. I don’t think where I actually grew up made me want to be a rapper.

Hus as the spark, not the postcode. Before music, what did you want to be?

A footballer.

Still getting a run in, or has music taken the full lane now?

I was last year, but it just became hard to juggle both schedules of sports and rapping. I definitely do miss it. It’s more a thing of when I have some spare time, I go back to it. There’s just more important things to get done right now. Sacrifices, you know.

Sacrifices, for sure. On support: have you felt it locally from radio, DJs, clubs? And beyond Ireland, London too?

You mean from the stations? Yeah, recently they have been showing me a lot of love, but I feel like that comes with the growth, they’re always gonna tap in when you get to a certain stage. They definitely do show love. London shows love too, in fairness, Ellie Prohan for a while now; she was one of the first ones to tap in back in 2021. Snoochie Shy as well, she hit me up about the “Jay-Z” record.

Ellie and Snoochie showing love from early, love that. “Shop Until We Drop” was filmed in Sweden, right? Whats the story there? I’m from Sweden, so this one’s personal.

I was in the studio in Sweden, Warner studios in Stockholm, and I think like a day or two before I went there I heard a Lil Wayne song and thought that would be a crazy sample. So when I went to the studio, I thought if the opportunity presents itself I’m gonna see if we can do something with that, and we did. The video was filmed by a guy named Tom. The producer on that day put me onto him, and we ended up recording it.

A spark, then execution. Going back soon, or is Germany next on the list?

Definitely. If we don’t go to Germany, I’ll go back before the year ends.

Let’s touch on visuals, do you direct everything yourself, or is it more you steering the creative?

Yeah, I always know how I want it to look. I thought that was normal, though. But apparently when people get big they actually have video directors and stuff like that. I just always envision what the video should look like. Every time.

Clear picture in your head, makes sense. You flipped a TikTok moment into something that lives off-app. Where’s your line between internet sparks and real-life storytelling?

I feel like I’m gonna make the content to do with the song, to revolve around the song. But I’m not focused on creating content just for the purpose of virality. If it happens, great; if not, cool. I just make clean content, and if they like it, they like it.

So song first, content second. Before music, were you naturally into making content, or did you learn it because it comes with the job now?

Before, it was more just TikToks to take the piss, nothing serious. Then I realised that, oh shit, I can use this to promote my music too, because they kinda like how I look, so let’s see if they like how I sound. That was kinda it.

Leaning into what works. “War in the Club” with Keemz felt owned by the clubs even before release. Was that the intention?

Yeah, they would have heard that one so much on TikTok, so I’d say that was definitely one for the clubs.

Heard in the room before it hit DSPs. On “Sharks and Fishes,” opening with “why should I swim with the fishes…” reads like a thesis. Did that bar set the tone for everything after?

Yeah, nah, definitely. That was the intention. I wanted the opening lines to set the tone of the track. I didn’t mean for it to be that way, it just pieced together that way.

Set the table early. Process-wise, when do you write?

I hate feeling forced to write. It’s more when a beat feels good to me, that’s the only times I’m writing.

So beat-led. Mainly in studio now, or still pre-written first?

Before, if I’m being honest, I wasn’t the guy that would write in the studio, it was always pre-written. But as my career progressed, it became easier to write when I was in the studio.

Growth you can hear. Producers: do you have go-tos, or is it vibe-dependent?

I don’t actually mind. I don’t have one proper producer, it’s whatever. If they understand the vibe, I can work with them.

Open door until it makes sense to lock in.

Yeah, I imagine that happens when they get to a certain stage, so they know exactly what they want and exactly how it should sound. It’s probably easier to go to one person.

Balance between flex and honesty is a thread in your records. How do you decide what to keep close and what to put on wax?

It’s more so how I’m feeling at that time. If I’m more in my feels, it will be less of the flex. Or it’s just real life, and if I feel like flexxin I’m just gonna flex.

Right place, right mood. So you’re comfortable being vulnerable, up to a point?

Yeah, yeah, I can definitely be vulnerable, but just to an extent though. They don’t need to know everything now. But you can still break it down in a way they’ll understand.

Random but there’s a reason I ask: do you check your own emails?

Yeah, I do, to a degree.

Say a producer’s sending a beat pack. What in the subject or the first impression gets you to open and actually listen?

The melody, for sure. If the melody can make me feel a certain way, they don’t have to do much more than that. Yeah, if I like the melody, everything else I don’t deep too much. And for me to open the email…it’s just luck, I won’t lie. There’s just too much nowadays, there’s so many, you know. Sometimes I might feel like my time is wasted, and other times you can feel like there’s a hidden gem, you just never know.

Fair, inbox roulette. Ireland’s rap ecosystem is getting sharper every month. Are you building inside that system, or pointing beyond it?

Global. Global all the way. It’s either go big or go home. To the full extent.

Global vision noted. Dream collabs?

The girls. The girls. All of the girls. Like Cardi B, GloRilla, Sexyy Red, all of them. Just because I think they would be lit. Not even like that, I just actually think they would be lit.

I can fully see that, I hear it. What’s next in the near term?

To get in their faces as much as possible, let them know what’s going on. Reach higher levels, brick by brick. That’s really what’s next, tryna accomplish everything and anything. Right now we’ve been talking about an EP, but I want to do it at a time when it feels right and makes sense, not because it’s the expected thing to do.

I can’t wait for the shows, when that happens. This is what I am doing for real. I’m on tour, I’m performing, that’s when I’ll actually feel like I’m a rapper for real.

Shows cement it. On the brand side, merch: are you building that out?

Yeah, I have a brand called TGE, The Great Escape. That’s what my supporters so far would know of me, associated with me. We’re always hashtagging TGE. Caps on the way. That’s been a key part of what I’ve been doing, to have a brand that people can follow.

TGE as the banner. What do you want people to take from all this, records and brand?

What we are tryna do is TGE, we tryna escape here. Creating a movement and an army. The more we drop, we gain more members. That’s another thing I want people to take in from the music, not just what I am rapping about, but the brand as well. That’s the main thing I want them to focus on too.