Menswear

Man of the hour: Artist YUGO exclusively for L'Officiel Austria Hommes

Jugo Ürdens, also known by his stage name "YUGO", has made a name for himself in the young music scene. In the interview with L'Officiel Austria Hommes, he shares insider infos about his music influences and the style development of his fashion looks.

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Jacket: Christian Dior, Tank-Top: Yugo's own, Pants: Gant

Jugo Ürdens, YUGO, or simply "the most beautiful man in Vienna"?

You are now known under the stage name YUGO (there was an album released under this name in 2018), but previously you were known as Jugo Ürdens – what’s up with your stage names?

Jugo Ürdens: „I called myself Jugo Ürdens for a long time: the idea came from my former roommate, who thought it would be a funny stage name for me. I found it funny at first, but also a bit silly. As time went by, my music and my career became more serious and the “wit” of the name somehow lost its appeal, so the next logical step was to change my name to YUGO. Of course, my roots also play a big role when it comes to choosing a name.”

How would you describe your own music influence and what makes you different from other young German rappers of today?

Jugo Ürdens: „When I first started playing, I definitely listened to a lot of Kanye West and Pharell Williams, but of course I also follow the new, current artists and songs. I think what makes me different is the content of my songs. I pay a lot of attention to the lyrics and the message that I want to communicate by my songs. It is important to me that my songs have a certain degree of lyrical sophistication.”

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Full Look: Bally

Starting with an idea, the lyrics, the production process up to the final recording – how does your song come into being? How can you describe the process?

Jugo Ürdens: „That is always quite different. But most of the time it’s like this: I am sitting at home and an idea comes to me – then I sit down at the keyboard and produce a first sketch and work on the first lines of lyrics. Then I go to the studio to my ‚“man for everything”, my producer Erik B., and he then turns my sketch into a song. He immediately understands what I want and how, according to my vision, this sketch should sound. Then it is time for the lyrics: we usually start with the refrain and then work our way forward. Then we leave the project for a few days or weeks and go over it again with “a fresh ear“. But it always depends on who I am working with. Often I go directly to the studio with a producer, who instantly has an idea for a beat and then we start directly into the session. When everything is ready, I think about a visual concept for a suitable music video. This is where I get most of my ideas, the first images often come while I am in the shower. Then I try to write down these thoughts and talk to my video-team. Together with them we develop a final concept and get started.”

What would be your dream collaboration with another music artist or a duet partner?

Jugo Ürdens: „In general, I would be interested in collaborating with other artists outside my hip-hop genre. Faber would be an example, I would be very happy if that would work out. Internationally, there are of course a few names, such as Pharell or Daft Punk – this would be fantastic.”

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Full Look: Etro, Ring: Yugo’s own

The media call you the most handsome man in Vienna, what do you think about it? How does it feel?

Jugo Ürdens: „I actually called myself that once jokingly, and the media took it too seriously. It‘s quite funny, it doesn‘t bother me. Sometimes I wonder if it was a good idea, because then you are often reduced just to one such statement, but on the whole, I am very relaxed about the whole thing, and I got used to it.”

Regarding fashion, how does your private style differ from your on- stage or your music video looks?

Jugo Ürdens: „Both the on-stage and off-stage looks have changed a lot in the last few months. I used to be a skateboarder, so my go-to outfit for almost everything was – hoodie, jeans, shoes – done. But my stylist Mike York has taught me a lot in the last few months as part of our collaboration, showed me other options and there- fore the outfits are now more and more detailed and elaborate. In summer-autumn, for example, for the stage outfits at festivals I wore a lot of slipovers, broad pants, extravagant shoes, etc. Now I am trying to integrate this style into my private wardrobe, and, of course, my work with Mike York is a big part of it.”

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Full Look: Christian Dior

Where do you and your team get inspiration, and do you have a current favourite look?

Jugo Ürdens: „Most of my inspiration has always come from the skateboard scene, because I’ve been skating since I was 12 years old and have always been influenced by it. I also think that skateboard fashion, to some extent, introduced new trends into the street style culture which has now found its way into the high fashion segment. Recently, the collaboration between Palace (a skateboard brand) and Gucci was announced. I love designs of skateboards, shoes, t-shirts – this is my greatest inspiration. I think it is also true for many others who may not have anyt- hing to do with sport directly, but celebrate the fashion that is part of it.”

What projects and music releases are you currently planning? What do you wish for your future music career?

Jugo Ürdens: „My new album is released on 04.11., and then, right away, a further project starts. I think every musician dreams of a big breakthrough, and of course I am no different.

But at the moment I am just very happy to be able to do what I like and enjoy total artistic freedom again, which unfortunately was not always the case in the past.”

Team Credits

Talent: Yugo | @jugouerdens
Photographer: Studio Julien Barbès | @studiojulienbarbes
Fashion Stylist: Mike York / Perfect Props Artist | @thelionsking  

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