“After touring so much, I do not enjoy sweating bullets, having to nail every little surgical run”: Yvette Young on the pressures of touring in the social media age – and why we all need to rethink our relationship with music

Yvette Young may be best known for her work in Covet or the surgical tapping precision she showcases in her social media videos.

However, it is this image of perfection and precision that the multi-hyphenate artist is ready to shed, as she embarks on a new era that involves a string of more pop-tinged solo music, while lending her chops to James Gunn’s new Superman movie soundtrack and crafting soothing music to help emo kids go to sleep in the process.

“After touring so much, I do not enjoy sweating bullets, having to nail every little surgical run,” she divulges in a new interview with Guitar.com. The prospect that every little “mistake” might haunt her forever thanks to social media creates sky-high pressure and expectations for her that she's trying to overcome via this freer chapter in her life and artistry.

“Am I the mirthful, hopping around on stage, happy person who’s making playing music look fun, expressive, and happy? That’s how I want to be.”

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Young knows all too well how the pursuit of perfection can squish the joy out of doing music in the first place. “The reason why I hated music when I was younger was because it was sold to me as a sport,” she asserts.

“I was constantly measuring myself up to other people. I think it leads to a lifetime of general unhappiness if you’re always examining yourself relative to other people. Music should be the antithesis of that. Music should be something that uplifts you.

“I’m here to hammer home that it’s about having fun. It’s about self-expression and exploring your identity. It’s about discovering your own voice and trying to carve your own path. And that is the most fulfilling, the most sustainable path you can take in this career.”

Fellow social media phenom and virtuoso Matteo Mancuso has previously spoken out about touring in the social media age, stating how, nowadays, guitarists cannot afford to have one bad gig.