The Artist & Manager Awards honoured YUNGBLUD (Dominic Harrison) with the prestigious Fan Champion Award, recognizing the 27-year-old globally celebrated artist and his team for their unmatched dedication to fostering an inclusive, thriving global fanbase.
Alongside his managers, Tommas Arnby and Adam Wood, and the Special Projects Music team, YUNGBLUD was praised for creating and nurturing a genuine community of fans.
This honour follows a monumental year, highlighted by BLUDFEST—a one-day festival held at Milton Keynes Bowl in August. Featuring an eleven-act lineup and a ticket price of just £50, BLUDFEST embodied YUNGBLUD’s mission to combat the cost-of-living crisis and make live music more accessible to all.
Staying true to his inclusive spirit, the artist invited two members of his fanbase, The Black Hearts Club, to represent the community and accept the award on its behalf. Kenya and Correy took to the stage alongside a member of the Special Projects Music team, delivering heartfelt thanks for the award.
On being honoured with the Fan Champion Award, YUNGBLUD said, “The relationship between me and my fanbase, who I like to call family, has always been the most important thing to me”
“I will do everything for my community, everything is for them, we work every day to try and make them feel safe, to try and make them feel heard and to try and make them feel seen. This is for the fans”.
The awards, supported by the Music Managers Forum (MMF) and the Featured Artists Coalition (FAC), place live music at the core of their mission. Both the MMF and FAC champion various initiatives aimed at addressing industry inequities, including 100% Venues, which seeks to curb excessive commission fees, and the FanFair Alliance, dedicated to combating the pervasive issue of ticket touting.
Speaking about the Fan Champion Award, David Martin, CEO of the Featured Artists Coalition said, “Building a fanbase is one thing, building a community – a genuine community – is quite another. For those reasons, we are so happy to recognise Yungblud and his management team at Special Projects Music with our Fan Champion Award. The past few years have been extraordinarily challenging for artists and audiences alike, but Dom and team have provided a genuine beacon for younger audiences to connect with music”.
In 2024, YUNGBLUD released his debut book, You Need To Exist, through Penguin Publishing. This immersive journal combines illustrations, lyrics, poetry, and creative prompts, all designed to inspire fans to embrace and celebrate their individuality.
Other artist/ management teams recognised at last night’s award ceremony include Pet Shop Boys & Angela Becker, Chase & Status & Sophie Kennard, Paloma Faith, Cymande, SOPHIE, Riverman Management, Finesse Foreva, and Ant Hippsley at Milk & Honey.
