More about: LILHUDDY

Perhaps this was the plan all along. LILHUDDY, real-name Chase Hudson, is just 18 years-old – but has already been described as one of the world’s biggest music influencers. With distinctive jet black hair and an eclectic, ‘emo-lite’ fashion sense, his short-lived and yet high-profile relationship with TikTok’s biggest star Charli D’Amelio temporarily positioned him as Gen Z’s leading man. 30 million followers later, he has become the spearhead of pop-punk’s chart resurgence – and stands ready to leave his mark.

“When I was a kid, I would steal my sister’s iPod Nano when she went to cheerleading practice”, he explains from his house in Los Angeles, California. “It’s where my passion for punk rock, and pop punk, began. She would have all of the powerhouses of that genre on there – Avril Lavigne, Blink-182, My Chemical Romance. I loved it”.

“I was always an energetic kid. I would be in the back of the car, either playing air guitar or smacking on the back of the seats pretending they were drums. Both my mum and dad played music, and I used to always go and see my sister in the choir”.

“I think the first song that made me fall in love with that kind of music was ‘Gives You Hell’ [The All-American Rejects, 2008]. It was the first time I had heard the word ‘hell’ on the radio, and I would be screaming it at the top of my lungs – just to bother my mum!”

LILHUDDY’s Blink-baiting debut single ‘21st Century Vampire’ embodies these influences. It’s a sharp, glossy imitation of late 2000s pop-punk – and is already gaining traction amongst Hudson’s young fan base.“That song ['21st Century Vampire’] is very special to me. It’s about a kid that doesn’t feel like he belongs in the town he’s living in, but is happy to be authentic. He doesn’t give a fuck about what people think about him”. 

Follow-up ‘The Eulogy of You and Me’, which features production and drums from Travis Barker, is similarly grounded in radio-friendly punkisms – on it, Hudson sings "Now you’re dead to me, and it’s R.I.P/Here lies all of the lies." 

“I do sometimes worry about being taken seriously”, he reveals meekly. “A lot of people are quick to make fun of the stuff I do. They see that I paint my nails or wear expressive outfits, but they don’t necessarily take the time to understand who I am as a person”.

From now on, he plans to let his music do the talking. “I feel like the stuff I put out speaks for itself. Music is all about execution – everything comes down to what your message is”.

“From my time in L.A., I’ve realised that I need to stop being shy. I’ve always been a person that has a lot to say, but it took me a while to embrace the fact that I have a good voice. Projecting how I feel in song is the most beautiful form of expression – its an art form. Being able to do that through music makes me feel so relaxed”.

There are no plans to stop now. Having signed to Polydor, Hudson reveals that a string of singles will lead to the release of a debut album over the summer. “It’s such an exciting time. I was the kid dancing around the house playing air guitar. Now I’m a fucking musician”.

Expect to hear more from LILHUDDY very soon.

More about: LILHUDDY