People R Ugly are bringing pop-punk energy with a dose of fun lyricism to the Riot Fest Rise Stage this Friday. With recent singles “JUST FRIENDS,” “DUMB,” and “Church on TV” and festival dates all across the US, there’s no better time to get to know the L.A. rockers. We chatted with People R Ugly as they prepare for their Riot Fest debut this weekend; Read our interview below and catch their set at 12PM on Friday at Riot Fest 2024.
LISTEN TO PEOPLE R UGLY
Interview with People R Ugly
Q: Per your Instagram bio, you guys describe yourself as ‘your moms favorite band’ – besides People R Ugly, do you know who your Mom’s favorite band is?
A: Paula (Julian’s Mom) is the biggest People R Ugly fan out there, and when we asked her “anyone besides People R Ugly” she didn’t understand the question and still said People R Ugly, but all our other moms love some Journey, Andrea Bocelli, and Coldplay.
Q: Who are some of your biggest musical influences?
A: Julian and Tristan grew up with 80’s rock and Zak and Bill grew up more 90’s hip hop, so our music influences are all over the place, but collectively we can all agree on Blink-182, Mac Miller, and Kendrick Lamar.
Q: Who’s your dream collaborator for a future People R Ugly project? Are there any other artists playing Riot Fest this year you’d want to collaborate with?
A: “JPEGMAFIA is my biggest dream collaborator because he’s the best and most forward-thinking producer and artist I know.” – Zak
“The Offspring, Sublime, and Sum 41 are all artists we’re really looking forward to checking out – “Hell Song” from Sum 41 was actually the first song I learned how to play on the guitar. I love Derek Whibley, he’s an icon. We’re also really excited to see Sublime with their new singer, Jakob.” – Julian
Q: I read that you got your start by booking a show at The Whiskey A Go Go in LA without even having a full band – whether it’s Whiskey or somewhere across the world, what’s your favorite venue you’ve ever played?
A: Our favorite venue we’ve ever played was the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City this past December. We were lucky to get the chance to play iHeartRadio’s Jingle Ball Pre-Show and then head to Madison Square Garden after where we did a ton of promo on the red carpet. That was overall a really cool moment for us.
Q: What’s the best live set you’ve ever seen?
A: “Tyler The Creator at Camp Flog Gnaw 2019” – Zak
“KISS at Aftershock in 2022, that was a great fucking show” – Tristan, Julian, Bill
Q: This year you’ve gained a lot of attention for singles “JUST FRIENDS,” “DUMB,” and “Church on TV” – what can we expect in terms of future directions for your sound?
A: BRAIN DEAD was the biggest risk we’ve ever taken and it worked, so we want to continue going in that lane and kinda making our own genre in a way.
Q: If you could have just one album with you on a desert island, what would it be?
A: “IGOR by Tyler, The Creator hands down. I could listen to uninterrupted and be so content on a desert island.” – Zak
Q: What’s been your proudest moment as a band so far?
A: Our first million streams on “BRAIN DEAD” and now 2 million and growing was a massive milestone for us. It was an accumulation of all of our hard work.
Catch People R Ugly at Riot Fest 2024 THIS WEEKEND – secure your tickets now!
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