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MUSIC

Yung Lean: biography, discography and albums

Teo Comyn11 min
Yung Lean : biographie, discographie et albums

Yung Lean is a Swedish rapper from Stockholm, known since 2013 for the video “Ginseng Strip 2002” and the mixtape Unknown Death 2002. He founded the Sad Boys collective with the producers Yung Gud and Yung Sherman. He has five albums under the name Yung Lean, from the first, Unknown Memory (September 23, 2014), to the most recent, Jonatan (May 2, 2025). In 2026 he released “Storm” with GENER8ION (April 24), a cover of Robyn’s “Robotboy” (August 12) and “That’s It” for the soundtrack of Grand Theft Auto VI (September 17).

At a glance

  • Beginnings: the video for “Ginseng Strip 2002” spreads widely in 2013, followed by the mixtape Unknown Death 2002 (summer 2013).
  • Collective: Sad Boys, with the producers Yung Gud and Yung Sherman. Gravity Boys, a neighbouring circle, is also a former name of Drain Gang (Bladee, Ecco2k, Thaiboy Digital, Whitearmor).
  • Albums under the name Yung Lean: Unknown Memory (2014), Warlord (2016), Stranger (2017), Starz (2020), Jonatan (2025).
  • Joint project: Psykos with Bladee, on March 13, 2024.
  • Collaborations: Frank Ocean (Blonde, 2016), Travis Scott (Utopia, 2023), Charli XCX and Robyn (“360” remix, 2024), Future and Metro Boomin (2026).
  • Late 2026: Club to Club (Turin), Corona Capital (Mexico City) and Primavera Sound (São Paulo) list him on their bills.

Yung Lean in 10 dates

Yung Lean in ten dates: 2013 mixtape Unknown Death 2002, 2014 first album Unknown Memory, 2016 Warlord, 2017 Stranger, 2020 Starz, 2022 mixtape Stardust, 2023 Parasail with Travis Scott, 2024 Psykos with Bladee, 2025 Jonatan, 2026 Storm with GENER8ION.
Key dates in Yung Lean’s discography, from 2013 to 2026.

Who is Yung Lean? From the 2013 video to the Sad Boys collective

Yung Lean became known in 2013 with the video for “Ginseng Strip 2002”, then with the mixtape Unknown Death 2002, released on the Bandcamp page of the brand Mishka. Consequence of Sound reviewed it on August 1, 2013 and pointed to the production work of Yung Sherman and Yung Gud.

Sad Boys is the name under which Yung Lean and the producers Yung Sherman and Yung Gud release their music (NME, May 6, 2016). The page of the Berlin festival CTM spells out the roles: Sherman and Gud produce and mix, Yung Lean writes and records the lyrics. The group was on the bill on January 31, 2015, alongside Gravity Boys.

His recent releases come out on his own label, World Affairs: Stardust (2022), Psykos (2024) and Jonatan (2025, under exclusive license to AWAL). In the Apple Music catalog, the albums from 2016 to 2020 carry the YEAR0001 credit.

Yung Lean discography: albums, mixtapes and EPs

The main projects, in release order. Dates come from the Apple Music catalog (US time), cross-checked with Wikipedia; when they differ by one day, the European date is used.

TitleReleaseTypeNotes
Unknown Death 2002July 2013MixtapeReleased on the Bandcamp page of Mishka.
Unknown MemorySeptember 23, 2014Studio albumFirst album.
WarlordFebruary 25, 2016Studio albumSingles “Hoover” (January 20, 2016) and “AF1s” with Ecco2k (February 3, 2016).
Frost GodDecember 14, 2016Mixtape-
StrangerNovember 10, 2017Studio albumSingle “Red Bottom Sky” on September 1, 2017.
Poison IvyNovember 2, 2018MixtapeProduced by Whitearmor (The Fader).
StarzMay 15, 2020Studio albumProduction by Whitearmor, with Yung Sherman.
StardustApril 8, 2022MixtapeGuests: FKA twigs, Skrillex, Thaiboy Digital, Ant Wan, Bladee and Ecco2k.
Psykos (with Bladee)March 13, 2024Collaborative albumEight tracks, produced by Palmistry and Silent$ky.
JonatanMay 2, 2025Studio albumFifth album under the name Yung Lean (The Fader).
Evil World (with Bladee)October 10, 2025Three tracksFirst track online on September 26, 2025.
“Storm” (with GENER8ION)April 24, 2026Double singleComes with a video directed by Romain Gavras.

For Jonatan, Stereogum (May 2, 2025) points to orchestral parts, trumpet and sparse guitars; Oneohtrix Point Never is credited on several tracks and Beck plays piano on “Swan Song”.

Yung Lean also releases albums under a second artist name, closer to indie rock and folk according to Wikipedia: Nectar (January 25, 2019), Blodhundar & Lullabies (December 21, 2020) and Sugar World (February 3, 2023). They are not counted in the five albums above.

Sad Boys, Gravity Boys, Drain Gang: who is who

NameWhat it isSource
Sad BoysYung Lean and the producers Yung Sherman and Yung Gud.NME; CTM 2015 page
Gravity BoysA circle neighbouring Sad Boys (Yung Sherman, Ecco2k, Thaiboy Digital, Whitearmor), also the first name of the collective that became Drain Gang in 2013.CTM 2015 page; Wikipedia
Drain GangBladee, Ecco2k, Thaiboy Digital and the producer Whitearmor. Yung Lean is not a member but works with the group; The Fader describes him as its earliest backer.The Fader (September 12, 2024); Wikipedia
World AffairsYung Lean’s label, which releases Stardust, Psykos and Jonatan.Apple Music; Stereogum

Yung Lean’s influence: what the press says

The statements below are attributed and dated. They place Yung Lean within a scene (sad rap, cloud rap, emo rap) without proving a lineage with any specific artist.

DatePublicationWhat it writes
August 1, 2013Consequence of Sound (Pat Levy)In its review of Unknown Death 2002, places Yung Lean at the vanguard of the “sadwave” movement, while judging the mixtape uneven (grade C-).
2013Fact, quoted on the CTM pageSees Unknown Death 2002 as a continuation of the techniques of Clams Casino and Beautiful Lou.
November 9, 2017NME (Jamie Milton)In its review of Stranger, credits “Ginseng Strip 2002” with kickstarting the “Sad Boy” movement. The magazine notes that the sadness of 2017 hits such as “Rockstar” or “Mask Off” is not new and that Yung Lean tackled similar themes from the start. It does not say those artists listened to him.
May 15, 2020The Fader (Jordan Darville)In its review of Starz, calls him a foundational figure of internet rap, ties his beginnings to OJ Da Juiceman and to cloud rappers such as Main Attrakionz, and notes the imprint of Clams Casino on the record’s sound.
November 22, 2022DazedStates that Drain Gang made its name in the cloud rap scene and regularly works with Yung Lean and Sad Boys.
December 6, 2022StereogumReports that “Ginseng Strip 2002”, released in 2013, took first place on TikTok’s global “Around The World” chart for 2022.
September 12, 2024The Fader (Raphael Helfand)Presents Yung Lean as Drain Gang’s earliest backer.
UndatedWikipedia, “Emo rap” pageSays several outlets, including The Guardian (May 12, 2020 article cited by Wikipedia), link Sad Boys to the emergence of emo rap.

Yung Lean’s collaborations

DateProjectYung Lean’s role
August 20, 2016Frank Ocean, BlondeCredited on “Godspeed” in the liner notes (Fact, Revolt).
July 28, 2023Travis Scott, UtopiaGuest on “Parasail”, with Dave Chappelle.
March 13, 2024PsykosJoint album with Bladee, on World Affairs.
May 31, 2024Charli XCX, “360” remixGuest verse, with Robyn (Vogue Scandinavia).
September 2025Sacrifice, a film by Romain GavrasIn the cast of the film, which premiered at the Toronto festival (The Fader, Wikipedia).

Yung Lean’s tours and concerts

PeriodEventDetails
January 31, 2015CTM, BerlinYung Lean, Sad Boys and Gravity Boys on the bill of the “Endo I” night, at YAAM.
2015 and 2016Warlord tourBladee and Drain Gang open the shows (Dazed). UK dates: London (Koko, May 6, 2016), Manchester (May 7) and Glasgow (May 8), according to NME.
November 22, 2017 to February 10, 2018Stranger tourAnnounced on October 2, 2017: Europe from November 22 to December 16, 2017, then North America from January 16 to February 10, 2018 (Tiny Mix Tapes).
March 1, 2025Avicii Arena, StockholmConcert announced by Yung Lean on January 21, 2025 (The Fader).
October 4 to November 26, 2025Forever Yung Tour21 dates announced on March 28, 2025: 10 in North America, then 11 in Europe, including the Zénith de Paris on November 24. A concert review confirms the Washington show (October 19).
February 2026Laneway Festival, AustraliaYung Lean & Bladee are on the lineup announced on September 18, 2025; setlist.fm logs five shows from February 7 to 15, 2026.
July and August 2026Electric Castle (Romania), OFF Festival (Poland)Electric Castle, July 16 to 20, 2026, with Bladee (NME); OFF Festival Katowice, August 7 to 9, 2026, where the duo is billed as a headliner.
October 29 to November 1, 2026Club to Club, TurinYung Lean & Bladee are on the Lingotto program (Sky TG24).
November 20, 2026Corona Capital, Mexico CityScheduled on Friday, at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
December 5 and 6, 2026Primavera Sound, São PauloOn the lineup; the day is not specified in the sources consulted.

These dates come from the announcements and lineups consulted: check the schedules with the organizers.

2026 news: Storm, Robotboy, GTA VI and the VMAs

DateFact
April 24, 2026GENER8ION, the duo of DJ Surkin and director Romain Gavras, releases “STORM”, a double single with a video in which Yung Lean acts. The choreography is by Damien Jalet (The Fader).
August 12, 2026Yung Lean releases his version of “Robotboy”, a Robyn song. Robyn says she wanted to hear his interpretation (Resident Advisor).
September 17, 2026“That’s It”, with Future and Metro Boomin, is among the first six tracks of Grand Theft Auto VI: The Album. The album has 34 original tracks and comes out on November 19, 2026, the game’s release day, with Atlantic Records (Pure Xbox, Gamer Guides).
September 27, 2026At the MTV VMAs in Los Angeles, GENER8ION and Yung Lean perform “Storm II”. The video had four nominations, including Video of the Year, Best Direction and Best Choreography, and won no award (TheWrap, My Modern Met).
October 16, 2026Netflix announces the release of Sacrifice, which has Yung Lean in its cast, in France (Sortiraparis).

As of October 23, 2026, the sources consulted announce no new Yung Lean album.

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Frequently asked questions

Who is Yung Lean?

A Swedish rapper from Stockholm, known since 2013 for the video “Ginseng Strip 2002” and the mixtape Unknown Death 2002. He founded the Sad Boys collective with the producers Yung Gud and Yung Sherman.

What is Yung Lean’s first album?

Unknown Memory, released on September 23, 2014. His first project, Unknown Death 2002, is a mixtape released in 2013.

How many albums has Yung Lean released?

Five studio albums under the name Yung Lean: Unknown Memory (2014), Warlord (2016), Stranger (2017), Starz (2020) and Jonatan (2025), the fifth according to The Fader. There are also mixtapes, the album Psykos with Bladee (2024) and three albums under a second artist name.

What is Sad Boys?

The name under which Yung Lean and the producers Yung Sherman and Yung Gud release their music, according to NME (May 6, 2016). The group was on the bill of the CTM festival in Berlin on January 31, 2015.

What is Yung Lean’s latest album?

Jonatan, released on May 2, 2025. Since then he has released “Evil World” with Bladee (October 2025), “Storm” with GENER8ION (April 24, 2026), a cover of “Robotboy” (August 12, 2026) and “That’s It” (September 17, 2026).

Which artists has Yung Lean worked with?

Frank Ocean (“Godspeed”, Blonde, 2016), Travis Scott (“Parasail”, Utopia, 2023), Bladee (Psykos, 2024), Charli XCX and Robyn (“360” remix, 2024), then Future and Metro Boomin (“That’s It”, 2026).

Where can you see Yung Lean live at the end of 2026?

Festivals list him in Turin (Club to Club, October 29 to November 1, with Bladee), Mexico City (Corona Capital, November 20) and São Paulo (Primavera Sound, December 5 and 6). Check the schedules on the organizers’ sites.

Read next

Sources

Updated October 23, 2026. Releases, tours and news: status known as of October 23, 2026. Festival lineups may change.

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