There's a new anthem taking the college football world by storm in 2022.
Yungblud's "The Emperor" is the sport's biggest sensation, dominating the airwaves with chaotic vocals and a frenetic drum-backed instrumental.
Despite only being out for a handful of weeks, the impact of "The Emperor" has been evident; ESPN made the song its featured track for the 2022 college football season, immortalizing the 25-year-old Englishman alongside popular artists who have provided the hype tracks for previous college football campaigns, including Imagine Dragons, Juice WRLD and Thirty Seconds to Mars.
It's a distinction that Yungblud is especially proud of.
ONE WEEK CLOSER TO KICKOFF 🙌
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) August 5, 2022
🎶 @yungblud pic.twitter.com/kOD261beci
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“It’s a massive honor to have my song ‘The Emperor’ chosen as the anthem for ESPN’s college football season. I wrote this song when I was 17; it was just an outburst of unfiltered energy that I knew would have its moment one day,” Yungblud said, per an ESPN release. “I played it live for years, but never found the right time to release it until now.
"College football is such a massive part of American culture, and all I ever want to do is bring energy to people, so I can’t wait for the song to bring that energy to the fans and the players at the games all season.”
The blood-curdling track clocks in at a tidy three minutes. But within the song's runtime, listeners are given a glimpse into Yungblud's psyche. "The Emperor" features a sultry bass line, wild drums and a wailing guitar, as well as Yungblud's distinctive vocals. Equal parts raspy and dulcet, his shrieking chorus immediately raises listeners' heartbeats.
Couple all that with an infectious backing chorus and it's pretty easy to see why ESPN made the song its go-to track for the 2022 season.
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It's important to note that ESPN's selection of Yungblud didn't completely come out of thin air. The British artist, whose latest album came out Friday, is signed to Interscope, Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field's lovechild that has become one of the biggest record labels in the world since its inception in 1990.
Interscope and ESPN have a strategic partnership, meaning that the record label provides tracks for various sporting events. That's why you've seen artists like Kendrick Lamar, OneRepublic and Dr. Dre featured on ESPN broadcasts in the past.
The label will provide a handful of other tracks throughout the season, including songs from Halsey, Ciara, Quavo and Takeoff.
ESPN also created a Spotify playlist which features 46 songs expected to be heard during broadcasts over the course of the season, spotlighted by "The Emperor."
Time to start head-banging ... again.
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