Cruel Youth is a band fronted by Teddy Sinclair, who previously recorded two solo albums under the name Natalia Kills. In 2016, Sinclair started the band with her husband, Willy Moon. The band's first EP, +30mg, was released on September 16, 2016.
Background
Sinclair had a minorly successful solo career under the name Natalia Kills. During this time, Sinclair was managed by Cherrytree Records and recorded two albums under Interscope Geffen A&M Records. In 2015, Sinclair and husband Willy Moon were featured as judges and mentors on season 2 of the New Zealand version of The X Factor. They were the mentors of the Boys and Groups categories, respectively. During the first live show, in a highly publicized scandal, the two made scathing remarks towards contestant Joe Irvine. The pair were removed from the show the following day. They returned home to New York, where they formed a band and resurfaced as Cruel Youth in February 2016.
Career
2015–present: Formation and ''+30mg''
Following their termination from The X Factor in 2015, Sinclair and Moon relocated to the United States. Over the year they began to experiment with music, ultimately resurfacing as the band Cruel Youth. Their first release was "Mr. Watson", which was uploaded to the band's Soundcloud in February 2016. The first official single from the band, "Diamond Days" produced by Paro, was released on April 15, 2016. Paro also helped Sinclair and Moon write "I Don't Love You", a track from Cruel Youth's debut EP +30mg. "Mr. Watson" was released as a single on May 20 and a video was released the following month. Following the video, Sinclair announced the band would be releasing an EP later that year. On September 7, the band released their latest single "Hatefuck" and announced the EP would be released on September 16. The following day, the official album art was released. In a statement to fans, Sinclair wrote:
Finally, after months of playing and perfecting our EP, +30mg is complete! And now we want you to hear it... With the EP comes our latest single, "Hatefuck", a buzzing ballad I wrote about some of my very lowest moments. Of all the drugs, love is the worst. It seems to come with a set of handcuffs but no key. Some people hit rock bottom, some people crash right through and keep falling down - that was me, and if what came out of it was this song then it was certainly worth it..
An official track list for the EP was released later that day. Fashion designer Tom Ford used the song "Diamond Days" in a 2016 runway show. The music video premiered on September 28, 2016. Prior to the release of the EP, Sinclair announced via her Twitter account that the name for the EP would be "Cowboys And Angels" but that changed to +30MG pretty soon after.
Tour
In September 2016, Cruel Youth announced they would be joining Kiiara for a USA tour beginning in Los Angeles, CA and finishing in New York, NY. In December 2016, Cruel Youth announced via various social streams that they would be playing Babys All Right in Brooklyn, NY on February 28, 2017.
