Multi-platinum alternative rocker/rapper YUNGBLUD has added yet another high-profile collaborative performance to his growing resume. Having already worked with Halsey, Travis Barker, members of Aerosmith, Bring Me The Horizon, and more, his latest pairing sees him inviting alt rock royalty The Smashing Pumpkins to partake in a new version of his previously released single “Zombie”.
The original studio version of that song is currently in contention for ‘Best Rock Song’ at the 2026 GRAMMY Awards, and is one of three nominations YUNGBLUD has notched up at that upcoming awards show. His other nods include his latest album “Idols” being up for ‘Best Rock Album’, and his live ‘Back To The Beginning’ cover of Black Sabbath’s “Changes” being up for ‘Best Rock Performance’. A protege of the Osbournes of sorts in recent years, that rendition found him backed by members of Anthrax, Extreme, Sleep Token and more.
Speaking to Loudwire, YUNGBLUD described this latest union to arrive as being a bit of a full circle moment, as The Smashing Pumpkins‘ 4x multi-platinum sophomore album “Siamese Dream” was a key influence when he originally wrote “Zombie“:
“When I was making ‘Zombie,’ I was really channeling ‘Siamese Dream‘. It was really the sadness and the melancholic emotion mixed with the aggression of Billy‘s fucking guitars … Billy, as a songwriter, was really at the forefront of my inspiration when I was making this album. When ‘Zombie‘ came along, I knew I wanted to do a new version if it.”
As for working with Corgan and the rest of the band on this cut, YUNGBLUD offered:
“I called Billy and I was like, ‘Billy, please help me scratch this itch. I want this record to dig in harder.’ There still needs to be an almost Jekyll and Hyde element, there needs to be the version that’s full of light and full of life and optimism, but then there needs to be this dark version that is pessimistic and a little bit bitter and a bit aggressive.”
An official music video for this updated track will be debuting online this Friday, January 02nd at 10:00am PST / 01:00PM EST.
