Yungblud has appeared as a guest on Billy Corgan’s podcast, and shared his surprise at being compared to Elton John.
The singer, real name Dominic Harrison, was a guest on the latest episode of The Smashing Pumpkins’ frontman’s show The Magnificent Others.
During the interview, the two took a trip down memory lane and explored how Yungblud made a transition from more pop-based music into rock, and saw his popularity grow as a result.
This, Corgan said, made him realise that there were some similarities between Yungblud’s journey and that of the Rocket Man.
“This is the person that I most compare you to… Elton John. And what I mean by that is you can sing pop, you can sing a ballad and that crowd will go with you. You could do a ‘Tiny Dancer’-type song and it would feel great and credible but you can also sing rock.”
He also explored how the two of them saw their fanbase grow exponentially after the swap to rock music, and the journey is one that explained why Sir Elton “hit that other level and why he was a stadium act and not just a big pop act.”
For Yungblud, he added, he noticed a similar ability when he took to the stage at the Black Sabbath farewell show, ‘Back To The Beginning’, and performed the classic ballad ‘Changes’ to the packed crowd at Villa Park.
Sharing his gratitude for the comparison, Yungblud said that the comments blew his mind, and caught him off guard as he also noticed more fans since turning his sights to rock.
“It goes to a deeper level and I think that’s what’s kind of beautiful,” he said, going on to share how he was first introduced to rock music as a child as his dad owned a guitar shop.
“I’m a kid from a guitar shop whose education was T. Rex, Bowie, Sex Pistols, The Exploited, The Clash moving to me finding NWA, shoegaze, bands like you and Public Enemy and everything myself, who dreamt about it,” he explained.
“Then the guitar shop is almost like the graveyard of rock stars who tried. And to end up here? I feel like I’m seven again in my dad’s shop.”
He also added how he had been inspired by Corgan too, and that it was his music that came as some of the inspiration to embrace more of a rock sound. “Honestly, you were such a massive part of that turning point,” he said, recalling hearing Corgan talk about him and his vocal ability on an episode of Allison Hagendorf’s podcast.
“When you hear someone you look up to, an idol you look up to, go, ‘I think it’s time for him to sing, I think it’s time for him to do a rock album’… I was like, ‘Oh, finally I can really lean into [that].’”
Since appearing at the ‘Back To The Beginning’ show in July, Yungblud has gone on to join members of Aerosmith for a new EP, and team up with the band’s Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, as well as Extreme’s Nuno Bettencourt, to honour the late Ozzy Osbourne at the 2025 VMAs.
While the set clearly left a lasting impression on people like Billy Corgan, and also went viral after seeming to leave Ariana Grande stunned, it pulled a less optimistic response from Justin Hawkins’ brother and bandmate Dan.
“Another nail in the coffin of rock n roll,” he wrote. “Cynical, nauseating and more importantly; shit.”
Later, Justin would chime in on his brother’s comments, saying: “All of this posturing is Jim Morrison meets the bloke from Stone Temple Pilots meets everybody else who’s ever owned a pair of leather trousers. It’s 101 School of Rock stuff, you know? It’s the latest in a long line of – I’m sorry to say it – poseurs.”
The latter would then head to his YouTube channel, Justin Hawkins Rides Again, to explain his stance and tell viewers that he is entitled to have his own opinion.
“I don’t think I criticised Yungblud’s spirit. I admire that as much as the next person. What I was saying was that it comes off like a TV personality doing rock,” he explained. “I find it a bit cringe, and the thing about my career is that I’ve done things that are embarrassing or cringe [and] everyone’s been really quick to kick the shit out of me… That’s how you become a better artist.”
The appearance at the VMAs in tribute to Ozzy came shortly after Yungblud spoke to NME about the impact that the Prince Of Darkness had on him since childhood.
“Ozzy was a character in my life who was a reflection of everything I went through,” he said. “I was always a bit over the top. I was always seen to be a bit crazy. I was always seen to be a bit loud, but when some people saw that as a negative, Ozzy would provide me with the hope that there was an avenue for someone like me in the world.”
“From such a young age, he really inspired me. Then, to know him as a friend towards the end, to know his heart, and to know Sharon Osbourne… I really started to understand that they did things their way,” he continued. “It’s always been inspirational.”
