Yungblud on Grammy Nods, Honoring Ozzy Osbourne and Defying His Critics: ‘I Really Risked it All’
2025 is the year that the world finally took Yungblud seriously. Between releasing his fourth studio album Idols, the Doncaster-born rocker hosted the second edition of his own festival Bludfest in Milton Keynes, England, stole the show at Ozzy Osbourne’s farewell concert, and collaborated with Aerosmith on a brand new EP. He closes the year with three Grammy nominations, two U.K. No. 1 Albums and a No. 1 on Billboard’s Rock & Alternative Charts.
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“I’m sitting here at the end of the year feeling a little bit f—ing shellshocked to be honest,” he tells Billboard U.K. on Zoom from Los Angeles. “I’ve always tried to convert fans and critics one step at a time… but the whole thing just went BANG!,” he adds, throwing his arms wide open, his eyes following suit. “I’m just trying to comprehend it all.”
For much of his career Yungblud, real name Dominic Harrison, has been something of an outsider. Since his 2017 debut single “King Charles”, he has cultivated a dedicated fanbase, but felt shunned by industry gatekeepers who weren’t catching the wave. His 2020 sophomore Weird! and its self-titled 2023 follow-up both hit No. 1 on the U.K.’s Official Albums Chart. But his gobby, outsized persona rubbed some up the wrong way, and he was at the butt of barbs from The 1975’s Matty Healy and Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher. He pushed on.
Then in July 2025, it appeared to click with people. At the star-studded Back to the Beginning concert in Birmingham, his show-stopping rendition of Black Sabbath’s “Changes” won over a 45,000-strong crowd in five minutes. He showcased his range as a rock vocalist, hitting the tough notes in the chorus and sustaining the song’s original emotion. He did this while holding the microphone about a yard away from his mouth – his vocals are that strong.
The cover – his only appearance on the day – secured a Grammy nomination for best rock performance and looks to be the runaway favorite in the category. Idols landed a nod in best rock album, and its single “Zombie” in best rock song, but it’s the performance nomination that makes him most proud.
“It’s the greatest honor you can have as a singer,” Harrison says of the moment, knowing that he had no chance to do a second take. “I dreamed of knowing Ozzy my whole life. I met him, got to know him, his family asked me to honor him, and then I lost him. The fact that [Ozzy] was the one that made the world take notice [of me]… it’s just so crazy.”
Yungblud
Tom Pallant/Billboard UK
Harrison and Ozzy first met on set for the former’s 2022 music video “The Funeral”, with Ozzy giving Harrison a necklace and some advice: “don’t compromise, they’ll get it later.” They kept in close contact with Sharon – Ozzy’s wife and manager – offering career guidance, notably on Bludfest, his version of the late rocker’s touring live event Ozzfest.
On the day of Back to the Beginning, Harrison gifted Ozzy a necklace to match one he received years earlier. In a viral video of the moment, Ozzy calls it “fucking unbelievable” and pulls Harrison in for hug and kiss on the cheek. A fortnight later, the Prince of Darkness died of a heart attack, aged 76, following a number of health complications in recent years.
“Idols was written about loving artists and looking up to them, and how they give you hope and courage to build your own platform to exist,” he says. “I’m just trying to unpack all of what’s happened this year. It’s f—ing tripping me out.”
A second performance, this time at the MTV VMAs in August, proved this was no fluke. At the request of Ozzy’s family, Harrison appeared during another all-star tribute, this time alongside Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, and Extreme’s Nuno Bettencourt. They reprised “Changes” and Ozzy solo hits “Crazy Train” and “Mama I’m Coming Home,” with Harrison appearing bare-chested and headbanging in a faux fur coat and leather trousers. Reception this time was split, with a member of British rock band The Darkness calling the performance “cynical, nauseating and, more importantly, s–t” on their social media profile.
“The criticism at the VMAs was coming from people that were trying to be doormen at a party that they weren’t invited to. That’s the harsh reality of it,” Harrison says today. He says that the people he’s met this year – Tyler, Ozzy – always had something to prove in their career, and that fuels him. “If you don’t have that fear that you need to prove something, you’re not on the right path and journey. If people are indifferent about you, then you’re not truly anything at all.”
Yungblud’s career kicked up another notch in September. He announced that he would be teaming up with Aerosmith for One More Time EP, the group’s first original material since 2012 and their aborted farewell tour. One More Time saw a fusion of the rock legends’ classic sound and Harrison’s spunky spirit. “I was so appreciative that Aerosmith were down to go down that road and do something new and experimental,” he says. “I didn’t want to make something that sounded like ‘70s Aerosmith in 2025.”
The release was Aerosmith’s first-ever No. 1 on the U.K.’s Official Albums Chart (Yungblud’s fourth overall), landed atop Billboard’s top rock & alternative charts, and at No. 9 on the Billboard 200 to put the band in elite company. Only Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen and James Taylor have also achieved a top 10 placing in six different decades.
That it was Idols which turned heads is something that Harrison finds richly rewarding. His first few records were sharp but juvenile, showing off a formidable force but one not quite harnessing its potential. His 2023 Yungblud, his final with Geffen Records, was a commercial success (No. 1 in the U.K., No. 45 on Billboard 200) but its radio-friendly, pop-leaning direction was not one he was enamored with. It was a record people expected him to create, but not the one he wanted to.
Idols, released via his new home of Capitol Records, saw him reclaim his narrative. A love letter to the rock canon – primarily Pink Floyd and David Bowie – was recorded in Leeds, Yorkshire, near to where he grew up. He enlisted composer Bob Bradley to help flesh out his sound with an orchestra and plotted out a narrative that will continue to unfurl over a double album (Idols 2 is finished, and slated for release in 2026). Its lead single (and opening track) “Hello Heaven, Hello” soars past the nine-minute mark, while “Fire” is as ambitious as U2’s “Desire”.
“I completely lost myself and I was listening to the world and critics of my work too much,” he says of his output prior to Idols. “I really risked it all. I thought, ‘If people don’t like this one, then maybe it’s the end,’” he says. “When you’re a young artist it can be hard to take criticism, but now you’ve got to laugh at it.”
Yungblud
Tom Pallant/Billboard UK
Fully committing to his love of rock music was a decision he had to fight for, but he’s now seeing a change in tact. “My record label is now like, ‘Yeah man, got to keep on the rock thing!’ It’s like, fuck off. It’s not a ‘thing’. It’s what I’ve grown up around,” he says.
He offers the raw numbers that prove Idols has connected amidst the risk, pointing out that he’s doubled his Instagram follower count from 3.5m to 7.2m in the past six months. Next year, Harrison will headline arenas in the U.K. and mainland Europe, and hit the U.S. for his biggest run of shows yet, including a stop at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall.
Harrison’s canny business acumen is also reaping rewards. Following Idols’ release in June, he headlined the second edition of Bludfest in Milton Keynes, a festival he curates and partners with AEG Presents to execute. Beyond big name stars, the festival has hosted performers from ascending British talent such as Lola Young and Rachel Chinouriri, and built a home for artists who feel unrepresented in the mainstream. Initiatives to welcome solo attendees and affordable ticket prices have set a new standard for the British festival scene; discussions to bring the event to Prague in 2026, and the U.S. in 2027 are ongoing.
A partnership with Firebird Music Holdings saw the company invest “tens of millions of dollars” in a “transformational deal” that supports his recorded output, live offering and more. “Yungblud is the prototype of the artist of the future – creatively boundless, with an innate entrepreneurial sense and a deep understanding of his fan base,” Nathan Hubbard, co-founder and chief executive of Firebird, tells Billboard U.K. “He’s met the moment at every opportunity with a unique combination of authenticity and confidence, and we at Firebird are fortunate to be allowed to come along for this amazing ride.
Harrison’s ambition has put him at the forefront of a new British invasion of the U.S. and global music market alongside Young, Olivia Dean, RAYE, and Central Cee, all of whom have had success on the Billboard charts in 2025. “I think it’s the accent and wit,” he says of the reasons behind the resurgence of U.K. musicians on the world stage. He says Dean is someone “who is completely new and original”, while Lily Allen’s acclaimed West End Girl LP has succeeded due to “depth to her lyrics.”
There has been just as much shade with the light, however. Ozzy’s death hit Harrison hard. He’d lost a staunch believer in his vision, as well as a musical “north star” throughout his life. A series of shows for late November were postponed after he exhibited signs of exhaustion. He was grateful that his fans were accepting of the decision, his heroes like Amy Winehouse and Chester Bennington “lived in a world where taking time off wasn’t a conversation.”
The mental toll of being a musician – one that has been in the firing line for critics and online trolls – is similarly demanding. “You can see in real time the reaction to the art that you put out,” he explains. “If you’re in the ‘90s and you have a shit gig, it’s not plastered on your phone for everyone to see and nor do you want to see that feedback.”
Not long before we speak, British pop icon Robbie Williams reached out to Harrison with advice. Williams had been on a similar journey following his departure from Take That in 1995, someone seeking approval and reckoning with their mental health in the public eye. Williams and Harrison are both larger than life characters who can make people bristle, but also garner utter devotion from staunchly loyal fanbases; they are hated, adored, but never ignored.
“He wrote me this letter when it really needed to come,” says Harrison. “He related himself to me, saying that he knew what it was like to be a 28-year-old who was trying to figure out who they were, while also dealing with a million opinions about what he could be or never be. People don’t give Robbie the credit for his mind and the way he sees things.”
Harrison remains inspired and ready to strike while the iron’s hot. He’s begun working on a new album – separate to Idols 2 – with producer Andrew Watt, whose credits include work with Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber and Ed Sheeran, alongside rock icons The Rolling Stones, Elton John, Iggy Pop and Ozzy. “He’s such a visionary and interested in the new,” Harrison says of his close collaborator.
“I think especially in the rock community everyone is keen to say, ‘This person is the new Slipknot’, or ‘This person is the new Freddie Mercury’, but we want to try and alleviate that idea and do something totally original. This is going to be the biggest challenge on my next album.”
But first, downtime. Over the holidays he’s heading home to Doncaster to see his family and take stock of the past 12 months. “This year I have fucking lived 10 years in one,” he laughs, shaking his head. “You can look back on years that don’t show you what life truly is – the highs and the lows – because you’ve been numb to it or you’ve not taken it in. I’ve silenced a lot of demons this year and it’s been a lot more fun to be in my head.”
Does he feel like the world is ready for another Yungblud takeover in 2026? “I don’t know if everyone takes me seriously yet, but I think they’re more inclined to give me a chance,” he concludes. “And I’ll take that.”
Yungblud
Tom Pallant/Billboard UK
