Yungblud credits Ozzy Osbourne as ‘the one that made the world take notice [of me]’

Yungblud has long had a passionate fan base, but he had a breakthrough year in 2025 in large part thanks to his performance of Black Sabbath‘s “Changes” at the Back to the Beginning concert.

The massive show, which was announced ahead of time as Ozzy Osbourne‘s last-ever live performance, took place on July 5, just over two weeks before the Prince of Darkness died on July 22.

“It’s the greatest honor you can have as a singer,” Yungblud tells Billboard of performing at Back to the Beginning. “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.”

Yungblud’s “Changes” rendition earned him a nomination for best rock performance at the 2026 Grammys.

“The fact that [Ozzy] was the one that made the world take notice [of me] … it’s just so crazy,” Yungblud says.

Yungblud also paid tribute to Ozzy at the MTV Video Music Awards in September alongside Aerosmith‘s Steven Tyler and Joe Perry. He and Aerosmith then put out a collaborative EP, One More Time, in November.

In addition to all of that, Yungblud released a new album, Idols, in June.

“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,” Yungblud says. “I’m just trying to unpack all of what’s happened this year. It’s f****** tripping me out.”