Yungblud and The Smashing Pumpkins join forces on a reimagined version of “Zombie,” marking the first time in their storied career that the iconic rock band has featured on another artist’s recording. Produced by Matt Schwartz and Billy Corgan, the collaboration transforms Yungblud’s Grammy nominated Best Rock Song into something heavier and more urgent, infused with Corgan’s signature guitar sound. The original track already stands as Yungblud’s fastest streaming solo single with over 100 million plays and continues climbing at alternative radio, currently sitting at number nine for his third career Top 10 at the format and highest charting single there in three years with more than 15,000 spins across all formats. An official music video directed by Charlie Sarsfield starring both Yungblud and The Smashing Pumpkins accompanies the release, kicking off the new year ahead of his sold out North American tour starting May 1st.
The partnership between Yungblud and Corgan traces back to their first meeting in Birmingham last July during Black Sabbath’s farewell concert Back To The Beginning, though Corgan discovered Yungblud years earlier through a live performance video. Corgan spoke about Yungblud’s trajectory in a 2023 interview with Allison Hagendorf, predicting people would be talking about him for the next 50 years, and later compared his evolution to Elton John on his podcast The Magnificent Ones. That belief resonated deeply with Yungblud and helped inspire the rock album he had long envisioned, bringing the collaboration full circle when he invited Corgan to reimagine “Zombie,” a song the Smashing Pumpkins frontman had indirectly influenced years earlier. Yungblud describes ‘Siamese Dream’ as an album that supported him through formative years, making the chance to create music with the band behind it nearly incomprehensible while noting Corgan’s recent role as mentor and his outlook on truth in art.
The reimagined “Zombie” arrives during massive momentum for Yungblud following a landmark 2025 that included his Grammy nominated Best Rock Album ‘Idols,’ a sold out world tour, and an emotional tribute to Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath that earned him a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Performance. His collaborative EP with Aerosmith ‘One More Time’ scored his first Top 10 debut on the Billboard 200, hit number one on Billboard’s Top Rock Albums chart and topped the UK Albums Chart. The British rockstar completed a sold out North American headline tour and announced a 24 date 2026 North American run that sold out within minutes featuring the largest venues of his career alongside a sold out UK arena tour, plus delivered a widely praised MTV Video Music Awards tribute to Ozzy Osbourne performing alongside Steven Tyler, Joe Perry and Nuno Bettencourt. Corgan notes that Yungblud’s star shines bright and expresses pride in lending The Smashing Pumpkins’ voice to “Zombie,” making the rendition as personal as possible to honor him in return.