The Smashing Pumpkins and YUNGBLUD have joined forces for a brand-new version of Zombie.
Taken from last year’s Idols album, and up for Best Rock Song at the GRAMMYs on February 1, YUNGBLUD’s powerful anthem about his “grandmother going through serious injury and trauma” now features a huge guest spot from The Smashing Pumpkins.
YUNGBLUD first hung out with Pumpkins icon Billy Corgan last summer at the incredible Back To The Beginning show at Villa Park, and went on to invite the band to collaborate on Zombie – a song that Billy ‘indirectly inspired’.
“Siamese
Dream was an album that was there for me more than I could ever explain when I
was growing up, so to be making music with the band that created it is really quite
hard to comprehend,” he shares. “Billy has always been such a massive
inspiration to me but more recently a huge mentor of mine. His outlook on the
importance of truth in art is something that I’ve always held close to my
heart.
“Zombie is
the most important song of Idols to me. It’s deeply personal and it was heavily
influenced by The Smashing Pumpkins’ ability to mix emotion, cinema and heavy
guitars. I sent Billy an email, asking if he would re-imagine this song with me
and when he agreed to it, it was a dream come true. To watch one of my idols
work on something that I had written was one of the greatest honours of my
life. I love that this new version of Zombie is heavier, it has Billy Corgan’s
iconic guitar sound, it has more urgency and it rips my heart out. I’m so proud
of it.”
Billy enthuses that, “YUNGBLUD’s star shines bright, so it’s been great fun to lend our zig-zag voice to his Zombie which he’s said was inspired by one of our own. Hence the encouragement that we make this rendition as personal as possible and I’m proud to say we’ve done that; if only to honour him in return.”
Check it out: