Yungblud’s name has been buzzing for a while now, but after his stand out performance at Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath’s farewell concert, people are paying more attention to him now more than ever.
Whether or not you’re into his sound - credit where credit’s due. The young lad is certainly carving out a place in rock’s modern narrative. And somehow, he’s built a surprisingly close friendship with one of music’s most famous icons, Ozzy Osbourne.
So, who exactly is Yungblud and how did he go from an underground misfit to someone Ozzy has essentially adopted as one of his own?
Let’s start from the beginning, eh?
Yungblud, whose real name is Dominic Harrison, was born in 1997 in Doncaster, UK. He first broke onto the music scene in 2018 with 21st Century Liability, a debut album that leaned into alt-pop and hip-hop rhythms, with a bit of punk energy and a political bite.
Over the next couple years, he continued to release music and collaborations, also appearing on various soundtracks, which saw him lean more into more indie-rock, pop punk and punk grit sounds.
As his career progressed, especially post-2020, his music began to lean harder into alt-rock and punk-rock territory, with bigger guitar riffs, band arrangements and a more live-performance ready feel. He experimented with genres, but his music continued to explore identity, mental health, non-conformity and the struggles of growing up feeling like an outsider.
By now, Yungblud had built a loyal, global fanbase, and he clearly knew how to connect with them. Whether it was through his candid lyrics, chaotic live shows, or emotionally charged covers, he found a way to make misfits feel seen.
Around this time, big names in the industry started taking notice. Foo Fighters’ frontman Dave Grohl called him the “future of rock ’n’ roll” in 2022. Not long after, Mick Jagger invited Yungblud to a Rolling Stones show in Liverpool and even gifted him a guitar backstage.
This year (2025), the release of his album Idols saw Yungblud lean harder into his rock sound. The record feels louder, more focused, and maybe even a little more grown up - but without losing that restless, chaotic spark he’s always had.
So how did Ozzy Osbourne and Yungblud meet?
Ozzy Osbourne and Yungblud first crossed paths in 2022 during the filming of Yungblud’s music video for The Funeral, in which Ozzy made a cameo appearance alongside Sharon Osbourne.
Behind the scenes, the two hit it off. According to NME, Yungblud opened up to Ozzy about some of the hate he had received online, in particular, social media users labelling him as ‘disrespectful’ for spitting beer into the crowd at his gigs.
“I was speaking to him about what happened on Twitter, and he said, ‘If you want to spit beer on the audience, do it, as long as you do it with love’,” Yungblud told NME.
“People think [Ozzy] is kind of… gone, but he’s not,” Yungblud also said. “He’s so intelligent and so fucking beautiful. People are scared of him until they hear him speak.
“He said that he saw a lot of himself in me. He said, ‘Never apologize for anything. They will understand you later. Time always tells.’”
Since that first meeting, Yungblud stayed in touch with Ozzy and ended up getting to know the rest of the Osbourne family as well. By 2024, he was close enough to appear as a guest on The Osbournes Podcast, where the chemistry between them was pretty clear.
Yungblud at Back to the Beginning
The young musician really proved himself when he delivered an incredible cover of Ozzy Osbourne’s 1993 song Changes at Black Sabbath’s Back to the Beginning gig earlier this month (July 5).
It’s pretty hard to argue that the young musician doesn’t have pipes and a great stage presence. But his performance wasn’t the only thing that caught people’s attention online after the gig.
In a video posted to social media, Yungblud can be seen gifting Ozzy a stainless steel cross necklace. As it turns out, Ozzy had previously gifted Yungblud a cross, which he’s been wearing ever since.
“I made you something,” Yungblud said in the video. “Obviously you gave me your cross and I wanted to return the favor.”
Ozzy, who looked touched by the gift, told Yungblud, “Oh my god, this is fucking unbelievable… That’s really good, thank you,” before he gave the young artist a hug and kiss on the cheek.
“Thank you for everything man. It’s a fucking honor, man. The whole city’s going mad,” Yungblud says, before Ozzy jumps in to tell him, “You got a no. 1 album? Good for you. Conquer America next. Just keep going. Don’t give in.”
Moments later, Ozzy told Yungblud, “If there’s anything we can ever do for you…” to which Yungblud interjected, “You know what, the fucking music was enough. Thank you so much, honestly. You gave me a fucking outlet. Everyone thought I was too fucking mad and I was like, nah man, I’m like Ozzy.”
The video certainly captured the closeness and mutual genuine respect the two have for each other.
We’re keen to see where Yungblud goes from here. What a lad.
