YUNGBLUD participated in the Trying Not to Die podcast, hosted by Jack Osbourne , son of the late Ozzy Osbourne . In the conversation, the young artist – and current rising star – responded to criticism about his tributes to Ozzy, and also shared details about his relationship with the Osbourne family.
The musician performed Black Sabbath during the Back To The Beginning , earning praise from Ozzy himself, who commented: "He did a great job. I couldn't have sung better myself." Following this, YUNGBLUD delivered a moving tribute to Ozzy Osbourne alongside Steven Tyler , Joe Perry , and Nuno Bettencourt at the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs). Since then, the young artist has gained prominence in the rock scene, earning praise from Billy Corgan , who compared him to Elton John .
Although the tribute was acclaimed by many, some fans and musicians harshly criticized YUNGBLUD, for example, Dan and Justin Hawkins , vocalist and guitarist of The Darkness , who accused him of using Ozzy's legacy to promote his own career.
YUNGBLUD's relationship with the Osbourne family
During the conversation, Jack Osbourne addressed these criticisms [transcription via Yahoo ]: “After the VMAs, some rock stars started criticizing you. Like, 'Oh, he's just trying to gain influence. He's jumping on the Ozzy death bandwagon.' But I wanted to take this opportunity to talk about it. Because, as a family, we've talked about it, you've been so kind these past two months.”
Jack also talked about the Osbourne family's relationship with YUNGBLUD, who is Kelly Osbourne and developed a friendship with Ozzy Osbourne and Sharon Osbourne after the couple appeared in the music video for the single "The Funeral" in 2022.
Visibly emotional, Jack defends Yungblud: “But you got much more involved, and we respect that. You respected that, but those people didn’t know… Dom [ Harrison , Yungblud] meant something to my father. My father meant something to Dom. I texted him the night of the VMAs and, on behalf of the whole family, told him to ‘kill it’”.
YUNGBLUD responds to criticism and shows affection for Ozzy.
YUNGBLUD responded: “All I was trying to do was my best for my old man. Because he gave me such a great gift. And when people try to intellectualize a sense of spirit and six musicians on stage saying, ‘We love you so much, man,’ it’s just bitter and envious. They’re trying to insert themselves into a conversation to gain some kind of relevance because of our tribute to one of the greatest rock stars that ever lived.”
He continued: “I’m going to do it, and I’m going to channel it. I’m going to do your ‘Hahahas,’ I’m going to do your hands, I’m going to do your eyes, I’m going to use your cross, and I’m just going to do it, because what else are we going to do? I couldn’t sleep properly, so I texted your old man the night before, but I couldn’t. I literally said… ‘Tomorrow, I just want you to know that wherever you are, I love you and I’m going to give you everything I have.’”
The musician concluded: “You’ll never see James Hetfield badmouthing a young rock star. No, because he’s James Hetfield. You’ll never see your father badmouthing a rock star because they have nothing to prove. They don’t need to interfere in a conversation.”
YUNGBLUD recently released the single “My Only Angel” in collaboration with Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith . The track is part of the five-track EP, One More Time , which will be released on November 21st by Capitol Records .
READ ALSO: YUNGBLUD: Meet the artist who won over Ozzy Osbourne and Aerosmith
