YUNGBLUD Says Turnstile, Knocked Loose And A New Wave Prove Rock Isn’t Dead

YUNGBLUD made his return to the spotlight this week with an appearance on The Howard Stern Show, roughly a month after stepping away from his planned 2025 touring schedule due to health concerns. During the visit, the multi-platinum artist sat down for an extended interview and delivered live performances of his original song “Zombie” as well as his acclaimed cover of Black Sabbath’s “Changes.”

That rendition of the 1972 classic — recorded earlier this year during the Back To The Beginning farewell celebration honoring Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath — has since earned a GRAMMY nomination for Best Rock Performance. The performance featured an all-star lineup, with Frank Bello (Anthrax) on bass, Nuno Bettencourt (Extreme) on guitar, Sleep Token drummer II, and longtime Ozzy collaborator Adam Wakeman on keyboards.

In recent years, YUNGBLUD has developed a close relationship with the Osbourne family, dating back to collaborations in 2022. During his conversation with Stern, he revealed that Ozzy Osbourne personally encouraged him to officially release the live version of “Changes” after seeing the overwhelmingly positive response. Recalling that moment, YUNGBLUD shared:

“He sent me a text message, he was like, ‘Hey — in multiple capital letters — have you fckin’ seen the reviews of your cover of “Changes”? You gotta fckin’ put it out man. Don’t read [the reviews], they’ll make your f*ckin’ head big. Much love, here when ya need me, Oz.’”

The interview also touched on a familiar industry debate: whether rock music still has a place in the modern mainstream. When Stern admitted he’s been feeling like rock has lost its relevance, YUNGBLUD pushed back hard on that narrative.

“Rock music is so brilliant, it gets its flowers in hindsight,” he explained. “It’s such a sacred genre that every dad says, ‘I don’t like that band. It sounds like something I knew as a kid.’ It always happens.”

Rather than pointing to a single artist as a savior, YUNGBLUD argued that the genre’s resurgence is happening across multiple scenes at once.

“People always say, ‘Who’s going to save rock and roll?’ That’s a load of bullsh*t,” he continued. “Hardcore: you’ve got Knocked Loose and Turnstile. Punk: Amyl And The Sniffers and Lambrini Girls. Indie: Fontaines D.C., Geese, Wunderhorse. It’s spherical at the minute.”

He added that his own goal on his latest material was to reintroduce theatricality and ambition to modern rock, even if that meant taking risks.

“I wanted to bring showmanship and adventure back — nine-minute songs in a 2025 way. And it was a f*cking risk, man.”

While rock and metal may not dominate the charts the way pop, hip-hop, or Latin music currently do, the genre has still enjoyed notable momentum in 2025. Albums from Sleep Token and Ghost both topped the Billboard 200, while bands like Deftones and Turnstile continue to grow their audiences through chart success and increasingly massive live shows — offering further evidence that reports of rock’s demise may be greatly exaggerated.

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