- 2026-01-05
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MUSIC
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YUNGBLUD & The Smashing Pumpkins Team Up for New Version of “Zombie”
British singer-songwriter YUNGBLUD teamed up with American alt-rock band The Smashing Pumpkins to release a new version of “Zombie” on January 2, 2026.
This marks the first collaboration between YUNGBLUD and The Smashing Pumpkins.
Across three decades, The Smashing Pumpkins never worked with another artist on records that weren't their own.
The reimagined track is accompanied by the Charlie Sarsfield-directed music video.
They recorded the track in The Smashing Pumpkins' hometown Chicago.
The original version of the song was released as the third single from his fourth studio album “Idols” last May.
It was written by Dominic Harrison and Matt Schwartz. The reimagined track was produced by Matt Schwartz and Billy Corgan.
YUNGBLUD was nominated for Best Rock Album for “Idols”, Best Rock Song for “Zombie” and Best Rock Performance for “Changes” at the 2026 Grammy Awards.
YUNGBLUD said of the collaboration with The Smashing Pumpkins, “When 'Zombie' came along, I knew I wanted to do a new version if it. I was like, 'Billy, please help me scratch this itch. I want this record to dig in harder.' There still needs to be an almost Jekyll and Hyde element, there needs to be the version that's full of light and full of life and optimism, but then there needs to be this dark version that is pessimistic and a little bit bitter and a bit aggressive.”- YUNGBLUD said of the song, “Siamese dream was an album that was there for more than I could ever explain when I was growing so to be making music with the band that created it is really quite hard to comprehend. I first found the smashing pumpkins through 'I am one' from their fist album Gish but Siamese dream was a piece of art that really changed my trajectory and shaped me. 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. I made the decision to embark on making 'idols' after he talked about me in an interview. He said 'all that kid needs to do now is block out the noise and do what he wants.'”
He continued, “People may know that I started my new album 'Idols' four years ago however I was dissuaded from finishing it. They told me it was too off the wall and wouldn't work today. 'Idols' became this project that was truly a part of me, but I never knew if it would see the light of day after but after watching Billy's interview, I told everyone to fuck themselves and started the process of finishing the album the next day. 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.” -
He added, “When this song was nominated for a Grammy, I was truly shocked and I believe the coolest thing about the modern industry is a song doesn't have stay as one thing. It doesn't have to remain the first iteration of it that you released. Songs can have a new lives, new versions and new meanings. 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. I flew straight to Chicago and we started a couple days later. To watch one of my idols work on something that I had written was one of the greatest honours of my life and to watch Jimmy Chamberlain (your favourite drummers favourite drummer) play on it was just mind blowing. 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.”
The Smashing Pumpkins' frontman Billy Corgan told NME about the song, “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 honor him in return.”
Photo by Tom Pallant - source : Apple Music
