Yungblud has vowed to cover BLACK SABBATH‘s classic song “Changes” at every one of his concerts in honor of Ozzy Osbourne.
On Thursday, July 24, the British singer, songwriter and musician — whose real name is Dominic Harrison — shared an Instagram post where he revealed his plans to play the 1972 track each night “for the rest of my life” following the Osbourne‘s death on Tuesday, July 22 at age 76.
“I’m trying to compute the last couple days and honestly I’m absolutely fucking shattered,” the 27-year-old Yungblud, who performed “Changes” at Osbourne‘s final concert with BLACK SABBATH at Villa Park in Birmingham, United Kingdom on July 5, wrote. “You have been my North Star for everything for as long as I can remember from when I was misunderstood as a child to the way people thought I was just a little ‘too much’ or ‘strange’ in my life and career.
“I owe so much to you, your wife and your family — you all gave me a road to run down and supported me when people would turn their nose up.
“You loved life so much and you adored music. It was your smile man. You taught me it was beautiful to be out of the box.
“I promise you with all my heart I will try my best and make it my life’s journey to keep the sprit that you started and what you have taught me alive. I will give it my best shot.
“To sing this song for you at an event surrounded by legends inspired by you to a crowd that loved you was truly my life’s greatest honour and I vow to play this song every night for the rest of my life.
“You’re my hero in every regard. I hope you’re up there [h]avin’ a drink with [late Ozzy guitarist] Randy [Rhoads].
“For the prince of darkness you sure brought all the light to the world. I love you Ozzy.”
The day of Osbourne‘s death, Yungblud paid tribute to Ozzy, writing on Instagram: “I didn’t think you would leave so soon the last time we met you were so full of life and your laugh filled up the room. But as it is written with legends, they seem to know the things that we don’t.
Yungblud continued: “I will never forget you – you will be in every single note I sing and with me every single time I walk on stage. Your cross around my neck is the most precious thing I own. You asked me once if there was anything you could do for me and as I said then and as I will say now for all of us the music was enough. You took us on your adventure – an adventure that started it all.”
“I am truly heartbroken. You were the greatest of all time,” he concluded.
Earlier in the month, Yungblud posted a video capturing a tender moment between him and Ozzy, taken ahead of BLACK SABBATH‘s farewell concert at Villa Park in Birmingham, United Kingdom. Speaking about the significance of the moment, Yungblud said: “Back in 2022 on the video shoot for ‘The Funeral’, Ozzy gave me his gold cross and said, ‘I hope this brings you luck.’ I thought, on this monumental moment for him and SABBATH, it was time for me to return the favor and let him know what he and the band means to me.”
At the July 5 concert, Yungblud sang a version of “Changes”, backed by EXTREME‘s Nuno Bettencourt on guitar, ANTHRAX‘s Frank Bello on bass, SLEEP TOKEN‘s II on drums and BLACK SABBATH/OZZY OSBOURNE touring keyboardist Adam Wakeman on keys. The original version of “Changes” appeared on SABBATH‘s fourth album, “Vol. 4”, released in 1972.
Earlier this year, Yungblud spoke to Louder about the video shoot for “The Funeral”, the lead single from his self-titled third album, which featured a cameo from Ozzy, as well as a guest appearance from Ozzy‘s wife and manager Sharon Osbourne.
“A lot of people compare me and Ozzy,” Yungblud said. “Not our music, ’cause that’s different, but I believe we have this unfiltered fucking thing that is hard to put your finger on.
“If you can be completely truthful, people aren’t going to get it, and then they’re gonna get it,” he continued. “For a period you’re gonna be loved, and for a period you’re gonna be hated. And Ozzy was, like, ‘That’s the journey. When you look back at it at 70, that’s the fucking fun bit. You look back at it and go, ‘Fucking hell, that was mad,’ or ‘that was a rough time’, or ‘that was a great time.’ And he said, ‘You don’t want to live your life censoring it, or don’t be a rock star.’ He said, ‘You get this opportunity because you are not afraid to say the things other people will be. So when you stop fucking doing that, you ain’t a rock star anymore.'”
“That shit hit me like a ton of bricks,” Yungblud concluded. “Because, fuck, yeah!”
As an artist and songwriter, Yungblud lives to stir up the raw energy of rebellion. With his frenetic take on alt-pop equally inspired by punk, hip-hop, and U.K. garage, Yungblud makes brilliant use of his breakneck flow and tongue-in-cheek attitude, delivering pointed lyrics without ever getting heavy-handed.
Born in Yorkshire, Harrison first picked up a guitar at age two and began writing his own songs when he was ten. At 16 he moved to London, then spent the next few years struggling to define his musical vision. But after reconnecting with the firebrand artists that first compelled him to make music — THE CLASH, ARCTIC MONKEYS, N.W.A. — he felt unstoppably inspired. That inspiration lead to the eventual release of his 2017 debut, “King Charles”. Since then, Yungblud has created his own blend of alternative rock: poetry, guitar-hooks and break-beats with a fierce determination to make a dent in pop culture.
