Yungblud Addresses Haters on ‘Rolling Stone Uncut’ Podcast

The Rolling Stone Uncut podcast is back for 2026 and joining the first episode of the year is none other than English superstar, Yungblud.

The Doncaster-born singer songwriter, who is currently in the midst of his Australian tour, joined the podcast ahead of his show at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena last week.

On this episode, Yungblud talks to Editor-in-Chief Neil Griffiths about a whirlwind few months since the release of his latest album, IDOLS, last year, which included him performing at Black Sabbath’s final concert in Birmingham and the death of music legend and mentor Ozzy Osbourne just two days before the record dropped.

The 28-year-old also spoke openly about the divisive reaction to his place in rock and roll music.

Watch or listen to the full episode below.

Reaction to IDOLS and death of Ozzy Osbourne after Black Sabbath concert

I really knew that this album was full of unfiltered truth and emotion on a scale that I think was adherent to the first album… I knew that we were sitting on something deep that wouldn’t be instant, but would take people a second to potentially understand, because it was such a departure from my old sound.

I’m really still trying to unpack what happened last year,… to honour one of my biggest heroes, my biggest idols… I walk out on stage to probably the toughest audience – Black Sabbath fans, 50,000 of them, and sing that.

I always got a lot of stick and [Ozzy] would almost kind of be the picture in my fucking book that I would look at. To know him and after writing an album like that, almost about him… t’s just something I’m still trying to comprehend.

Receiving praise from legends like Billy Corgan and Aerosmith and criticism from others in the rock scene

When people say ‘to fit in rock,’ that is the most un-rock and roll thing ever. Rock music isn’t supposed to be a gate-kept boys club. And it became that. That’s why it was being suffocated and boring and so adherent to the past. We have to allow young people to pioneer something, or at least try to give this thing a heartbeat. The worst thing that happened to rock was that you were getting ridiculed for the reference point. From 2005 onwards, Oasis sounded like the Beatles, and they fucking loved that. They wore that as a badge of honour. Kurt Cobain loved John Lennon. It’s a beautiful fucking thing, and people ridicule it for it, and it just sucks…

My biggest fear is that they get deterred from pursuing a career in it by some old, bitter cunt on the internet.

Navigating the sudden criticism

My vibe is I am the next iteration of myself, you know what I’m saying? I love rock music. I grew up in a guitar shop. There’s a picture of me, 6 hours old, on my dad’s counter with a Beatles ukulele across my knee in my fucking car seat. Rock music is my blood, and I love it deeply.

I don’t give a shit about what fucking slogan people are placing upon me, good or bad. I love the genre, I’m excited for the genre. It’s finally fucking rearing its head again because it’s spherical and there’s 40 fucking artists running as fast as they can.