Rock singer Yungblud has reflected on his tribute to the late Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne, one of his all-time heroes, at the rocker’s farewell show in Birmingham last month.
Speaking to The Independent ahead of the world premiere of his new documentary, Yungblud: Are You Ready, Boy?, the “Hello Heaven, Hello” singer, 28, praised Osbourne, who was a “constant presence” in his life.
“Ozzy was my North Star for everything I’ve ever done – he was a symbol of individualism and of being completely yourself without compromise,” the musician, born Dominic Harrison, said.
Osbourne died just weeks after the event in his hometown of Birmingham, where other legendary acts including Metallica, Guns N’ Roses and Alice in Chains came together to celebrate Black Sabbath’s legacy.
Yungblud was widely praised for his extraordinary cover of the Sabbath song “Changes”, with many Sabbath fans suggesting he had brought the heavy metal pioneer to the attention of younger generations.
He admitted to being struck by nerves before he walked onstage at Villa Park, where the event took place: “You’re walking out to 20,000 people who are probably gonna hate me or just not know [who I am]...” He said he was “genuinely surprised” by the positive reception to his performance.
He continued: “I think rock is a beautiful genre because it doesn't give its crown up easily – rock is all about musicianship and honoring what's come before. So I knew it was an opportunity to show the world how much I love rock and how much I love Ozzy Osbourne.”
Yungblud said he “couldn’t believe” that he was attending the premiere of his documentary, which was created with Emmy and Bafta-winning director Paul Dugdale.
The feature-length documentary was shot at the legendary Hansa Studios Building in Berlin, where David Bowie’s Heroes, U2’s Achtuny Baby! and other revered albums were made.
“[Paul’s] incredible,” Yungblud said of his director. “He fights for truth, and I wanted it to be this extended [behind-the-scenes] thing, rather than when you see 15 seconds of me on the internet.”
The pair spent some time together before shooting: “A lot of people don't know that I'm calm at points,” Yungblud said. “I think in this day and age, we don’t really know anyone at all - everything’s so edited and clipped. [But we] show the elements of insecurity and energy with me and my band.”
Are You Ready, Boy? is in cinemas worldwide on 20 and 24 August. Yungblud’s latest album, Idols, is out now.
