Yungblud Recruited The Smashing Pumpkins To Reimagine 'Zombie'

By Editorial Staff | Published: Jan 01, 2026 1:57 PM EST

Yungblud says that his hit song "Zombie" was inspired by The Smashing Pumpkins, so it is only natural that he teamed up with Billy Corgan to record a new heavier version of the track that he will be releasing on January 2nd along with a music video.

The origins of the new collaboration was revealed by Yungblud in a just published interview with Loudwire. He shared, "When I was making 'Zombie,' I was really channeling Siamese Dream.

"It was really the sadness and the melancholic emotion mixed with the aggression of Billy's f***ing guitars ... Billy, as a songwriter, was really at the forefront of my inspiration when I was making this album. When 'Zombie' came along, I knew I wanted to do a new version if it."

He said that he originally wrote the song as heavier than the version that was ultimately released and he changed it so that it would not sound too much like the Smashing Pumpkins, but always wanted to do a heavy rendition and he knew just who to call to make that happen.

"I called Billy and 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." Fans can hear the results at midnight tonight.