Doncaster's YUNGBLUD Takes "Zombie" Heavier With Smashing Pumpkins

Doncaster, England rocker YUNGBLUD opened 2026 by teaming up with The Smashing Pumpkins on a new, heavier version of his own song "Zombie," released January 2 with an official music video. It isn't a cover of The Cranberries' song of the same name: "Zombie" is a YUNGBLUD original from his 2025 album IDOLS, written with producer Matt Schwartz.

A Grammy-nominated song gets a second life

The original "Zombie" came out on May 30, 2025, as the third single from IDOLS, YUNGBLUD's fourth studio album. It went on to top Canada's Mainstream Rock chart, reach No. 6 on US Rock & Alternative Airplay and land a Best Rock Song nomination at the 68th Grammy Awards. YUNGBLUD has called it a ballad about feeling ugly and learning to fight that feeling, and has said it began as a song about his grandmother's serious injury and the fear of becoming a burden.

Its first video, also directed by Charlie Sarsfield, starred Florence Pugh as an NHS nurse.

What The Smashing Pumpkins add

The new take keeps most of the original's shape. YUNGBLUD carries the first verse and chorus, then Billy Corgan takes over vocals in the final minute and brings in the band's signature guitar wall. Matt Schwartz and Corgan produced the new version, and uDiscover Music reports it's the first time The Smashing Pumpkins have released a collaboration with another artist.

YUNGBLUD says the song was influenced by the Pumpkins' knack for mixing emotion, cinema and heavy guitars, and he points to their 1993 album Siamese Dream as a touchstone. Corgan, for his part, said it was fun to add the band's sound to a track that was inspired by one of their own songs, though he didn't name which one.

Inside the music video

Charlie Sarsfield returned to direct the new video, which features YUNGBLUD alongside The Smashing Pumpkins. Radio X describes the band performing in a graveyard setting, a moody fit for a song with that title.

How the collaboration happened

Corgan has been a public fan for years. In 2023 he praised YUNGBLUD after watching a live clip, comparing his evolution to Elton John's. The two met in July 2025 in Birmingham at Black Sabbath's farewell concert, where both paid tribute to Ozzy Osbourne. YUNGBLUD now calls Corgan a mentor, and he has said this version has more urgency than the original.

The release caps a busy run of rock collaborations for the singer, born Dominic Harrison. He also put out the One More Time EP with Aerosmith, which topped the UK Albums Chart, and "Wild Woman" with Lainey Wilson and Aerosmith in December 2025.

Quick answers

Is YUNGBLUD's "Zombie" a Cranberries cover? No. It's an original song by YUNGBLUD and Matt Schwartz from the 2025 album IDOLS.

When did the Smashing Pumpkins version come out? January 2, 2026, with an official music video.

Who directed the "Zombie" video? Charlie Sarsfield, who also directed the original 2025 video starring Florence Pugh.

Sources

uDiscover Music — "Yungblud Teams Up With The Smashing Pumpkins For New ‘Zombie’ Version"

Radio X — "The Smashing Pumpkins join forces with Yungblud to reimagine his Zombie single"

Wikipedia — "Zombie (Yungblud song)"