Yungblud’s Grammy win for Best Rock Performance didn’t just honor a song—it crowned a moment when rock’s past, present, and future collided on the same stage. The British firebrand took home the award for his live rendition of Changes, originally by Black Sabbath, performed during the 2025 Back to the Beginning tribute. It was a raw, reverent reimagining of a song that first appeared on Sabbath’s 1972 album Vol. 4, transformed into something fiercely modern without losing its emotional core.
Stripped of distortion but heavy with feeling, Yungblud’s performance leaned into vulnerability rather than volume. His voice was haunting, guttural, and unguarded hovering between grief and gratitude, carried by an all-star lineup that underscored the weight of the occasion. Backing him were bassist Frank Bello, guitarist Nuno Bettencourt, keyboardist Adam Wakeman, and drummer II. The group joined Yungblud onstage to accept the Grammy alongside Sharon Osbourne, a visible reminder that this was as much about lineage as it was about performance.
“You do not expect to be up here and then you fucking are, so it’s wild,” Yungblud said during his acceptance speech, visibly overwhelmed. For an artist who has worn his influences openly—often loudly—this recognition felt deeply personal. “To grow up loving an idol who helps figure out your identity, not only as a musician but as a man, is something I’m truly grateful for,” he continued. “But then to form a relationship with them and honor them at their final show…we’re finding it so strange to comprehend.”
He went on to thank the Osbourne family before reflecting on the broader meaning of the performance, noting that “six generations of rock musicians [who] came together in the name of our genre, in the name of SABBATH and in the name of Ozzy Osbourne.” For Yungblud, rock isn’t nostalgia—it’s inheritance. “I deeply love this genre. It’s all I’ve ever known,” he said.
The speech crescendoed into a rallying cry. “We want to dedicate this, and I want to dedicate this, to everyone in the guitar shop I grew up in and everyone in a guitar shop or a bedroom with a dream. Rock music’s fucking coming back. Watch out, pop music, we’re gonna fucking get you.”
His closing words landed like a benediction. “The last time I saw Ozzy Osbourne, you asked me if there’s anything you could do for me…The music was enough…You’ll be with me every time I’m nervous and on stage at every show. God bless rock music and god bless fucking Ozzy Osbourne.”