Taking home the Grammy for Best Rock Performance was a massive milestone for Yungblud. Naturally, he used his time at the mic to honor the immense influence Ozzy Osbourne had on that victory. The win was specifically for his live performance of the song “Changes” at the Back to the Beginning concert, a massive tribute to Osbourne and Black Sabbath held last summer. When he accepted the award, he was flanked by a heavy-hitting crew of musicians including Frank Bello of Anthrax, Nuno Bettencourt of Extreme, Adam Wakeman from Ozzy’s band, and II from Sleep Token.
Yungblud and Osbourne shared a deeply personal friendship. Since Ozzy passed away last July, claiming this specific award carried an incredibly heavy emotional weight for the young singer.
During his acceptance speech, Yungblud opened up about what the metal legend meant to him. He talked about growing up loving an idol who helped him figure out his identity as both a musician and a man. He explained how surreal it felt to go from looking up to Ozzy, to forming a real relationship with him, playing his final show, and now accepting an award connected to him. He looked out at the audience and shouted, “We fucking love you, Ozzy.”
He made sure to thank Sharon, Jack, Kelly, and Aimee Osbourne for the opportunity, along with everyone involved in the Back to the Beginning show. Pointing to the musicians sharing the stage with him, he noted that they represented six different generations uniting for the love of their genre, Black Sabbath, and Ozzy himself.
After thanking his crew and management, Yungblud spoke directly to the next generation. He declared his lifelong love for rock music and dedicated the trophy to the people at the local guitar shop he grew up in, as well as any kid sitting in a bedroom with a dream. He then issued a fierce warning, stating that rock music is making a massive return and telling pop music, “we’re gonna fuckin’ get ya.”
The most touching moment came when he shared a final personal memory. He recalled the last time he saw Ozzy, where the icon asked if there was anything he could do for him. Yungblud simply told him the music was enough. He shared that this sentiment will stand forever, adding that Ozzy will be standing with him every single time he feels nervous before a show. He wrapped up the raw speech with a powerful final thought: “God bless rock music and god bless fucking Ozzy Osbourne.”
While Best Rock Performance was his big victory, Yungblud had a strong showing across the rock categories at the 2026 Grammys. He was also up for Best Rock Song with “Zombie” and Best Rock Album for Idols. He ultimately lost the song category to Nine Inch Nails for “As Alive As You Need Me to Be” and the album category to Turnstile for Never Enough. Even with those losses, taking home the performance trophy is the perfect way to cap off an absolutely stellar year for the artist.
