Billy Corgan Compares Yungblud to Legendary Musician, Singer Reacts

Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan compared Yungblud to a legendary musician during a new episode of his podcast and the singer said his mind was blown by it.

Yungblud was the latest guest on Corgan's show The Magnificent Others. During the conversation, the musicians spoke quite a bit about Yungblud's transition from pop to rock 'n' roll, which prompted Corgan to share which legendary musician he associates the rising star with.

Who Does Billy Corgan Compare Yungblud To?

"This is the person that I most compare you to... Elton John," Corgan said. "And what I mean by that is you can sing pop, you can sing a ballad and that crowd will go with you. You could do a 'Tiny Dancer'-type song and it would feel great and credible but you can also sing rock."

Corgan noted that John is one of the only artists who started out making pop songs and piano ballads and then successfully crossed over into the rock world — and became more popular in doing so.

"It was this kind of piano man stuff and that was of the time. But when he went rock is when he really exploded," the vocalist continued. "That shows you why Elton John hit that other level and why he was a stadium act and not just a big pop act."

He believes Yungblud's performance at Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath's "Back to the Beginning" concert, where he sang "Changes," was what proved to the world that he's capable of the type of transition John had in his career.

Yungblud, "Changes" at Back to the Beginning 2025

How Did Yungblud React to Billy Corgan's Elton John Comparison?

Yungblud agreed with Corgan's comparison and said it blew his mind because he has experienced an uptick in popularity since he decided to tap into his rock roots in his music.

"Because it goes to a deeper level and I think that's what's kind of beautiful," Yungblud reasoned.

"I'm a kid from a guitar shop whose education was T. Rex, [David] Bowie, Sex Pistols, The Exploited, The Clash moving to me finding NWA, shoegaze, bands like you and Public Enemy and everything myself, who dreamt about it. Then the guitar shop is almost like the graveyard of rock stars who tried. And to end up here? I feel like I'm seven again in my dad's shop."

READ MORE: Yungblud's Authenticity, Success + Connection With Rock Legends - Interview

He summed up his thoughts by sharing that he's happy people are paying attention to him now that he's transitioned into rock 'n' roll because that's the music that has always inspired and been inside of him.

Yungblud Credits Billy Corgan for Inspiring Him to Go Rock

Earlier in the conversation, Yungblud recalled seeing Corgan appear as a guest on an episode of Allison Hagendorf's podcast and commented on his voice.

"Honestly, you were such a massive part of that turning point," Yungblud acknowledged. "When you hear someone you look up to, an idol you look up to, go, 'I think it's time for him to sing, I think it's time for him to do a rock album'... I was like, 'Oh, finally I can really lean into [that].'"

The rocker said that moment was like a "comet" that hit him and Corgan said he was "touched" by it.

Check out Corgan's full podcast episode below.

The Music Icon Billy Corgan Compares Yungblud To (And Why)