Pop-punk pioneers Green Day lobbed a musical grenade in the form of their 1994 major label debut Dookie. Written primarily by lead singer-guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, the record raced to No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and won a Grammy for Best Alternative Album. Three days later, neither Armstrong nor his band have lost a step—and the “Basket Case” singer’s son, Jakob, is following in his father’s footsteps. The father-son duo recently teamed up for a cover of David Bowie’s wistful 1977 hit “Heroes,” featured in an official trailer for the historic 50th season of reality competition mainstay Survivor.
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Subtitled In the Hands of the Fans, the iconic season premieres Wednesday, Feb. 25, at 8 p.m. Eastern on CBS. But you can listen to the Armstrongs’ take on “Heroes” in the video below, which guides viewers through 25 years of clips from the seven-time Emmy-winning show.
This Marks the First Vocal Collab Between Jakob and Billie Joe Armstrong
Jakob, 27, is the younger of Billie Joe Armstrong’s two sons with wife Adrienne, with whom he tied the knot in 1994. In 2015, the 17-year-old and his band, Jakob Danger, released their self-titled debut EP.
Currently, Jakob Armstrong is the vocalist for alternative-indie outfit Ultra Q, formerly called Mt. Eddy. The band has released two albums, Chroma (2017) and Empty Eddy (2024).
Although the singer-guitarist is no stranger to performing, “Heroes” marks the first time that Jakob has recorded vocals with his father.
“It’s a tough song to do justice – I’m grateful for the opportunity to try,” he wrote on Instagram.
As a teenager, Jakob began recording music with his childhood friends, brothers Enzo (lead guitar) and Chris Malaspina (drums). Bassist Kevin Judd would join them later.
[RELATED: Green Day to Perform at Opening Ceremony Ahead of Super Bowl LX]
Like many children of world-famous musicians, Jakob Armstrong never set out to duplicate his father’s path. He tried college, but found he missed playing music after about a year.
“It’s DNA, I guess,” he told Total Guitar in 2023. “There was a time when I didn’t want to make punk music because my dad makes that type of stuff, but honestly, I don’t really care anymore. I’m doing what interests me and what’s going to keep me wanting to be in a band. There are absolutely going to be tracks that remind people of that, but it is what it is.”
Featured image by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Coachella
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