With hits like “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?” and “Maggie May,” the raspy-voiced Rod Stewart has undoubtedly inspired countless young musicians who dreamed of being like him one day—including, apparently, a contemporary rockstar who looked up to the singer as if he were his grandfather.
…which is understandable, since that’s what his Nan told him.
Videos by American Songwriter
Rod Stewart Gave Grandfatherly Inspiration To This Rocker
English singer-songwriter Yungblud has been dominating the alt-rock scene since the release of his debut album, 21st Century Liability, and his sophomore follow-up, Weird! With a Billy Idol-like charisma, intense devotion to his fans, and plenty of quippy stories and rock ‘n’ roll charm up his sleeve, he’s become a chart-topping favorite around the world. And in a way, his career path makes sense, considering who he was looking up to for inspiration as a young child, thanks to his Nan.
“All me life growing up, me Nan told me that Rod Stewart was my granddad,” Yungblud confessed during a 2025 appearance on The Jonathan Ross Show. “She used to bathe me in a foot bath and tell me that me grandad was Rod Stewart. Me mom never had a dad, so she always used to put on, like, “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy,” and we’d dance around the kitchen. ‘Oh, this is your grandad. This is your grandad.’ And I fully believed it, ‘cause I was a child. I was like, ‘Oh, wow. Look at his leopard suits! I want to be like that one day.’”
Ever believe something that someone told you as a child, only to find out that it wasn’t true because of the reactions of the strangers or friends around you hearing this information for the first time? Yungblud has. As he recalled to host Jonathan Ross, he and his grandmother were in Asda when he noticed a Rod Stewart compilation CD next to the register. With tears in his eyes and CD in hand, he looked up at his Nan and asked when he would finally get to meet his grandfather.
“Everyone at the checkout is cracking up because they caught my Nana in a blatant lie,” Yungblud said.
The British Singer Took The Funny Story In Stride
As embarrassed as Yungblud (and his grandmother) might have felt waiting in line at the grocery store, the white lie Yungblud’s Nan told him wasn’t all bad. The “Abyss” singer might have been too young to catch his Nan’s tongue-in-cheek joke that referenced her crush on Rod Stewart. But it did set him off on a pursuit of art and creativity that would lead to his own time in the spotlight decades later. So, we’d say all’s well that ends well.
Sometime after Yungblud revealed this hilarious childhood story to the public, Stewart reached out to him directly over Instagram, writing, “All right me wee grandson.” The “You Wear It Well” singer also sent Yungblud a bottle of Wolfie’s, his blended scotch whisky. “[It’s] pretty good, actually,” Yungblud said.
Photo by WATFORD/Mirrorpix/Mirrorpix via Getty Images