Lainey Wilson Posts Country Cover of YUNGBLUD’s ‘Zombie’ for Halloween on Instagram

Lainey Wilson celebrated Halloween by delivering a haunting, country-flavored rendition of YUNGBLUD's “Zombie,” sharing the performance with fans on Instagram. Sitting on a front porch with a red acoustic guitar, wearing a black fringe leather jacket and matching cowboy hat, Wilson gave the song a moody, stripped-back treatment. “In honor of Halloween…I've had this one stuck in my head lately,” she wrote in the caption.

YUNGBLUD, born Dominic Harrison, originally released “Zombie” on his 2024 album Idols. The British alt-rock artist has described the song's inspiration as deeply personal. 

“The song was written initially about my grandmother going through serious injury and trauma, leading her to become a different person to who she was before,” he said. “It's about the feeling of deterioration and ugliness; shutting out the world and the people we love out of the fear of becoming a burden or an embarrassment.” He added, “We all want someone or something to comfort us, no matter how we are right now or who we become in the future. But it's f**king scary.”

Wilson's version preserves the original's themes of turmoil and concealment while adding her Louisiana warmth and emotional grit. Her twangy singing adds an even more emotional sense of turmoil to the song, especially in the chorus, where she conveys the pain of having feelings for someone who is facing a more serious battle. 

This reinforces her capacity for bringing together numerous genres while still embodying a genuine country voice. There has been considerable acclaim for the performance in terms of emotional heft, not to mention the level of ambition at a cinematic level, which continues to support Wilson's developing reputation as a bold and fearless genre-fuser. Her use of acoustic instrumentation and a slow tempo enhances the song's spooky message while providing a rootsy texture.

The cover arrives as Wilson prepares to host the CMA Awards solo for the first time in 2025. She continues her major headlining tour through early November, concluding with a final show in Las Vegas in December. With her latest reinterpretation, Wilson demonstrates not only her musical versatility but also her readiness to push the boundaries of modern country music.