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Apple Music: Watch Electric GRAMMY Rock Performances

Dave Grohl

Photo: John Shearer/WireImage.com

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Apple Music: Watch Electric GRAMMY Rock Performances

Rock out with Bruce Springsteen, the Foo Fighters, Arcade Fire, White Stripes, and more, by watching past jamming GRAMMY performances on Apple Music

GRAMMYs/Jan 22, 2018 - 08:59 pm

The GRAMMY Awards do indeed rock. Need the high-octane proof? You'll find it in a special curated batch of great rock moments from Music's Biggest Night, featuring the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Metallica and the White Stripes to the Police, Melissa Etheridge and the Foo Fighters.

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Thanks to the Recording Academy and Apple Music's exclusive commemorative video collection in celebration of the 60th GRAMMY Awards, you can now binge-watch these amazing GRAMMY telecast performances.

The collection features metal band Metallica's slammin' 1989 version of their anti-war opus "One" at the 31st GRAMMY Awards. For a quieter performance, catch Beck at the 39th GRAMMYs for his "Where It's At." And who could forget Bob Dylan's Soy-Bombed performance of "Love Sick" at the commemorative 40th GRAMMY Awards?

There's Bruce Springsteen's uplifting performance of "The Rising" at the 45th GRAMMY Awards, along with Coldplay and the New York Philharmonic's sonically masterful rendering of "Politik" the same year. Marking a signature moment, the 45th GRAMMYs also featured a super group of rock royalty paying tribute to the Clash, with Springsteen, Elvis Costello, Dave Grohl, Steven Van Zandt, and Tony Kanal presiding over "London Calling."

At the 46th GRAMMYs, the White Stripes played their now-classic "Seven Nation Army." Representing the female bada**es of the genre, Joss Stone and Melissa Etheridge teamed for a medley of "Crybaby/Piece Of My Heart" at the 47th GRAMMY Awards.

The Police shone the red light on the 49th GRAMMY Awards when they performed their classic hit "Roxanne." The next year, at the milestone 50th GRAMMYs, the Foo Fighters got down and dirty for a performance of "The Pretender." Arcade Fire showed what they were made of at the 53rd GRAMMY Awards with "Ready To Start."

The Lumineers turned the genre on its head with a little alternative flare when they performed "Ho Hey" at the 55th GRAMMYs. That same year, the Black Keys hooked up with the inimitable Dr. John and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band for "Lonely Boy."

Imagine Dragons literally lit the stage on fire at the 56th GRAMMYs with Kendrick Lamar for an explosive reimagining of "Radioactive." Rounding out the collection is Alabama Shakes' earthshaking version of "Don't Wanna Fight" at the 58th GRAMMY Awards.

All of these performances and more are available now, only on Apple Music. Watch on Applemusic.com/GRAMMYs.

The 60th GRAMMY Awards will take place at New York City's Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Jan. 28. The telecast will be broadcast live on CBS at 7:30–11 p.m. ET/4:30–8 p.m. PT. 

Full 60th GRAMMY Awards Nominations List

 

Gary Clark, Jr. On 'JPEG RAW': How A Lockdown Jam Session, Bagpipes & Musical Manipulation Led To His Most Eclectic Album Yet
Gary Clark, Jr.

Photo: Mike Miller

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Gary Clark, Jr. On 'JPEG RAW': How A Lockdown Jam Session, Bagpipes & Musical Manipulation Led To His Most Eclectic Album Yet

Gary Clark, Jr.'s latest record, 'JPEG RAW,' is an evolution in the GRAMMY-winning singer and guitarist's already eclectic sound. Clark shares the process behind his new record, which features everything from African chants to a duet with Stevie Wonder.

GRAMMYs/Mar 18, 2024 - 01:10 pm

Stevie Wonder once said "you can’t base your life on people’s expectations." It’s something guitarist and singer Gary Clark, Jr. has taken to heart as he’s built his own career. 

"You’ve got to find your own thing," Clark tells GRAMMY.com.

Clark recently duetted with Wonder on "What About The Children," a song on his forthcoming album. Out March 22, JPEG RAW sees Clark continue to evolve with a mixtape-like kaleidoscope of sounds.

Over the years, Clark has ventured into rock, R&B, hip-hop blues, soul, and country. JPEG RAW is the next step in Clark's eclectic sound and sensibility, the result of a free-flowing jam session held during COVID-19 lockdown. Clark and his bandmates found freedom in not having a set path, adding elements of traditional African music and chants, electronic music, and jazz into the milieu.

"We just kind of took it upon ourselves to find our own way and inspire ourselves," says Clark, a four-time GRAMMY winner. "And that was just putting our heads together and making music that we collectively felt was good and we liked, music we wanted to listen to again."

The creation process was simultaneously freeing and scary.

"It was a little of the unknown and then a sense of hope, but also after there was acceptance and then it was freeing. I was like, all right, well, I guess we’re just doing this," Clark recalls. "It was an emotional, mental rollercoaster at that time, but it was great to have these guys to navigate through it and create something in the midst of it."

JPEG RAW is also deeply personal, with lyrics reflecting on the future for Clark himself, his family, and others around the globe. While Clark has long reflected on political and social uncertainties, his new release widens the lens. Songs like "Habits" examine a universal humanity in his desire to avoid bad habits, while "Maktub" details life's common struggles and hopes. 

Clark and his band were aided in their pursuit by longtime collaborator and co-producer Jacob Sciba and a wide array of collaborators. Clark’s prolific streak of collaborations continued, with the album also featuring funk master George Clinton, electronic R&B/alt-pop artist Naala, session trumpeter Keyon Harrold, and Clark’s sisters Shanan, Shawn, and Savannah. He also sampled songs by Thelonious Monk and Sonny Boy Williamson.

Clark has also remained busy as an actor (he played American blues legend Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis) and as a music ambassador (he was the Music Director for the 23rd Annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor).

GRAMMY.com recently caught up with Clark, who will kick off his U.S. tour May 8, about his inspirations for JPEG RAW, collaborating with legendary musicians, and how creating music for a film helped give him a boost of confidence in the studio. 

This interview has been edited for clarity.

You incorporated traditional African music on JPEG RAW. How did it affect your songwriting process?

Well, I think traveling is how it affected my songwriting process. I was over in London, and we played a show with Songhoy Blues, and I was immediately influenced. I was like, "dang, these are my musical brothers from all the way across the world." 

I always kind of listened to West African funk and all that kind of stuff. So, I was just listening to that in the studio, and just kind of started messing around with the thing. And that just kind of evolved from there. I was later told by Jacob Sciba that he was playing that music trying to brainwash me into leaning more in that direction. I thought we were just genuinely having a good time exploring music together, and he was trying to manipulate me. [Laughs.]

I quit caring about what people thought about me wanting to be a certain thing. I think that being compared to Jimi Hendrix is a blessing and a curse for me because I'm not that. I will never be that. I never wanted to imitate or copy that, no disrespect. 

You’ve got to find your own thing. And my own thing is incorporating all the styles of music that I love, that I grew up on, and [was] influenced by as a pre-teen/teenager. To stay in one space and just be content doing that has never been my personality ever…I do what I like.

I read that you play trumpet at home and also have a set of bagpipes, just in case the mood strikes. 

I used to go collect instruments and old cameras from thrift stores and vintage shops and flea markets. So, I saw some bagpipes and I just picked them up. I've got a couple of violins. I don't play well at all — if you could consider that even playing. I've got trumpet, saxophone, flutes, all kinds of stuff just in case I can use these instruments in a way that'll make me think differently about music. It'll inspire me to go in a different direction that I've maybe never explored before, or I can translate some of that into playing guitar. 

One of my favorite guitarists, Albert Collins, was really inspired by horn players. So, if you can understand that and apply that to your number one instrument, maybe it could affect you. 

Given recent discussions about advancements in AI and our general inundation with technology, the title of your album is very relevant. What about people seeing life through that filter concerns you? Why does the descriptor seem apt?

During the pandemic, since I wasn't out in the world, I was on my phone and the information I was getting was through whatever social media platforms and what was going on in certain news outlets, all the news outlets. I'm just paying attention and I'm just like, man, there's devastation

I realized that I don't have to let it affect me. Just because things are accessible doesn't mean that you need to [access them].  It just made me think that I needed to do less of this and more of being appreciative of my world that's right in front of me, because right now it is really beautiful.

You’ve said the album plays out like a film, with a wide range of emotions throughout. What was it like seeing the album have that film-like quality?

I had conversations with the band, and I'd expressed to them that I want to be able to see it. I want to be able to see it on film, not just hear it. Keyboardist Jon Deas is great with [creating a] sonic palate and serving a mood along with [Eric] "King" Zapata who plays [rhythm] guitar. What he does with the guitar, it serves up a mood to you. You automatically see a color, you see a set design or something, and I just said, "Let's explore that. Let's make these things as dense as possible. Let's go like Hans Zimmer meets John Lee Hooker. Let's just make big songs that kind of tell some sort of a story." 

Also, we were stuck to our own devices, so we had to use our imagination. There was time, there was no schedule. So, we were free, open space, blank canvas.

The album opens with "Maktub," which is the Arabic word for fate or destiny. How has looking at different traditions given you added clarity with looking at what's happening here in the U.S.?

I was sitting in the studio with Jacob Sciba and my friend Sama'an Ashrawi and we were talking about the history of the blues. And then we started talking about the real history of the blues, not just in its American form, in an evolution back to Africa. You listen to a song like "Maktub," and then you listen to a song like, "Baby What You Want Me to Do" by Jimmy Reed…. 

The last record was This Land, but what about the whole world? What about not just focusing on this, but what else is going on out there? And we drew from these influences. We talked about family, we talked about culture, we talked about tradition, we talked about everything. And it's like, let's make it inclusive, build the people up. Let's build ourselves up. It’s not just about your small world, it’s about everybody’s feelings. Sometimes they're dealt with injustice and devastation everywhere, but there's also this global sense of hope. So, I just wanted to have a song that had the sentiment of that.

I really enjoyed the song’s hopeful message of trying to move forward.

Obviously, things are a little bit funky around here, and I don't have any answers. But maybe if we got our heads together and brainstorm, we could all figure something out instead of … struggling or suffering in silence. It's like, let's find some light here. 

But part of the talks that I had with Sama'an and his parents over a [video] call was music. He’s from Palestine, and growing up music was a way to connect. Music was a way to find happiness in a place where that wasn't an everyday convenience, and that was really powerful. That music is what brought folks together and brought joy and built a community and a common way of thinking globally. They were listening to music from all over the world, American music, rock music, and that was an influence.

The final song on the album, "Habits," sounds like it was the most challenging song to put together. What did you learn from putting that song together?

Well, that song originally was a bunch of different pieces, and I thought that they were different songs, and I was singing the different parts to them, and then I decided to put them all together. I think I was afraid to put them all together because we were like, "let's not do these long self-indulgent pieces of music. Let's keep it cool." But once I put these parts together and put these lyrics together, it just kind of made sense. 

I got emotional when I was singing it, and I was like, This is part of using this as an outlet for the things that are going on in life. We went and recorded it in Nashville with Mike Elizondo and his amazing crew, and it's like, yep, we're doing it all nine minutes of it.

You collaborated with a bunch of musicians on this album, including Naala on "This Is Who We Are." What was that experience like?

Working with Naala was great. That song was following me around for a couple of years, and I knew what I wanted it to sound like, but I didn't know how I was going to sing it. I had already laid the musical bed, and I think it was one of the last songs that we recorded vocals on for the album. 

Lyrically, it’s like a knight in shining armor or a samurai, and there's fire and there's war, and this guy's got to go find something. It was like this medieval fairytale type thing that I had in my head. Naala really helped lyrically guide me in a way that told that story, but was a little more personal and a little more vulnerable. I was about to give up on that song until she showed up in the studio. 

"What About the Children" is based on a demo that you got from Stevie Wonder. You got to duet with him, what was that collaboration like?

Oh, it was great. It was a life-changing experience. The guy's the greatest in everything, he was sweet, the most talented, hardworking, gracious, humble, but strong human being I've been in a room with and been able to create with. 

I was in shock when I left the studio at how powerful that was and how game changing and eye-opening it was. It was educational and inspiring. It was like before Stevie and after Stevie.

I imagine it was also extra special getting to have your sisters on the album.

Absolutely. We got to sing with Stevie Wonder; we used to grow up listening to George Clinton. They've stuck with us throughout my whole life. So, to be able to work with him and George Clinton — they came in wanting to do the work, hardworking, badass, nice, funny — it was a dream. 

Stevie Wonder and George Clinton are just different. They're pioneers and risk takers. For a young Black kid from Texas to see that and then later to be able to be in a room with that and get direct education and conversation…. It's an experience that not everybody gets to experience, and I'm grateful that I did, and hopefully we can do it again.

In 2022, you acted in Elvis. What are the biggest things you've learned from expanding into new creative areas?

I really have to give it up to a guy named Jeremy Grody…I went to his studio with these terrible demos that I had done on Pro Tools…and this guy helped save them and recreate them. I realized the importance of quality recordings. Jeremy Grody was my introduction to the game and really set me up to have the confidence to be able to step in rooms like that again.

I played some songs in the film, and I really understood how long a film day was. It takes all day long, a lot of takes, a lot of lights, a lot of big crews, big production.

I got to meet Lou Reed [while screening the film] at the San Sebastian Film Festival, and I was super nervous in interviews. I was giving away the whole movie. And Lou Reed said, "Just relax and have fun with all this s—." I really appreciated that.

Do you have a dream role?

I don't have a dream role, but I do know that if I was to get into acting, I’d really dive into it. I would want to do things that are challenging. I like taking risks. I want to push it to the limit. I would really like to understand what it's like to immerse yourself in the character and in the script and do it for real.

You're about to go out on tour. How will the show and production on this tour compare with the past ones?

We're building it currently, but I'm excited about what we got in store as far as the band goes. There are a few additions. I've got my sisters coming out with me. It's just going to be a big show.There's a new energy here, and I'm excited to share that with folks. 

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Get To Know Benson Boone, The "Beautiful Things" Singer & Rising Pop-Rock Sensation
Benson Boone performs at KIIS FM's K-Pop Village at KCON LA in August 2023.

Photo: Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images

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Get To Know Benson Boone, The "Beautiful Things" Singer & Rising Pop-Rock Sensation

As Benson Boone's erupting smash "Beautiful Things" continues to dominate Billboard's global charts, GRAMMY.com rounded up seven things to know about the budding star, from his reality TV roots to his rock star mentor.

GRAMMYs/Mar 15, 2024 - 08:25 pm

Benson Boone's swift rise to stardom has been a beautiful thing to witness. Over the past three years, the Monroe, Washington native has gone from viral TikTok influencer to one of Gen Z's most promising pop talents.

Remarkably, the 21-year-old pop-rock artist didn't even discover his voice until he reached high school, after his best friend asked him to play the piano in their school's battle of the bands competition and the singer dropped out at the last second. Boone found himself filling in, an impromptu decision that would unwittingly alter the course of his entire life.

"It's just like I unlocked something I didn't know I had," he mused recently to MTV. "And I stopped, like, halfway through the first verse and just looked around, and I was so shocked that I had just sang…It was, like, the best feeling of my life."

Cut to the present day, and Boone's voice has helped him soar to the top of multiple Billboard charts. His latest single "Beautiful Things," a desperate prayer of a love song that pinballs between warm, folksy verses and a rollicking chorus reminiscent of Freddie Mercury's electrifying vocals, has positively exploded since its January release. Boone's breakout hit has spent six consecutive weeks in the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 3 as of press time and topping both of Billboard's global charts for multi-week runs.

"My life has changed dramatically since the song came out," Boone reflected earlier this month in a sit-down with Variety. "It's so, so, so insane to me that this is happening. I'm trying so hard to formulate words. I have so much trouble processing it all right now…But when I sit back and look at what's happening, it really, truly blows my mind. Because it's something a lot of people dream of, and [I'm] one of those people."

Benson is steadfast in building on the runaway success of "Beautiful Things," too. The singer/songwriter's forthcoming debut album is expected some time later this year, and his just-announced Fireworks and Rollerblades World Tour kicks off April 3 in Chicago, with legs in North America, the U.K., Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

As Boone's rise to superstardom continues, GRAMMY.com rounded up everything you need to know about the buzzy star-in-the-making, from his brief stint on reality TV to the A-list rocker who's taken him under his wing.

He's A Proud "American Idol" Dropout

Before he became a rising star on the charts, Boone initially attempted to get his start in music on "American Idol." During Season 19, the then-18-year-old auditioned for the reality show with a piano-playing cover of Aidan Martin's 2017 single "Punchline" after producers came across his videos online.

Boone's jaw-dropping audition earned a standing ovation from judges Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan before Katy Perry confidently declared, "They're gonna swoon over Benson Boone." All three judges were baffled to learn that the teenager had only discovered his obvious musical talent the year before, and the "Roar" singer doubled down on her praise by predicting, "I'm gonna tell you something that you may not believe. But if you believe it, it might happen…I see you winning 'American Idol' if you want to."

"That is the biggest compliment I've ever gotten, thank you," a starstruck Boone replied. However, by the time Hollywood week rolled around, the fresh-faced teenager had apparently decided he didn't want to win the long-running reality competition, and withdrew after advancing to the Top 24. 

"The reason I quit 'American Idol' is because I wanted to do music," he explained a couple of years later during an appearance on The Zach Sang Show. "I don't want people to be like, 'Oh, Benson Boone, 'American Idol' blew him up. Like, that's where he comes from. No. I want to be Benson Boone 'cause I write smash hits and they love my music…I just didn't want that label on me."

He Has A Bonafide Rock Superstar For A Mentor

Part of Boone's success as a solo artist can be attributed to Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons, who came across the young talent and personally signed him to Night Street Records, the rock singer's own Warner Records imprint that has also boasted K.Flay on its exclusive roster, in 2021. 

"We sign artists so rarely at Night Street — it was one of those moments where you know you have no choice," the frontman told Billboard at the time Boone inked his record deal. "That's how I felt when I first sat in a recording booth with Benson. I'm excited for the world to get to know him the way I have these last months."

Since then, Reynolds has also served as a sort of industry mentor figure for Boone, as the burgeoning rocker explained in a 2023 interview promoting the release of his EP Pulse. "He makes you feel comfortable in your own skin, he's very gifted in that way," Boone told iHeartRadio Canada. "So working with him has been incredible, and him taking time for an artist very much smaller than him is just…he's a very kind soul. 

"I think that the main thing that he's taught me is that in this industry, everybody wants something different from you," he continued. "Everybody has a different outlook on yourself than you actually do. And regardless of what that is, you are the leader of your own career and your own life. You have to do things that make you happy, write music that you want to be writing, releasing things that you're proud of…He's just taught me to stick to my gut and just follow my own dreams."

His Earlier Singles Pack An Emotional Punch (No, Seriously, Grab Some Tissues)

The runaway success of "Beautiful Things" may have earned Boone's legions of newfound fans in the last two months, but it's actually not his biggest song on streaming platforms (at least just yet). Before his soul-baring folk-rock anthem was burning up charts around the world, the singer released his debut single "Ghost Town" and heartbreaking follow-up "In The Stars," both of which are included on his debut 2021 EP Walk Me Home… (As of press time, the former has more than 336 million streams on Spotify, and the latter has a whopping 617 million.)

Another smoldering torch song, "Ghost Town" became Boone's first official entry on the Hot 100 after it was released in October 2021. "Maybe you'd be happier with someone else/ Maybe loving me's the reason you can't love yourself/ Before I turn your heart into a ghost town/ Show me everything we build so I can tear it all down," he laments on the soaring chorus over a running piano line and booming, orchestral percussion.

On the heels of "Ghost Town," Boone then penned "In the Stars" in 2022 about the death of his beloved great-grandma. "That kind of loss can be more emotional and heartfelt than a relationship," he told Genius about the song's tender meaning. "I wanted to write about something that was real. It's something I've never really talked about or dealt face to face with. Songwriting is very new to me, and so I'm still learning that process of figuring out how to cope with something through a song. And I think this is kind of where that starts for me." 

Other pre-"Beautiful Things" tracks worth checking out in Boone's quickly blossoming discography include the addictive TikTok smash "Sugar Sweet," wistfully upbeat bop "Coffee Cake" and the introspective "What Was."

His Stage Presence Is Downright Acrobatic

Boone may be a relative newcomer in the music industry, but he's already developed a magnetic stage presence at his packed live shows. In fact, one of his signature tricks on stage is landing a backflip mid-song without so much as missing a beat.

To tease his upcoming world tour, the singer posted a clip of himself in late January belting out "What Was" in front of an ecstatic crowd. In the video, he impressively nails a flip before effortlessly transitioning right into the power ballad's bombastic climax, wailing, "Let me/ Start over/ The moment that I left you in tears/ Is a mem'ry that will haunt me for years/ And years and years and years and years."

"My dad is 49 years old and still backflips, I get it from him," the singer confessed to Australian outlet The Project on his first trip Down Under in the fall of 2022. "I always thought he was, like, the coolest…but yeah, I've been flipping since I was, like, four and it's just always been my thing."

He Has Roots In Mormonism

Boone grew up in small-town Washington as the only boy in a Mormon family with four sisters. He's never really spoken publicly about growing up in the clean-cut, high-demand religion, but he actually briefly attended Brigham Young University—Idaho, the Mormon university in Rexburg, for a semester before pausing his education to focus on music.

Mormonism is a trait he coincidentally shares with his mentor Reynolds, who's been outspoken throughout his career about his Mormon background and actually got kicked out of Brigham Young University around the same time he formed Imagine Dragons. 

While Boone grew up outside the "Book of Mormon Belt" — the geographic area that radiates from Mormonism's Salt Lake City headquarters to include parts of Idaho, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, Wyoming and even southern Alberta, Canada — his Mormon roots have shown up in his music in subtle ways. He even filmed the official music video for "Beautiful Things" against the majestic backdrop of the red rock bluffs outside St. George, Utah (which just so happens to be this writer's hometown!).

He Serves As His Own Creative Team

Boone's creative side extends beyond the realm of music: he's also a talented artist who often draws the cover art for his own singles. When "Ghost Town" was released in 2021, he showed off his skills by sketching the song's artwork for Spotify's Today's Top Hits — even admitting it was his first time attempting to draw a self-portrait with charcoal.

"I've always loved drawing and painting," Boone said of his artistic flair in a 2023 interview, also noting that he designs all his own merchandise. "I get that from my dad…My dad's, like, a crazy artist, he's so good. And so it's kinda just always been something that I've done."

He's An Avid Rollerblader

As the name of his upcoming Fireworks and Rollerblades World Tour would suggest, Boone is both a self-proclaimed adrenaline junkie and has a not-so-secret passion for rollerblading. In fact, the singer's TikTok feed is littered with videos of himself landing tricks, stunts and, of course, flips on wheels in between the requisite promo material teasing new music like his upcoming single "Slow It Down," footage from live shows and other viral TikTok content.

What other tricks does Benson Boone have up his sleeve for the rest of 2024? Judging by his meteoric chart success thus far, the world is eagerly waiting to find out.

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Creed's Scott Stapp On New Solo Album 'Higher Power,' Sobriety & Being "A Child With No Filter"
Scott Stapp

Photo: Matt Akana

interview

Creed's Scott Stapp On New Solo Album 'Higher Power,' Sobriety & Being "A Child With No Filter"

In an in-depth interview, Creed's Scott Stapp discusses being a survivor, recommitting to God, and his bludgeoning, cathartic new solo album, 'Higher Power.'

GRAMMYs/Mar 15, 2024 - 08:08 pm

Scott Stapp prefers Zoom with the camera off, but for a minute, he flips it on to say hello. The Creed frontman reveals himself to be alone on his tour bus, in near complete darkness, encased in a black hoodie.

"You look like a Jedi," his rep quips in an adjacent Zoom window. "They're training me," Stapp quips back.

Twenty-five years ago, this might be a breeding ground for his inner hellhounds, his unprocessed torments — as he sang, his own prison. But a sweatpants-clad Stapp looks relaxed, grounded, rooted; after this interview, he's eyeing a nap in the belly of this beast.

Stapp is a vocal proponent of recovery culture, and his language is permeated with it — God, squaring up with your ego, taking it one day at a time. "Some of us, we're so allergic to alcohol, so allergic to drugs," Stapp explains, "that when we use them, we break out in handcuffs and end up on the six o'clock news. And that's been my story, no doubt."

You can Google these stories; they're out there. While he's in no mood to recapitulate details to the press — who would be? — his new solo album, Higher Power, out March 15, directly addresses everything he's been through.

The title track begins with the line, "Forty feet down falling/ Headfirst off the edge" — and, well, that happened. (The rapper T.I. saved him, not knowing who he was at the time; Stapp later called him his "guardian angel.") By the chorus, Stapp frames what followed as a resurrection: "The day that I died was the day I came back to life."

At the zenith of Creed's career, Stapp pleaded "Can you take me higher?"; on Higher Power, this request seems to have been greenlighted. Which doesn't mean he has a messianic complex; Stapp doesn't project a shred of solipsism. He's just doing what he's meant to do.

"I don't pay attention to what's going on or try to follow trends, try to write to ride a wave or to catch something that's hot in the moment," he says.

What can he say? He's just Stapp — the same he's ever been, with a new album, a reunited Creed (who are about to head on tour) and a new lease on life.

This interview has been edited for clarity.

The song "Black Butterfly" is a great reminder that recovery isn't a one-and-done thing. It's a continuum, with peaks and valleys. Can you talk about that?

Well, it's absolutely a continuum and I think it not only applies to sobriety, but I think it applies to growth as a human being in general in every aspect of your life.

Just as we try to evolve…it is always five steps forward, three steps back. As long as you're continuing to move forward and learning from every setback, that's where true growth happens.

"Black Butterfly" represents so much, and I don't really want to get into the details of every aspect of what that song meant to me. Clearly, it involves a rebirth, but there's many contextual layers on that song in terms of the depths of the rebirth and what rebirths I'm talking about. But if we want to apply that to sobriety, there's definitely a continual process of cocooning and rebirthing.

Relapse has been a part of my story. It's not a part of everybody's, but it's been a part of mine. And each time that I have, I've definitely learned where a chink in my armor was that I was unaware of.

I also learned that I can't ever get overconfident. I can't ever think I've got it. I have to always stay on guard and continue to take it one day at a time and be vigilant. And then as time goes on, you get into a place where it becomes a lifestyle and a routine.

I'm glad you're on the good foot.

I just continue to grow, man, and take it one day at a time and know that God is doing a work in me in such a profound way, not only through my sobriety, but through my spiritual life.

One thing that you learn in recovery is the key to sobriety is the condition of you as a spiritual being. And for me to finally make that connection and tie it back to the roots of my faith  — that really kind of put a bow and an icing on top of the cake, because everything started making sense.

I've always been interested in spirituality, but we live in a relentlessly anti-spirit world. How do you keep that antenna up when we're all deluged by the "make money and shut up" attitude?

It's a daily commitment to wake up and get into prayer — from my perspective as a Christian, getting in the word of God. Reading, surrounding myself with other like-minded people who do the same thing, as we edify and help each other grow in the spiritual walk that we have together.

When you embrace it and you make it a part of your lifestyle, surround yourself with people who have the same passion, drive, and heart in seeking that, then it creates the perfect storm for spiritual growth. And I'm fortunate to have that around me right now.

Scott Stapp 2004

*Scott Stapp performing with Creed in 2003. Photo: Chris Trotman/Getty Images for NASCAR*

When Creed were on top of the world in the early 2000s, I'm sure your Christian ethics were completely at odds with everything going on around you.

Oh, 100 percent. And I also had this inflated, youthful ego; I thought I could handle it on my own, and didn't have any support around me. And you live and learn.

I help younger artists now who are going through similar situations and entering this business and let them know how important it is to surround yourself with support. And for those that don't have family, like I didn't, we really create a team.

Because this is a gift that we have — this career in music — and we can become so easily dismantled and it can be robbed from us by the trappings that come along from success and the temptations of the world. We're blessed with this opportunity to be creatives for a living. And so to nurture that, cherish it, protect it, look at it with professionalism and gratitude.

For those that don't have an issue with having a few drinks every now and then, do it on your off days. But when it's showtime and when it's a workday, look at it that way — with a vigor and passion of someone who's trying to be the best at what they do with their craft in their job.

That way, you can preserve it and it can be long-lasting, and you won't shoot yourself in the foot with self-sabotage.

Higher Power is such a production bulldozer. Can you talk about crafting the sound of it?

I was just creating those songs with my guys that I write with, in real time, as I was feeling inspired. I was trying to stay true to what I do, how I feel, and just continue to try to lyrically and sonically create cinematic pieces of art.

Fortunately, by the way that it was created, there was a theme and each song kind of bled into the other and were held together by a singular thread — which was the impact that God, my higher power has had in my life throughout the ups and the downs and was always there even at my darkest times.

And I think I addressed that in Higher Power. It's resounding with them in its sonic presentation and lyrical narrative.

You said you're looking to "create cinematic pieces of art." What role does the cinema play in your life? Do you think of great rock songs as being akin to mind movies?

No, I think I refer to that more in terms of how I'm creating the picture, not necessarily any reference points on any films. I'm trying to create something cinematic. I'm trying to create something that when it's heard, well, hopefully when someone connects, paint a picture in their mind of an experience and not only just connect with them on a personal level.

I think that's something I've always tried to do lyrically since I started writing songs. Since my first professional record in 1997, with My Own Prison, I think it's just been a part of the way that I create. And I think I really wanted to intentionally focus on that, in terms of the production and the music beds that went around the themes that I was talking about.

And I definitely think we did. I think my producers, Marti Frederiksen and Scott Stevens, captured that. I'm proud of what we did, and I feel that this is my best solo work to date.

And I've got a song I'm very proud of. It's a duet that I did with the Rock Queen herself, Dorothy, which will be out this Friday. And I'm very excited to share that song and everything that's coming with it because I think it's just a centerpiece of this record and a theme that really is what this album is: the walls talking.

The first line of "Higher Power" reflects a very traumatic event in your life; I don't need to recite it back to you. You're a very candid and honest cat.

I mean, if you go back to 1997 and you listen to "My Own Prison," that's probably one of the most personal and confessional songs I've ever written. That's the only way that I know how to write. That's the only way that the inspiration, the creativity comes out of me.

I bear my soul. I talk about my flaws, my weaknesses, my failures, the dark times. I just speak what's in my heart. I mean, I think that's probably a part of being a child with no filter. And that's kind of translated into how I write lyrics. I just say how it is and how I see it, how I'm observing it, how I'm experiencing it.

And call it what you will, but I call it my style. However you want to interpret that is cool. And I appreciate that you hear the vulnerability and the honesty in that because that's where it comes from.

I remember the early 2000s as a highly macho world — of raunchy comedies, shock jocks, getting called the f-slur on the playground. In the hard rock world of that time, I'm sure vulnerability was steamrolled over.

Well, I know that we came out with a song called "One Last Breath" in 2002, which was clearly a cry for help and vulnerability. So, I don't think I was paying too much attention to what was going on around me and what other people were doing. I never really have, I just do what I do.

And so it was kind of the antithesis of what you just described. You're talking about this macho era, and I'm writing lyrics, "Please come now, I think I'm falling/ I'm holding onto all I think is safe/ I think I found the road to nowhere, and I'm trying to escape."

I don't pay attention to what's going on or try to follow trends, try to write to ride a wave or to catch something that's hot in the moment. I really don't pay attention to the outside world.

That seems to be a throughline of your career.

To be honest with you, I'm a bit of a recluse. And when I was younger, I kind of romanticized that loner poet sitting under a tree, writing lyrics in a book, observing the world around him.

And I guess, looking back, that wasn't so much of a romantic approach, but more of just who I was and me trying to come to grips with it and accepting that that's who I am and being comfortable with it.

I think sobriety and clarity has helped me become comfortable with it — because I think that part of the reason I overindulged at times is because I never really felt comfortable around crowds. I never really felt comfortable around groups of people and socializing and mindless conversation and chit-chat. I think that's fine and that's great for other people, but it never really worked for me.

So, it's nice to be in a place in life all these years later, where you find your tribe and you find the people that speak your language, and are like-minded, and feel comfortable and safe there.

Scott Stapp Performing 2023

*Scott Stapp performing in 2023. Photo: Jerry Kingwell — Revelry Studios*

Back then, the mean-spirited humor about Creed couldn't have jibed with your psychological state. These days, you take it all in good fun, but back then, it must have been like poison.

You know, it didn't line up with what we were experiencing. It was a media narrative that was created. I can't look back and say that there were times where it didn't hurt and where I didn't understand. You've got stadiums on hold and you're selling out every arena in America, but then you're reading articles that you're this hated band, and it's just not lining up.

And we didn't have social media to talk back and correct things that were said. Not that I would even do that now, or waste my time.

I definitely feel that some of that did affect me in a negative way, and I didn't handle it appropriately. I would actually say that some of it probably caused some trauma, and the only way I knew how to do that was numb the pain.

We're in a different place now. We've got much thicker skin, and know what's important in life, and know whose opinions matter. But when you're young and that happens, it definitely has a profound impact on you. And I think was a big contributing factor — one of the reasons the band split up. I mean, there were others, but it was kind of a domino effect.

All in all, you seem to be in a really healthy and positive spot. Where do you want to go from here?

Right now, I'm in the moment. The album hasn't come out yet. I feel like we're at the very tip, tip, tip of the iceberg on this record. We've got the Creed stuff in between, and something tells me in my heart that this album's really going to be making continual impact all the way through 2025.

I'll be doing some solo touring and promotion in between the Creed stuff along the way, and then I look at 2025 as a continuation of the Higher Power tour and promotion.

Not to be clichéd, but I think the best is yet to come for this record, and we're at the beginning. So, I'm just taking it one day at a time, man.

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Everything We Know About Twenty One Pilots' New Album 'Clancy'
Twenty One Pilots

Photo: Ashley Osborn

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Everything We Know About Twenty One Pilots' New Album 'Clancy'

Three years in the making, Twenty One Pilots are returning with their seventh album, 'Clancy.' Take a look at all of the details they've revealed so far, including the release date and track list.

GRAMMYs/Feb 29, 2024 - 10:57 pm

In a year that's seeing the return of alt-rock gods Kings of Leon, Vampire Weekend and the Black Keys, Twenty One Pilots are ready to join the party, too.

The GRAMMY-winning rock duo announced on Feb. 29 that their seventh studio album, titled Clancy, will arrive in May via Fueled By Ramen. Along with unveiling the project's cover art and lead single, "Overcompensate," Twenty One Pilots declared in the first teaser that "a new chapter begins" with Clancy which will also bring a close to the ever-evolving narrative they started in 2015 with Blurryface.

Below, get all of the details Twenty One Pilots have revealed about Clancy.

It's Arriving On The 9th Anniversary Of Blurryface

Clancy will be released on May 17, which is a special day in Twenty One Pilots land. On that day in 2015, the duo released their now multi-platinum breakthrough album, Blurryface. (May is also seemingly a favorite month for the pair, as Clancy marks their third May album release; their last LP, Scaled and Icy, arrived on May 21, 2021.)

The First Single Is Here

A few hours after announcing Clancy, Twenty One Pilots unveiled the album's lead single, "Overcompensating." After a nearly two-minute synth intro that builds over a racing beat, the song sees singer Tyler Joseph return to his signature rap-inspired delivery. Its swirling production and echoing vocals feel reminiscent of Trench — but more on that later.

It Has 13 Tracks

Though the duo didn't post the Clancy track list, the song titles can be found on Apple Music. Kicking off with "Overcompensate," the track list is as follows:

1. Overcompensate 
2. Next Semester 
3. Midwest Indigo
4. Routines In The Night
5. Backslide 
6. Vignette
7. The Craving (Jenna's Version)
8. Lavish
9. Navigating 
10. Snap Back 
11. Oldies Station
12. At the Risk Of Feeling Dumb
13. Paladin Strait

It Takes Fans Back To 'Trench'

Despite the fact that TOP's first album teaser noted that "a new chapter begins" with Clancy, the cryptic clip proclaimed, "I am returning to Trench. I am Clancy." As the duo's fans know, Trench is the name of their 2018 LP; the project was the most conceptual and ambitious album to date, which could mean the same for Clancy. (In fact, the bridge of "Overcompensate" even features two references to two Trench tracks; "Welcome back to Trench" mirrors the outro of Trench track "Levitate," followed by lyrics taken from the bridge of "Bandito.")

Perhaps uncoincidentally, the red, yellow and black cover art vaguely calls back to the Trench cover art, which featured a smoky yellow color and a vulture.

It's The Finale To An Album Series

A press release revealed that Clancy "marks the final chapter in an ambitious multi-album narrative" which kicked off with Blurryface in 2015. What that means for the Twenty One Pilots' future is unclear, but neither their posts nor the release noted that it's their final album altogether.

It'll Be Available In Many Formats

For those who still love to buy physical albums, Twenty One Pilots have quite the array of options. Clancy will be available in a variety of physical formats, including two limited-edition deluxe box sets, four vinyl variants with additional retailer exclusives, an exclusive CD and Journal Book, and a Cassette and Photocard Wallet. 

You Can Pre-Order It Now

If any of those pique your interest, you can head to Twenty One Pilots' official store, as everything is already available for pre-order. You can also pre-save/pre-add the album on streaming services to stay up to date as the pair continues to take fans deeper into the world of Clancy.

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