Scott Stapp grateful for another chance: 'I know what it's like to have it and lose it all'

“Dude, it's one incredible year,” says Scott Stapp Advertising signdespite not even being a quarter of the way through 2024. His sentiment is understandable, though: after a decade of dormancy, Stapp's best-selling hard rock band Creed came back to life this year with a series of reunion shows which continue to increase due to excessive demand for tickets.

A four-night reunion cruise in April — first announced last July as Stapp, guitarist Mark Tremonti, bassist Brian Marshall and drummer Scott Phillips' first shows since 2012 — led to a second cruise, and both sold out quickly. Then, a months-long summer reunion trek, amphitheater shows set to begin in July, weren't enough to meet consumer demand, so Creed also planned an arena for the fall. And prior to these reunion shows, Creed experienced an online resurgence, thanks to viral remixesTikTok clips, World Series they sing and an appearance in a Super Bowl commercial.

More than two decades after their commercial peak (1999 Human Clay and 2001 Outdated have sold a combined 19.9 million copies, according to Luminate) and 10 years since they disbanded amid declining sales and audiences, Creed has suddenly never been cooler. A band that was once a critical punching bag is now no less a barometer for modern cool than Statement by SZA“I'll be a Creed fan forever.”

“So many positive things have happened already that it's just mind-blowing, in terms of the level of Creed's resurgence,” says Stapp.

Meanwhile, the wins have extended to Stapp's solo career: Superior powerhis fourth solo album, will be released via Napalm Records this Friday (March 15) and will be preceded by the highest-charting single of his career outside of Creed, the hard-hitting title track, which has climbed to No.12 on the Mainstream Rock Airplay and has earned 1.4 million streams to date, according to Luminate. Superior power is Stapp's most complete solo offering to date — snarling and energetic, but also admirably thoughtful, particularly on “If These Walls Could Talk,” a powerful meditation on the well-documented substance abuse issues of the past, created as a duet with Dorothy Martin of the hard rock band Dorothy.

Stapp, who kicked off a solo tour last night (March 10) ahead of its release Superior power, says support for Creed's solo album and reunion “has already exceeded all expectations.” Talk to you Advertising sign about what this encouragement means to him, personally and professionally. [Ed. note — this interview has been condensed for clarity.]

You've sold millions of albums and scored a ton of hits, and yet I have to imagine that the excitement surrounding this comeback represents a special kind of achievement for you.

I'm still trying to process it, to be honest with you. It's such a profound resurgence that it's an anomaly. But when I look back, I could see the build — you know, Creed was going viral online during COVID, and then it ramped up in 2021 and continued to happen in 2022. And so you could see the swelling of our music connecting with an entire generation – some of whom weren't even alive when we parted – and then reconnecting with those who were part of the journey back in the day.

And then to see it go through social media, to the World Series, to the Super Bowl — and then see the overwhelming response in ticket sales? It's just a lot to take in. It's all positive stuff, and so right now, we're just making sure we're all in a good place, we can ride that positivity and give the fans what they want.

You are releasing your fourth solo album before the Creed reunion. Never Superior power start dating?

I went into the studio and first started writing for this record in January of 2021. I didn't have a timeline and the whole Creed conversation wasn't even happening — I was just going to write a record and then refer to it when I was done. So I started writing then and I just went in when I felt inspired, when I felt like I needed to go get something off my chest or I needed to escape and use the creative process as a form of therapy.

The album came together as a direct reflection of my life — I was living it while I was writing it. And I was capturing the vocal performance right when the song was born, in the fire of emotion that gave birth to the song. A lot of times, you'll go back and re-watch the vocals and do things again. And it's really hard, I've found, to recapture some of that spirit that comes out when you're actually living it. And so with this record, I didn't try to do that: I captured it, I kept it, and I would continue to build the music around it. And I think it had a really powerful impact on the vibe of the record, because we were capturing lightning in a bottle with every song.

This certainly extends to “If These Walls Could Talk,” your duet with Dorothy Martin and one of the rare duets in your catalog.

The duo itself came together after the song was written. I recorded the vocals at first thinking it was just another song on my record, but after listening to it again I knew right away it needed a female vocal, it had to be a duet. So I continued my search, looking for the right female singer, [and being in Nashville now seven years, I thought that this song would possibly be my entry point into country music.

I did a weekend gig in Montana with Daughtry, and I was unfamiliar with Dorothy, who happened to be opening that show. We watched her perform, and I knew two or three songs in that that was the voice that needed to be on the song. She happened to be recording in Los Angeles with the same producer that I used on this record, Scott Stevens. I reached out to Scott for something about my record, and he said, “I’ll have to get back to you, I’m in the studio with Dorothy.” And I said, “Oh, dude, I just met her in Montana! Play her ‘If These Walls Could Talk’ and see if she’s interested!” He played her the song, and he wrote me back and said, “She’s in tears. She’s in.”

A couple of weeks later, I got the email with her performance on it, and when I listened to it, I knew instantly that my gut was right. Her performance just blew me away, and I think it really took the song next level. I think it’s really going to do what I had hoped for this song — help it reach more people, and connect with more people who can identify with that message, and let them know they’re not alone in the world.

You’re squeezing in a solo tour in March to support the album. Was that always the plan before the Creed shows?

There was no Creed reunion on the table when I was making this record — the only thing that I had on my radar was making a solo record and going on a solo tour. When the cruise conversations came up, I was still in the mindset of, “I’m doing a solo record.” But then the excitement kept building, and more conversations began to happen, and the next thing you know, we’ve announced two tours, an [amphitheater] guided tour and arena tour.

I remember having conversations with my team about it, and they kept telling me, “Hey, that's good, man. The vibes are so positive with you and the guys at Creed and a rising tide lifts all ships.” Everyone in Creed supports everyone's work outside of the band, so I see it as a win on the other side — a win for Creed and a win for my solo record.

It's been an ongoing year, between the solo tour, the Creed cruises, the amphitheater and then the arena. What do you do to prepare yourself physically and mentally?

Well, physically, I work out and train at least five days a week — I prepare my body and have been doing it for years, but I've only gotten stronger because of everything I've been through. And mentally, I'm just trying to stay focused and grounded and focused on my faith. I know that when I walk right, in my spiritual life and in my faith, good things happen. When I get out of it, bad things happen.

But it will still be challenging, and I'm approaching it like a marathon. You can't go into something like it's a sprint or burn out. So you have to take those moments for yourself when you need them. It's okay to rest. It's okay, some days when you have nothing to do, you clean your plate and take a mental and physical time out to regroup. I think at this point in my life, I know what to do. And I'm lucky to have people around me who support me and encourage me, and are there to help me navigate as well, because there's no point in trying to do it alone.

What's it been like texting back and forth with the other Creed guys as more shows are announced and viral moments emerge?

Overwhelming, in a good way. All our correspondence and all our interactions have been nothing but good vibes. Everyone wants everyone else to win and everyone is excited to get back on stage. We're just going to ride that wave and really appreciate it in a whole new way. Because you know, especially from my perspective, I know what it's like to have it — and I know what it's like to lose it all. And so, this adventure is just walking with full appreciation and gratitude and respect, and just trying to cultivate and nurture relationships. Because you never know when he might leave again.