Singer Scott Stapp has some new music coming out and will go on tour soon after going through substance abuse issues and a public breakdown a decade ago.
The 50-year-old recording artist became massively popular in the late 1990s and early 2000s after releasing three consecutive multi-platinum albums with his band, Creed. The band broke up in 2004 as Stapp pursued a solo career, got back together in 2009, broke up once more in 2012, and reunited once again in 2023.
Stapp has been vocal about his struggles with mental health, alcohol and prescription drug abuse, and suicidal ideation. He told People Magazine in 2015 that he’d been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, which he called a “relief” because it helped explain some of the difficulties in his life.
In 2014, Stapp suffered a psychotic break. He posted a video of himself saying he was penniless and living in his truck, plus made several 911 calls to say people, including family members, were trying to kill him. He also threatened then-President Barack Obama in the videos.
Now the vocalist is embarking on another quest to make music, which he says is his purpose in life.
“I’ve gone through a pretty difficult period in life over the last four years,” Stapp told People during a recently published interview. “I’m hanging in there — just one hour at a time, one thing at a time. Taking little bites of the elephant and then just waking up again and doing it all over the next day. A lot going on, but all good stuff.”
“I feel compelled to create. It’s who I am,” he added. “So if I’m not doing it with Creed, there’s a void. I have to do it. There’s stuff in me as an artist and as a creative that I have to get out. Music is my method of doing that.”
Stapp’s new solo album, “Higher Power,” is being released Friday. Creed is scheduled to play several cruise festivals this summer before doing a stateside tour in the fall.
The singer also opened up to the outlet about some of the difficulties of his childhood and how he leaned into his Christian faith.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP
“I didn’t have a dad, and I wanted one so bad. I was sad and just a little boy, alone with a single mom who didn’t come home until late,” he told People. “And here we are today, with the highs and the lows and the journey that I’ve been on in my life. As long as I can keep centered in my faith and keep that as the center point in my life, things go right. Sometimes I kick myself and I say, ‘Man, why couldn’t I have figured this out earlier?’”