Creed, the critically maligned, platinum-selling rock group of early-2000s fame, is in the midst of an unexpected renaissance. “Higher†became the Texas Rangers’ unofficial anthem on the way to their 2023 World Series win; SZA recently shouted them out in an interview (“That shit is bomb! Why do you all hate it so much?â€); and they even showed up in a 2024 Super Bowl commercial. Once the butt of butt-rock jokes, it seems the band has finally turned the page on its reputation as an overly earnest, quasi-preachy riff monster. “All these viral moments started happening, and we suddenly saw a swell of new love from our core fan base all the way to a generation that wasn’t even born,†during our commercial peak, singer Scott Stapp says in amazement.
Stapp is the first to admit Creed’s rise was an unusually fast one. In the months following its independently released 1997 debut, My Own Prison, the Florida band was selling out amphitheaters across the country; its follow-up, Human Clay, topped the charts and sold more than 20 million copies worldwide. But outsize record sales did little to mollify critics, and fame soon took its toll on Stapp, who went through his share of personal challenges, including a yearslong drug addiction, assault charges, and homelessness. After the band disbanded in 2012, he kept a relatively low profile, finally getting sober in 2014 and releasing a pair of solo albums.
This summer, Stapp and his Creed bandmates (guitarist Mark Tremonti, bassist Brian Marshall, drummer Scott “Flip†Phillips) will revisit their late-’90s apex by headlining a much-hyped reunion tour. Stapp says they toyed for years with the idea of getting back together, but decided to officially reunite after a resurgence of interest in the group became too palpable to ignore. “The tidal wave started coming in and more opportunities started getting offered to the band,†he says. But first, Stapp is releasing new solo music, with his fourth album, Higher Power, out March 15. To hear him tell it, the reemergence of Creed in his life is both surprising and a bit overwhelming. “I thought 2024 was going to be a full year of solo touring and promotion of the Higher Power album,†Stapp says. “But God had another plan.â€
Song whose meaning has changed to most for him
I could say that about quite a few songs. “With Arms Wide Open†would be one of those. My hope in that song was to not pass down certain things that had unfortunately been done to me in my life. Being a father of four and now a grandfather, I didn’t want to pass down physical abuse, psychological abuse, emotional abuse, drug addiction — all the challenges I had when I was a kid. Now every time I sing it, I connect with it like it’s the first time. It’s like I have a more expanded knowledge of what I was talking about at 25 as opposed to 50.
Same with “One Last Breath.†When those lyrics were written, I thought I had reached a low. I hadn’t even reached close to a low; that was pediatric-level low. When I sing that song now as opposed to 2001, there’s just so much more life experience I’ve lived. When you get to the chorus, I say, “Sad eyes follow me / But I still believe there’s something left in me.†And holding on to that hope, no matter what, has been the story of my life. It’s the only thing that’s ever worked.
Even “Higher.†This was a song written about heaven. Mark reminded me that I wrote the chorus as a freestyle during a show. I kind of had a download during the set in front of thousands of people. I came off tour as I was crafting the verses during a time when I was really trying to explore myself as a spirit being. Now, at this stage in my life, understanding the realities of the world that I was so naïve to when I was younger, I have a different perspective. In my youth, I’m crying out to heaven to “take me higher.†Today, it still has that same meaning, but it also has evolved into having this 24,000-foot astronaut view. I’m seeing things pretty clearly at this point in my career.
Hardest album to make
Without a shadow of a doubt, the new solo album. Mainly because of what was going on in my life at the time: I had injuries — both knees, both elbows, some I don’t even want to share — and other family members had medical crises. The studio is my safe haven. But everything around me was getting in the way of recording. It was a bit of an obsession that, no matter what came my way, I was going to get in there and do it. I really felt like it was a fight. There were times I was in the studio on crutches. Looking back, I’m like: How did I even muster up the ability to get out what was in me at the time? I think it made for a very powerful record that captured the struggle and the journey I was on.
Best part of recording Human Clay
The majority of that record was written on the road during sound check. We only had ten songs on My Own Prison, and we instantly started out as a headliner. Having only ten songs to play wasn’t going to cut it. That wasn’t even an hour. So we had to create on the fly. We were introducing these new songs to our fans as we were writing them at sound check just so we could meet our contracted set time. And then we got off that tour, and the experience in creating that record was incredible. We were given so much love and support and freedom by Alan and Diana Meltzer, the owners of our label, Wind-Up Records. We were allowed to be artists. We rented a big house. We had our producer, John Kurzweg. And we just jammed. It was a beautiful experience. Same with Weathered. We had no financial worries. All we had to worry and think about was just being artists.
The moment he knew Creed had made it
There are so many. I mean, selling out Madison Square Garden, opening the 2002 Olympics live on NBC, playing on top of the Rio for the Billboard Awards. Saturday Night Live, walking by the dressing room with Angelina Jolie and Billy Bob Thornton and realizing you’re in the same space as those people. Also, Human Clay went diamond around the same month Joshua Tree went diamond. It blew my mind that we did it in two years, and it took at least a decade for an album I thought was one of the greatest of all time. And that’s still sinking in. That’s still hard to process.
Most difficult song to sing
I was fortunate to have an incredible producer in John Kruzweg. He said, “Scott, I got a feeling you’re going to be singing these songs for a long time, so let’s put them in a key that’s not going to kill your voice.†I wish I would have followed his advice on my solo records because I’ve got a lot of solo songs that are very taxing. On a couple Creed songs, like “One Last Breath,†I’ve got to hit an A that’s at the peak of my range. But as a whole, the Creed songs aren’t taxing on my voice. They’re right in my pocket.
Solo song that could have worked as a Creed single
“Great Divide†and “Surround Me†would have really gone far as Creed songs. Same with “Proof of Life.†“Name,†on my last record, The Space Between the Shadows, would have been really profound and connected with millions of people had Creed played it. These songs also would have worked better because of the Creed brand — it would have given them more exposure — and the idiosyncrasies and brilliance of the musicians in Creed would have elevated them. Mark would have added his signature trademark licks, Brian his brilliant bass playing, and then Flip — he is such a solid drummer and adds a dynamic and punch no one can duplicate.
Favorite bad review
I made a decision at one point that I wasn’t going to read anything good and I wasn’t going to read anything bad. Anything that I heard was either through my manager or someone brought it up to me. I think at one point, I told them, “I don’t want to know. Let me stay in this little bubble so I can keep doing what I’m doing.†Because I realized when I did pay attention, it hurt. I was actually affected mentally and emotionally by it. And it wasn’t healthy. So I had to cut myself off from it.
Biggest misconception about Creed
I could be wrong, but it wasn’t the fans who created the bad narrative about us, it was the press. The fans and the public spoke by buying over 50 million records in six years. And so the narrative was kind of a manufactured one. I think it was because we didn’t fit into the clique. We were kind of outsiders. And so we were easy targets. I was full of spit and vinegar. Not knowing how to handle it all. That wasn’t part of the rock-and-roll dream. Everything else was — the sales, how we were embraced by the fans. But when the press turned, some time in the middle of Human Clay, we went from being “Creed saves rock and roll†to being hated. I didn’t know how to handle that at the time. In terms of any haters that are out there, I look at it like they are the fringes. There’s so much love — 85 to 90 percent love. It’s the loud voices on the far left and right — same with politics — that seem to get the most attention. And also, in terms of the press, I don’t know if they really dug into our records and realized we were a much different band than our singles represented.
Song that should have gone as high on the charts as “Higherâ€
Every song I thought would reach that level did. “Arms Wide Open†“One Last Breath†“My Sacrifice†— they all reached that same level as “Higher.†I can’t think off the top of my head any songs that we missed on.
Cringiest song
There are a couple songs that, sonically, I wish the presentation was one; the whole band felt that way. In particular, a song called “One.†That song we always felt a little bit like … Is this cheesy? A little too bouncy? But we kept it anyway and stood behind the message.
Weirdest awards show experience
I have quite a few incredible memories of the 2001 Grammy Awards. I’ll never forget seeing these four six-foot-eight, 320-pound security guys walking by and then all of a sudden an arm reached out and touched my shoulder. It was Janet Jackson. She was very familiar with Human Clay. Knew it from top to bottom. And she was very complimentary and said some incredible things to me. And then getting to meet the Edge from U2 and seeing the dynamic of the Edge and Bono. U2 is probably my favorite band of all time; Joshua Tree is probably my favorite album of all time.
Because of where Creed was at the time, we thought, or least I thought, This is just what’s supposed to happen. When you get a record deal, you’re supposed to go No. 1. When you go No. 1, you’re supposed to play in arenas. When you play in arenas and you sell all these records, you’re supposed to win Grammys. I was so naïve about how fortunate we were and how rare this was and how it was akin to winning the lottery or getting struck by lightning.
Most lasting memory of the 2001 Thanksgiving Day Halftime Show
I tell ya, it was surreal. Growing up, I was a huge Dallas Cowboys fan. So to be able to play at the stadium, go to Cowboy practices, meet the Jones family, and meet the players — everything was a dream come true. And the flying men — honestly, we were just so wrapped up in the moment we didn’t think about having any involvement in the production. But you know what? Looking back, I wouldn’t change a thing. I love it. It introduced our music to an entire new generation through the lens of sarcasm. But it was the music that ended up catching them. I think what started out as kind of a jab at us has since turned into something that has connected with culture. It’s become evergreen, man. And that’s just a gift. It’s something to be thankful for. And the band, we’re now adults, we all get it, and we laugh at the same things that the fans point out that are funny and unique about it. But we’re also proud and grateful that we got to experience that. It comes up every Thanksgiving now. It’s like a Mariah Carey Christmas album.
Song that defines him as a solo artist
The first song that came to my head was “Proof of Life.†I think the message and the lyrics kind of characterize how I felt my entire solo career — “Hey, I’m still here.†I just couldn’t reach the other side because of the wall, but my hand was poking through. It seems like the wall is falling down a little bit; I don’t wanna jinx what’s going on with the current solo album, but it’s like we’ve broken down the wall. We’ll see how it goes. Tying that in with the Creed tour also; rising tides raise all ships. It’s a good energy that’s going on right now.
Most surprising part about reuniting with Creed
The public’s reaction. What’s gone on the last three years in terms of just this “organic†resurgence of Creed connecting with a new generation of fans. And also highlighting all these fans who were maybe at a time in their life, mid-teens, who really wanted to see us play and didn’t get to. It’s been profound. I think that’s the catalyst that helped us cross over and say, “Let’s do this!†We had had conversations before about reuniting, but in my gut it didn’t feel right; it felt rushed. The fans let us know: We’re here. And that has generated so much positivity that it’s rubbed off on the band. All of our interactions have been positive, chill, good vibes. I think we’ve all had arduous journeys in our own right: tirelessly working, almost like starting over on our solo projects. The Creed rise was meteoric, and for my solo career I was back in the clubs, man. It’s almost like things happened backward for us. A lot of artists worked 10, 15, 20 years to get their break. Well, with Creed it was [snaps] like that. In an instant. Twelve months. And so I think we reversed the process, and when we split away from Creed, we went and paid our dues. So it feels good to be back.