Scott Stapp Is Ready to Release His New Solo Album

"I'm just in a spirit of gratitude and looking toward the future."

Scott Stapp joined Loudwire Nights on Thursday night (Dec. 14) to discuss that future and what it's like not only preparing to release a new solo record, but also to reunite with Creed.

"I really feel that the best is yet to come," he told Loudwire Nights' Chuck Armstrong. "I'm healthy. I'm spiritually fit and ready to take on today and then just take it one day at a time, you know?"

As Stapp looks ahead and celebrates all that's on the horizon, it has put him in a position to reflect on where he's been. After all, it was Creed's initial breakup that pushed him to release his debut solo record, 2005's The Great Divide. Since then, Creed have only released one album — and 2024's Higher Power marks just his fourth solo record in nearly 20 years.

"I think one thing about me as an artist and a writer is I write when I feel inspired to," he admitted. "I don't look at it from a standpoint of quantity. I look at it from a standpoint of quality and for me, in order to get that out of me, I got to live life. I got to experience life."

What Compelled Scott Stapp to Write Higher Power

Stapp admitted living life over the years has brought with it some amazing experiences, like getting married and being a father to his daughter, but he's also experienced significant personal struggles.

"That is what would lead me to find my creative zone and write, so when I felt it was time, I would go to the studio and write," he said. "I never, never felt like there was some urgency to just put out product or put out music. It was definitely something that I had to feel compelled and inspired to do."

In 2023, Stapp has already released three singles from Higher Power and so Chuck asked him what compelled him to put these songs out now.

"There was a lot of life being lived in between The Space Between the Shadows and the new record," he explained. "I think 'Higher Power' just came from a place of where I had been striving to be and where I was living at the time as a person. I was trying to live a life of sobriety...getting to this place of recognizing that I need something greater than myself to live the life that my heart wants to live, because sometimes there's a big separation between where your mind is and where your heart is."

Stapp told the Loudwire Nights audience that for him, this meant surrendering to something greater than himself.

"One day at a time, I can turn it over to God and God can grant me the grace to get through that day, healthy, sober and living the life that I feel He's called me to live."

From Sinner's Creed to the Next Book

As Chuck and Stapp continued to chat about Higher Power, Chuck brought up some experiences that Stapp wrote about in his memoir, 2012's Sinner's Creed, like the early years of Creed's nonstop touring or working with Wind-up Records founders Alan and Diana Meltzer.

"Well, there's definitely going to have to be another book," Stapp said. "There were a lot of things that were left on the editing room floor and I kind of ended the book in a way to insinuate the story's not over. I'm still living this movie, so to speak, and we're still right in the thick of it now. So when the time comes, there is definitely going to be another book because I think with time and reflection, with healing and a deeper understanding, you have a different perspective when you look back."

Stapp said, very clearly, that he's at a place where he can understand there is a purpose for the pain he's experienced in his life. While he's written about this idea in the past, he seems most proud of what he's created with his latest single, "Black Butterfly."

"I think I'm still in process and that's what that song articulates," he said.

"The chorus of that song really proclaims a destiny, but I'm still in process to getting there and just want to be humble and thorough as I navigate the process of living my purpose and doing what I feel I was put on this earth to do."

What the Future of Creed Might Look Like

That purpose isn't just tied to Stapp's solo music, but also to the music of Creed, the band he and Mark Tremonti formed in 1994. After breaking up in the early-'00s, Creed reunited in 2009 and released their most recent studio album, Full Circle. Then, in 2013, they went on hiatus.

A decade later, they announced two Creed cruises and a land-based tour, each met with incredible support from fans across the world.

"I'm a different person today than I was in 2009," Stapp told Chuck. "A lot of things that I was carrying into that situation — even though I came in with a good heart, hoping to just pick up where we left off — I look back and realize that I still had a lot of healing to do. I can't sit here and speak for those guys and where they are now and whatnot, but from my standpoint, I'm just walking into this from a place of love."

He admitted that he's still in a process of preparation for Creed's reunion in 2024, which also happens to mark the band's 30th anniversary. "It's a daily renewing of the mind and it's a powerful thing," he said. "I wish I could just share it with the world, man."

While Stapp said the early conversations with his bandmates have been very positive, he also said they've been "very professional."

"I'll be honest with you, our initial get-together was extremely professional and cordial," he recalled.

"Everyone's a little guarded, wanting to know where everybody is at. I get it. But I know that the whole Rangers scenario, you know, the team talked about 'Higher' bringing them together. Well, the Rangers were a part of the band really coming together outside of music. We're watching the games and we're texting each other back and forth, inning by inning ... We'll take it one step at a time and I think that's the right way to approach it."

Embracing the Creed Memes

Along with the positive reception of Creed's reunion, there has also been a renewed presence of Creed memes and jokes on social media. But rather than get defensive or simply ignore those things, it seems as though Creed have, in some way, embraced them.

The best example is the fact that Creed are releasing an official "Greatest Halftime Show Ever" T-shirt.

"You can't ever take yourself too seriously," Stapp said. "We're seeing the connection that the music is still making with people, and so anytime there's kind of a parody or a skit, that comes with the territory. I think with the age comes a little more levity."

As for his own personal hope for what the future of Creed might look like, Stapp said he has a lot of ideas, but he's not ready to share them yet.

"Mark and I have talked about it. I don't want to betray the trust of our interpersonal communications and what we talk about. But there's definitely talk about the future and not making this kind of a one-and-done thing and wait another decade before we do something again. I don't think that's what was meant to be for this band ... I think it's time we take care of this gift that we've been given and keep giving it to the world as long as they want it."

What Else Did Scott Stapp Discuss on Loudwire Nights?

Why he believes Alan and Diana Meltzer deserve a lot of credit for Creed's success
His hope for his friendship with Mark Tremonti: "I know that Mark and I have such chemistry that even if we're at odds, we can still create an album like Full Circle ... I can't imagine what we'd create if there was a renewing of the relationship."
Why he thinks it's critical to discuss love — not just love between humans, but love between God and man