Lead Singer Changes

Sometimes I can be a pretty stubborn guy, I don’t like things changing. If something is good, don’t change it -”If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. This is why when a band I like changes its lead singer; I find it extremely difficult to continue listening to said band.

My first experience with this was around the time when I was 13 or 14, during my edgy teen years. I was really into Three Days Grace at that point which was a universal rite of passage for any youngling that wishes to be indoctrinated into edgy teen culture. Anyways I listened to them for a number of years, and truly became fans of their music. It really spoke to me as a young impressionable kid who thought he hated the world and needed something to help vent out his frustration. For those few years I idolized the band until 2015, when they released a song called painkiller. I distinctly remember hearing Painkiller on the radio during a car ride. I wasn’t sure who sang it, but I wasn’t a fan. For some reason it sounded familiar; the music felt similar to a band that I’ve heard before, but the screechy unappealing voice of the lead singer made it so that I couldn’t put a name to the noise. But then, upon hearing the band I idolized being shouted out after the song played; I froze. I couldn’t believe my ears, did I hear that right? Why did they sound so different? What’s going on? As soon as I got home I booted up my computer and went to the most reliable and trusted source on the internet to search for answers – Wikipedia. I learned that found out that they changed their lead singer.

I was absolutely appalled; I didn’t think this was possible. I’d never experienced this kind of change before; I didn’t know how to feel. Three Days Grace seemed impure now; their reputation had become muddied and skewed to the point that I could not look at them the same anymore. Like I said, I was young, and stubborn. But for some reason, even till this day I can’t listen to this band’s new music and feel the same way as I did before this traumatizing incident.

I’m not crazy, think about it. It’s like being married to someone for years, then finding out that they’re a special agent for the government and their mission was to spy on you and give them all your secrets. Your whole world turns upside down and you feel like you’ve been lied to the whole time. It’s the exact same feeling and situation. The amount of betrayal I feel after a band switches their lead singer is indescribable. When I like a band, I dedicate my heart and soul to it, my love, time and excitement. But still they choose to rip my heart out of my chest, crush it, and dance on its grave. After that kind of visceral betrayal, I don’t see how I’d be able to trust anyone. This predicament is one of the lead causes of my anxiety; you never know when people will blow up and have a falling out and leave me (an ignorant awestruck fan) out to dry.

Switching singers should not be legal… Actually scratch that, changing a lead singers could be acceptable; however it needs to be mandatory that you change the band name after. It’s not the same band anymore after you make that kind of change. Each singer brings a different sound and personality to the music. I believe that each band has its own soul and energy, and the lead singer is a huge part of that personality they’re the face and voice of the band itself. Once you change it, it’s no longer the same band. They are lying to themselves, as well as all their listeners by keeping the band name and that’s what I like to call FALSE ADVERTISING.

My gripes aren’t solely with this one band. There’re a number of other bands that changed lead singers that I just can’t appreciate anymore. To name a few:

- Journey
- Fleetwood Mac
- Rage Against the Machine
- Even Queen, although I don’t think they’re making any new music

Any new music that any of these bands puts out is now white noise to me. I understand that the band is still trying to put out good music, and might even be succeeding. However, I feel 100% of the time that the original essence and energy that made the band what it was is completely changed, making it unable for me personally to listen to. If you decide to switch up, the band is finished; it’ll never be the same, just accept it. Start fresh, you don’t need to piggy back on the success of your previous voice, if listeners actually like your music, they will come find you again.