In a recent conversation with “Meltdown” of Detroit’s WRIF, Rachel Bolan discussed Skid Row’s newly launched collaboration with Sweetwater, a unique initiative aimed at finding the band’s next lead singer. The partnership opens the door for vocalists worldwide to audition for a chance to front the long-running rock act.
Rachel Bolan commented on Skid Row’s ongoing search for a new singer: “We’re still looking. We’re taking our time. But Snake [guitarist Dave Sabo] and I do get together and write [new Skid Row music]. We just wrote a little bit today, as a matter of fact. He just left [my house] about 10 minutes ago. So, yeah, we just keep the machine rolling, and when we find someone, we’ll find someone. But we’re not gonna rush it. We did this promotion through Sweetwater and probably have listened to about 300 submissions at this point. And there’s some really good stuff on there. And, we’ve auditioned people outside of that as well that were really good. So, it’s a long process, and were prepared for it.”
Speaking about the search, Bolan addressed the idea of bringing in an established name, following Meltdown’s suggestion that if someone like Lzzy Hale, who previously performed four shows with the band in 2024, were to join permanently, fans might expect Skid Row to incorporate material from that artist’s main band into their set.
“Yeah. I would think people would wanna hear, like, ‘Wow, what would it sound like for Skid Row to play a Halestorm song.’ And, yeah, that’s the one thing about bringing in someone well known. But I guarantee whoever we get will be well known, as soon as he’s in the band.”
Earlier this year, in January, Bolan also touched on the ongoing frontman search during an appearance on the “Rockstrap” podcast, which comes after the departure of Erik Grönwall more than two years ago. The 38-year-old Swedish singer, who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in March 2021, exited the band in March 2024, explaining that maintaining his health and focusing on recovery had become increasingly challenging while fulfilling his role as Skid Row’s lead vocalist.
“We have a couple of guys on our radar,” Bolan said at the time. “We’ve auditioned a few people, but we’re gonna do a big, gigantic… We were just waiting for the new year to start. Not so much an open call, but there’s a lot of people that wanna audition, so we’re just going — us and management and our producer, Nick Raskulinecz, we’re all going through each person saying, like, ‘Okay, let’s get in a room with this person. ‘This person [is a] little too young or a little too green,’ or ‘they can’t sing. Who told them they could sing?’ You get that too. So we have a couple of guys on our radar that we’re pretty excited about. So hopefully before the end of the year we’ll be back out on the road.”
When one of the hosts pointed out that Skid Row has struggled to find a lasting frontman, Rachel responded: “It’s just one of those things, man. We had a really good thing going with Erik. I think the road was just too much for him, [with] his past health issues and whatnot, and it just didn’t work out, which was a bummer… He fit right in, and the fans loved him.”
Speaking with “The Music Universe” during Primary Wave Music’s 20th anniversary pre-Grammy party in Beverly Hills on January 31, Scotti Hill revealed that a formal announcement regarding the search is imminent.
”Yes, we are working on that,” Hill said. “We’re gonna really get it kicking in here in a few weeks. Let me see — in about a week we’re gonna make an announcement for a real push, and we’re gonna get it done and we’re gonna get the right person for the job and we’re gonna get back out there.”
The guitarist acknowledged that filling the vacancy is no small feat, noting that the specific demands of the Skid Row catalog require a vocalist of exceptional caliber. Beyond technical ability, however, Hill stressed that the interpersonal dynamic is the deciding factor.
“It’s not an easy job. It’s not an easy job, really. I mean, that stuff is really hard to sing,” Hill explained. “And it’s gotta be the right chemistry, because in our band we get along really great. We get along really well. We’re family, and we need somebody to be family with us.”
