After a month of intense fan speculation fueled by a series of star-studded social media posts, rock legend Sammy Hagar has officially confirmed he will be a guest on the next Nickelback album. In a new interview, he detailed the project’s unique origin story, which began when Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger used AI to put Hagar’s voice on a demo before calling in the real thing.
The collaboration was first teased in late September when photos and videos emerged of Hagar and Kroeger in a studio with Mötley Crüe‘s Tommy Lee and Anthrax‘s Charlie Benante. Speaking with Audacy Music, Hagar finally explained what the impromptu super-session was all about.
He explained that Kroeger had written a very positive, uplifting song for the new Nickelback record, telling Hagar he wanted to “channel you.” To test the concept, Kroeger took a surprising and very modern step. “He said, ‘So just for fun, I sang it and I put A.I. your voice on it.’ And he goes, ‘And you sing it so much different, it blew my mind.’ And he goes, ‘So would you sing on it?’” Hagar recounted (as transcribed by Blabbermouth).
The Red Rocker was so impressed with the AI’s performance that his initial reaction was a joke. “I listened to the a A.I. version and I’m going, ‘Why don’t you just use that?’ [Laughs] ‘That guy’s singing better than me.’ It was good. It had all my inflections,” he said.
That initial demo led to the real recording session that was teased on social media. The session included Charlie Benante, who had previously posted: “When you get a call to come over and play drums on a song that these 2 are doing… you drop whatever it is and go.” Tommy Lee also showed up during the “spontaneous” gathering.
Hagar was quick to shut down any rumors of a new supergroup, clarifying that his involvement is limited to a single guest spot.
“I probably shouldn’t be talking about it that much, but it’s not like a project. I’m just gonna co-sing a song on on Nickelback‘s next record,” he confirmed. “But no, there’s not a project between all of us. I would love it, though.”
Hagar was also full of praise for his collaborator and the new music he heard. “This next Nickelback record, from what I heard — oh my God. This guy’s an amazing songwriter, and an amazing singer, I gotta tell you,” he said of Kroeger.
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