Myles Kennedy answered some questions for Kerrang! just ahead of the release of his new solo album, ‘The Art of Letting Go,’ on October 11.
When asked if he’d play a party for Donald Trump for $2 million, he said, “Oh, man… You know, since I totally shy away from all things politics, with music, I wouldn’t do it. That’s the line I won’t cross.”
Though Kennedy and Alter Bridge usually avoid politics in their music, Trump’s first presidential run did influence them to create an album focused on the political climate in the U.S. But the 2016 record, titled ‘The Last Hero,’ touched on the subject in a more general sense, according to the vocalist.
He explained in a chat with FaceCulture back then, “The trick was not to get too directly political, because all that does is piss people off. One of the key emotions a lot of people seem to be feeling is disillusionment, and what I try to do as a lyricist is touch on these emotions.”
‘The Last Hero’ arrived in October 2016, just a month before the U.S. election between Trump and Hillary Clinton, which sparked significant controversy, including protests against the businessman’s win.
While talking about the record with Metal Obsession months after the election, Kennedy’s thoughts about its political content changed a bit: “A lot of stuff on this album is very politically charged. So, it’s potentially very controversial, and you never quite know how people are going to react to that. But I think that they’re emotions that people are relating to, so it’s so far, so good.”
In the following years, the singer’s work went back to less political themes, though songs like ‘Get Along’ from 2021’s ‘The Ides of March’ touched on subjects such as the 1992 Los Angeles riots.
This year’s follow-up to that record, ‘The Art of Letting Go,’ follows more casual themes and now streams on Spotify.