Scott Stapp thinks Creed got a lot of hate because they were so successful.
Stapp and Mark Tremonti recently appeared as a guest on Heavy Consequence’s Two for the Road series and the singer reflected on the critical backlash at the height of their popularity:
“We started off with the critical acclaim and then the success got so enormous that the critics were like, ‘We’re not supposed to like them. They’re too big and successful. We’ve got to go find some band over here that nobody knows about that’s quirky and different. That’s what we’re going to call cool today.’”
He continued, further sharing how experiencing this hate felt like at the time:
“And not to say that the quirky and different band wasn’t incredible and talented and wrote great songs but that’s kind of how it felt at the time. The critics were just anti-popular. So as soon as a band got popular in the mainstream, it was time to shift the narrative, and so that’s how it felt living it in real-time.”
Stapp Thinks Creed Were Like LeBron James
This wasn’t the first time Stapp talked about the hate Creed received. In a chat with Consequence last month, the rocker said their fast success brought backlash, but their fans always supported them. They had sold-out shows and high record sales, so the media’s negative views didn’t match what the public thought. Stapp shared how this felt:
“Being that young age, of course, there was some frustration, anger, hurt. But being where we are now, we kind of know that that’s just what comes with it. It’s just part of the deal. I mean, it happens in pro sports.”
He drew a parallel between Creed and LeBron James:
“Mark [Tremonti, Creed guitarist] and I were doing an interview the other day, and he was talking about how this has happened with LeBron James. He goes from King James and then now he gets hate. He’s one of the most hated players in the league, and it’s all because of how dominant and how successful he is.”
Stapp thinks they should pay attention to their fans and the good feedback. As he gets older, he believes they should ignore the negativity and focus on giving great shows. The negative stuff doesn’t bother him anymore.
You can watch the full interview below.