When Daughtry released their single “Artificial,” Chris Daughtry joined us on Loudwire Nights to dive deep into the song.
So when they released their latest track, the powerful and deeply personal “Pieces,” Daughtry once again hung out on the radio show to help celebrate the new music.
“It was one of those that I felt needed some time to simmer,” Daughtry told host Chuck Armstrong on Friday night (March 22) about “Pieces.” “It kind of came quick but there were things that just weren’t sitting right with the arrangement, and you know, sometimes these things really benefit from taking time away.”
Daughtry explained when he circled back on it following his band’s last tour, he knew exactly what the song needed.
“I kind of just played it on an acoustic guitar on my phone and sent it to my producer,” he said. He admitted that this new addition would make the song longer, but he didn’t care.
“Sometimes we get bogged down by the minutiae of the rules of songwriting,” Daughtry admitted. “I kind of stopped subscribing to that and was like, the song has to speak and let that dictate where it ends, how it ends up.”
The Losses That Inspired Daughtry’s New Song, “Pieces”
Letting the song breathe and not forcing it into any typical formula proved the right moves for Daughtry because as Chuck told him during their conversation, this might just be the best song he’s ever released.
Not only because of the music and the arrangements but because of what the lyrics represent.
“I went through quite a bit, losing my mom and then losing my daughter a week later back in 2021,” he said. “It did a number on me and I think this song really deals with the things that those kinds of events in your life bring up in you.”
As he dealt with the significant losses in his life, he also had to deal with, eventually, getting back to a somewhat “normal existence,” as he put it.
“I don’t think I’ll ever be the same as I was before those events and I’m okay with that,” Daughtry said.
“I think that’s kind of what this is about — we all go through [or] we’re going to go through something that really shakes us and really rocks our world and shatters our reality. We can either let that destroy us or we can learn how to live with what’s left.”
Is Daughtry Releasing a New Record?
With “Artificial” and now “Pieces” out in the world, the question fans want to know is, what are these songs pointing to?
When “Artificial” came out, Daughtry told Loudwire Nights about a potential new album, “We’re about halfway through the record as far as the writing is concerned, but we still have quite a bit to go with the recording.”
On Friday night, Daughtry continued to tease a potential new LP from him and his band.
“We’re still working very, very, very diligently on this record,” he revealed. “I’ve got half the record finished and I’ve got the third quarter of it written.”
Daughtry told Chuck that they have several songs written, but as “Artificial” and “Pieces” came together, he had to push some of those others out of the way.
READ MORE: A Perfect Circle’s Billy Howerdel Says He’s ‘Really Proud’ of Covers Album
“You’re going, ‘These are okay,’ but they’re not what [“Artificial” and “Pieces”] are, which made us go, ‘We need to write more of these,’ you know what I mean?”
Ultimately, though, Daughtry tempered expectations for when fans might get their hands on the new album.
“We still got quite a bit of work to do to finish this record — but we at least have half of it done.”
What Else Did Chris Daughtry Discuss on Loudwire Nights?
What it’s like writing while he’s on the road: “If I don’t push the pressure on me to write something, something magical could happen. But if I’m like, ‘We’re gonna finish writing this record when we get on tour,’ it’s gonna feel so contrived and lifeless.”What it means to him for fans to connect with a song like “Pieces” that is so personal to him: “It gave me some level of comfort, knowing that someone else is going to be able to hear their story in this.”Why he’s excited to play the Summer of ’99 Cruise with Creed
Listen to the Full Interview in the Podcast Player Below
Chris Daughtry joined Loudwire Nights on Friday, March 22; the show replays online here, and you can tune in live every weeknight at 7PM ET or on the Loudwire app; you can also see if the show is available on your local radio station and listen to interviews on-demand.
10 Ways Not to Be an A–hole at Concerts
Because wtf is going on lately?
Gallery Credit: Lauryn Schaffner
Active Bands That Haven’t Released an Album in 5 Years
These bands haven’t released an album in five years.
Gallery Credit: Lauryn Schaffner
