Scott Stapp

As both a solo artist and the lead singer of <a href="spotify:artist:43sZBwHjahUvgbx1WNIkIz">Creed</a>, Scott Stapp has achieved great success, returning rock to its roots with his guttural growls and theatrical rock star moves. At the turn of the millennium, he was one of the most popular singers in the U.S., with <a href="spotify:artist:43sZBwHjahUvgbx1WNIkIz">Creed</a>'s first three albums (1997's My Own Prison, 1999's Human Clay, and 2001's Weathered) all certified multi-platinum on the back of hits such as "What's This Life For," "Higher," "With Arms Wide Open," and "My Sacrifice." <a href="spotify:artist:43sZBwHjahUvgbx1WNIkIz">Creed</a> splintered in 2004, and soon after, Stapp launched his solo career with a platinum debut, The Great Divide. Although <a href="spotify:artist:43sZBwHjahUvgbx1WNIkIz">Creed</a> briefly reunited in 2009, they once again went their separate ways a few years later. Stapp issued another solo effort, 2013's Proof of Life, before publicly spiraling into addiction and mental health struggles. On his road to recovery, he returned with a redemptive third album, 2019's The Space Between the Shadows, with the assured and reflective Higher Power appearing in 2024.

A native of Orlando, Florida, Stapp began playing music while at Florida State University, hooking up with a former prep school friend guitarist <a href="spotify:artist:5KxsLYxoPIrKeITg7ZVHkQ">Mark Tremonti</a> in 1993. They soon added bassist Brian Marshall and drummer Scott Phillips, along with rhythm guitarist Brian Brasher, and began performing under the name Naked Toddler but adopted the <a href="spotify:artist:43sZBwHjahUvgbx1WNIkIz">Creed</a> moniker soon after. They shed Brasher in 1995 and continued forward, working the material that would form their debut, My Own Prison. Released independently in 1997, the album became a local Floridian hit, earning the attention of <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Wind-Up+Records%22">Wind-Up Records</a>, which soon signed the band. My Own Prison turned into a national hit thanks to the singles "My Own Prison," "Torn," "What's This Life For," and "One," and it was soon eclipsed by 1999's Human Clay, which went platinum 11 times in the U.S., thanks in part to the strength of the power ballad "With Arms Wide Open."

In the wake of such great success, relationships within <a href="spotify:artist:43sZBwHjahUvgbx1WNIkIz">Creed</a> became strained, and things got worse during the supporting tour for 2001's Weathered. In 2004, the band announced their break-up, with <a href="spotify:artist:5KxsLYxoPIrKeITg7ZVHkQ">Tremonti</a> announcing in the press that the band was not getting along with their lead singer. Stapp immediately launched a solo career with 2005's The Great Divide. Although it didn't boast a big hit single, the album was nevertheless certified platinum. Stapp supported the album with a tour and over the next few years he went on the road frequently, but the next big news arrived in 2009, when Stapp and <a href="spotify:artist:43sZBwHjahUvgbx1WNIkIz">Creed</a> reunited for a tour and a new album called Full Circle. <a href="spotify:artist:43sZBwHjahUvgbx1WNIkIz">Creed</a> supported the album with a tour and continued to be a going concern through 2012, when they played concerts showcasing their first two albums in their entireties. By that point, Stapp was deep at work on his second solo album. The group disbanded again in 2013 as he completed the album that became Proof of Life, which appeared in October of that year. In the years that followed, Stapp went through a very public breakdown stemming from substance addiction and mental health issues. During his recovery, he briefly joined the band <a href="spotify:artist:2BxchptQKbfrhPGx4QVpsI">Art of Anarchy</a>, singing on their 2017 release The Madness. Soon exiting that group, he redirected his attention to his health and solo career. Returning in 2019, he issued third LP, The Space Between the Shadows, which centered on his recovery and personal redemption. Stapp continued to explore those themes on 2024's Higher Power, a powerful and contemplative set that included the hard-hitting title cut which became the highest-charting single of his non-<a href="spotify:artist:43sZBwHjahUvgbx1WNIkIz">Creed</a> career. That same year saw <a href="spotify:artist:43sZBwHjahUvgbx1WNIkIz">Creed</a> reunite for the first time since 2012, spinning a series of successful cruise ship performances into a national arena tour. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine & Neil Z. Yeung, Rovi