Shinedown are gearing up to hit the road again this fall after releasing new music. The group is seemingly booked and busy, at all times, and 2023 has not been an exception. Most recently, the chart-topping band released a few different versions of their latest single, “A Symptom of Being Human,” including a pop remix. As they break down the barriers of the music industry, Shinedown continues to garner unconditional support from new fans around the world and their success is simply a testament to the passion they have for the music they create. In an exclusive interview with CelebMix, lead singer Brent Smith opens up about the group’s latest single, touring, and what fans can look forward to in the future.
What can you tell us about “A Symptom of Being Human” and how that track came about?
I think the most unique thing about “A Symptom of Being Human” is the fact that it was a gift for us on the album, and what I mean by that is when you’re doing a record sometimes you’ll get a gift and that’s a song that utilizes you as a vessel, because it so eagerly wants to exist and be born.
It was a song that we wrote relatively quickly during the process and I think it was because it was so necessary. The entire song is literally about embracing your humanity and who you are as a human being, but it’s also telling people that we’re all a work in progress…and that’s okay. It’s okay to not have a good day, it’s okay to feel inadequate, it’s okay to understand that, you know, anxiety and depression and all these emotional things that happen to us on a daily basis as people, that’s part of the journey, [and] that’s part of who we are. That’s the adventure of life and “A Symptom of Being Human” was just something to make sure that everybody knew that they weren’t alone in these feelings. It’s a song about living to fight another day.
You recently released a pop remix of it! What inspired you to do that and do you think there will be pop remixes for upcoming tracks in the future?
Honestly, we decided to do a pop remix because we wanted to have something for the summertime. We love the song the way that it is on the record, but we wanted to put a rhythm to it and give it a dance feel in a lot of ways. I think mainly because we’re a band that loves to dance, but also it was a unique project. With such sentimental and very heavy subject matter, as it’s presented on the record, I thought it would be an interesting way to listen to the song and I thought it was unique, and it turned out amazing!
What makes “A Symptom of Being Human” different from other tracks you have released in the past?
I don’t necessarily know if there’s a differentiation of songs that we’ve released in the past, and if “A Symptom of Being Human” is different than them. It’s a moment in time, you know, our albums and our catalog, they’re there for the listener to listen to at any time. I think more than anything, our fan base has always allowed us to grow as musicians. They want us to evolve, whether they’ve been there from day one with us, or they’re just kind of finding out who we are.
I think the evolution in the spirit of songwriting is something that you have to remember, there’s no handbook to it, there’s no rules. It’s just about being inspired. It’s just about whatever you’re feeling that day, when you’re creative, whatever comes out of you. That’s what we’re supposed to do that day. You go through different stages in your life, so I think all the Shinedown songs are unique and different. I think it’s just where we were, at the time in our lives personally and musically, when we wrote it.
Is it challenging to try to transition into the sea of pop these days or do you think people are more open to bands being more genre fluid now?
I most definitely think that people overall in this day and age are way more into multiple styles and we have been on pop radio before in the past. It’s not completely new to us, but it’s all about getting as many people to hear it as possible. I think when you move into different formats, and you are on different people’s playlists and you’re a band or you’re an artist that isn’t afraid to be multi-format and to write and record all different styles of music and embrace a plethora of music, it’s good for the soul. As a band we’re influenced by tons of different styles of artists and different styles of music. Rock ‘n’ roll is a spirit more than anything! It’s a way of life. I’ve never really looked at rock ‘n’ roll as necessarily a genre of music. I think a lot of people are embracing a lot of different styles of music, and that’s the way it should be.
This song touches on some important subjects such as mental health. How important do you think it is to start a conversation about those topics through music?
I think it’s extremely important because music is medicine. We’re a band that’s been talking about mental health for the better part of 20 years, before it was in the media. I’m happy to say that it’s being talked about a lot more now in the media, but it’s important. I think people were made to feel embarrassed or pigeonholed or put in a corner, if they ever showed any kind of vulnerability or weakness, and it’s all in how you look at it.
Your mental health should be just as important as your physical health, and it takes work. You’re gonna evolve as a person as you get older, as you grow, as you experience more and more. I think for us, we’ve always told people to embrace who they are. It’s okay if you change, and it’s okayif you feel differently today, then you will in 10 or 20 years from now. That’s part of being a human, it’s part of being a work in progress, and the biggest aspect of what we try to tell people is, in your day-to-day life, in your everyday life, don’t be afraid of failure. There’s no reason to be – you should fail as much as you possibly can, because the fact of the matter is, your life and your legacy won’t be built by your failures. It’ll be built by the fact that you refuse to give up, and that’s really a lot of what Shinedown has always represented. I think it holds true in our songs, and it’s something that we have a lot of experience with, because we want people to live to fight another day. That’s a very important thing to us.
Shinedown is going to embark on a headlining tour in the fall! What makes you most excited about hitting the road again?
What makes me the most excited is the audience and watching the audience grow and seeing people just having the most amazing time together. We’re all celebrating, not only being with one another, but at a Shinedown show, the audience is just as much as part of the show as we are. I think that’s the biggest thing is seeing the camaraderie, seeing all walks of life. We always say that at a Shinedown show it’s going to be 8 to 80, there’s going to be a lot of generations, there’s going to be a lot of different types of people, and that’s the beautiful thing about it. It doesn’t matter to us who you are and where you come from. If you want to come to a Shinedown show we embrace you, no matter what. That’s the beauty of being together. Live music is a very, very powerful experience. That’s what I’m the most excited about, just seeing all the new faces and the familiar ones as well. Just being together and having a great time.
Are there any songs you’re eager to finally play for your fans?
Well, we just started playing “A Symptom of Being Human” recently. We got a Couple of things in the catalog from the first two albums, songs like “Burning Bright,” “Lost in the Crowd,” and “Save Me.” Those are songs off the first two records, but we’ll play a lot of the new material too. I mean, ultimately, we’ve got a brand-new record and we’re going to be throwing some surprises out at people this fall. So, we’re excited about playing it all.
What else can listeners look forward to in the near or even distant future?
The song “A Symptom of Being Human” is starting to cross over into multiple formats, and different playlists and streaming services. So, it’s really starting to get a lot of momentum. Definitely international touring is being put together for 2024, and we’re going to continue this year with the fall tour, and just keep moving. Obviously, people are asking us if there’s any material in the mix, and there’s always new material, we’re always working on different things, but as of right now we’re kind of figuring out what the touring cycle is going to be for 2024 and the music that we’re gonna be releasing this year and next year. We’re excited all the way around but there’s a lot to look forward to which is awesome.
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To listen to “A Symptom of Being Human” acoustic remix, click here.
For tour information and tickets, click here.