CANDLEBOX's KEVIN MARTIN Says He Is 'Retiring' After 30th Anniversary Of Band's Debut Album

CANDLEBOX frontman Kevin Martin has announced plans to retire after the 30th anniversary of the release of the band's debut album in 2023. "I am retiring after next summer — yes, I am retiring," he told the 94.3 The Shark radio station in an interview that was conducted on May 7 (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

Noting that CANDLEBOX will celebrate its 31st birthday this coming October, Martin said: "I don't know if I would have ever thought that CANDLEBOX would be around this long. I wanted it, of course; I think every kid wants to have that opportunity and a career that lasts decades, and I'm very grateful that it has. But there comes a time where my responsibilities as a husband and a father supersede my responsibilities to the music that I make. And that's kind of where I'm at. I enjoy it, but it's not the love of my life anymore. And that's, I think, when you as an artist you kind of have to recognize that and step away from it. And if it means that five years after that I decide that I wanna go out and do some shows, I'll do it; if two years after that I decide I'm going to do some shows… But I won't be doing the full-band tours for two, three, four months. I don't wanna do that. It's really, really hard. And I miss my family. And physically, it's very taxing. The way I sing, it's acrobatic, so it's not something that I wanna be performing and not have my voice work. So I'd rather go out on top, I think, is the term."

Although Martin plans on retiring from the road, he hasn't closed the door on making more music.

"I know that I've got another record I have to do," he said. "And people are saying, 'Well, if you do another record, you've gotta tour on it.' Well, that's not necessarily true. I would certainly want to and have people hear it, but I think that the case is that it's probably best for me to just accept that the mindset that I'm in and what I've decided for myself is what I need to do. As much as I may wanna keep singing and doing this and putting myself in the music the way I do, I have to recognize that I'm not in love with it the way I [once] was."

Kevin went on to say that "a lot of people" are telling him that he can't retire. "And a lot of those people are my bandmembers and my management," he revealed. "They're, like, 'You can't retire. People love you, and they love your music.' But like I said, man, I have got to put myself first emotionally in everything I do. And that's kind of where I'm at. I don't want to stop singing a song like 'Sometimes' that means the world to me, or 'It's Alright' or 'Far Behind' or 'You', because I love them, but I just know that it's the decision I have to make."

CANDLEBOX first formed in 1991 and helped lay the groundwork for the grunge genre, alongside notable bands such as PEARL JAM, SOUNDGARDEN, NIRVANA, and others.

CANDLEBOX has sold over seven million albums worldwide, scoring the megahits "Far Behind" and "You", which have garnered over 100 million streams, decades after their initial release. The band's new album, "Wolves", has been in the top 10 on two Billboard charts (Hard Music Albums and Alternative Albums).

This past March, it was announced that Warner Music Entertainment (WME),the television and film division of Warner Music Group, had partnered with Highway West Entertainment on a forthcoming new feature-length documentary, "Far Behind: The Candlebox Story". The film will explore the beginnings of what the world would come to know as the grunge scene, following CANDLEBOX on its rise to fame.

"Far Behind: The Candlebox Story" will feature footage and interviews with original bandmembers Kevin Martin, Peter Klett, Scott Mercado and Bardi Martin, in addition to Guy Oseary, famed SOUNDGARDEN/ALICE IN CHAINS manager Susan Silver, and others.

The film went into production in summer 2021 and is gearing up for a fall 2022 release.