GLENN HUGHES: 'Offstage Maybe I'm Full Of Fear, But Onstage I'm Not'

In a new interview with Metal & Rock Zone, legendary English rock singer Glenn Hughes (DEEP PURPLE, BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION),who celebrated his 72nd birthday last August, was asked about the fact that he is still able to hit all the high notes during his live performances. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah, I'm very grateful. I sleep a lot. I drink a lot of water. I exercise my vocals. I do a lot of warm-ups. And the biggest thing for me is no fear. You may see some singers or musicians that are riddled with fear, and it stops them from being in the moment. For me, offstage maybe I'm full of fear, but onstage I'm not. I don't think about it."

Hughes previously addressed the fact that his voice has held up so well in light of his well-documented substance abuse issues in a 2019 interview with TotalRock. At the time, he said about the secret to his incredible vocal delivery: "The answer to that is 'F-E-A-R.' 'Fuck everything and run.' 'Fear.' Let's just say my dear friend [English football player] Alan Shearer when he was taking penalties. If he was one millimeter of scared, he would hit the bar and he wouldn't score. When I enter the stage, when I walk on that stage, the fear is gone. Now, when I leave that stage, I'm liable to fall over. I'm liable to fall down. I'm liable to do a bunch of things I shouldn't be doing. But when I'm on stage, I'm so full of gratitude that I have no fear of anything at all. Anything. I'm just so full of gratitude."

A month ago, Hughes revealed on his social media that he had "finished writing new music" for his upcoming solo album.

The long-awaited follow-up to Hughes's 2016 solo album "Resonate" will be recorded in June in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Glenn, who recently played a couple of shows with his supergroup BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION, previously discussed his plans to record a new solo album last October 2023 in an interview with Brazilian music journalist Igor Miranda. At the time, he said: "I am preparing to go in the studio next year, sometime in the summer. I'm preparing the songs in the next couple of months. I have a few ideas, and when I go in the studio, I'll be ready to go."

Asked how "Resonate" has aged for him musically since its release eight years ago, Glenn said: "I love the album. It's one of my favorite albums. I think a lot of people across the world, the rock fans love that album. I was at home writing that album and I went to Copenhagen and I had a really great time making that album. And the next one hopefully will be as strong."

In September 2023, Glenn told the "Iron City Rocks" podcast about where he draws his lyrical inspiration from nowadays: "I don't write about politics. I write about the human condition. I write about how are we feeling, what are we going through, are we going to get through this — you know, acceptance, staying in the present moment. This is the big thing for me. People call it woke, awakening, if you will… For me, it's all about staying present in this moment right now, and I'm writing about that."

"Resonate" was released in November 2016 via Frontiers Music Srl. It featured Glenn's then-live solo band members, Søren Andersen (guitars and co-producer),Pontus Engborg (drums) and Lachy Doley (keyboards),in addition to longtime friend Chad Smith (RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS),who joined them in the studio for the opening and closing numbers.

Last year, Hughes launched his solo tour under the banner "Glenn Hughes Performs Classic Deep Purple Live – Celebrating The 50th Anniversary Of The Album Burn". During the trek, Glenn is performing DEEP PURPLE's legendary rock album "Burn" and also running through DEEP PURPLE MKIII and MKIV songs.

Hughes spent key years of his career as the beloved bassist and vocalist of DEEP PURPLE, appearing on the classic albums "Burn", "Stormbringer" and "Come Taste The Band".

Glenn's current solo band features Søren Andersen (guitar),Ash Sheehan (drums) and Bob Fridzema (keyboards).

Hughes, who was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2016 along with fellow DEEP PURPLE members Ritchie Blackmore, David Coverdale, Jon Lord, Rod Evans, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover and Ian Paice, spent more than three years recording and touring as the frontman of the supergroup THE DEAD DAISIES.

Glenn's BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION supergroup with guitarist Joe Bonamassa, drummer Jason Bonham (LED ZEPPELIN) and keyboardist Derek Sherinian (DREAM THEATER, ALICE COOPER, BILLY IDOL) will release its fifth album, "V", in June.