IAN GILLAN On Secret To Making 'Timeless' Music With DEEP PURPLE: 'If You Are True To Yourself, I Think You Stand A Chance'

In a new interview with Bulgaria's Z-Rock, DEEP PURPLE singer Ian Gillan was asked to name "the secret to creating music that remains timeless and continues to inspire new fans across generations". He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, the only answer I can give you, and I can't promise that it's the truth or even accurate, but the only answer I can give to that question is to try and avoid chasing fashion. If you're trying to make commercial records and follow trends, then, unless you're very, very good at it, like ABBA and some others, it's gonna be a struggle. If you are true to yourself, I think you stand a chance. If you are successful by being true to yourself, then it's an honest performance, and it probably will have some legs to it, as we say in the business."

Regarding the lyrical inspiration for DEEP PURPLE's latest album, "Splat!", which explores the end of humanity as a philosophical transformation into a metaphysical and spiritual state rather than a dark apocalypse, Ian said: "Well, I've always been interested in science and surreal ideas, and I have a fertile imagination. I remember when I was eight years old, I was fascinated with the concept of infinity. It seemed an impossible thing to me, and suddenly I realized that it couldn't be anything else. But then it couldn't take shape in the way that we understand it, in a linear sense. So there had to be changes involved for which we had no questions, and we didn't have the words or the mathematics to ask the questions. So I think we have free rein with our imagination on that sort of thing. And who knows what the future holds? But it's fascinating when you combine science with ethereal knowledge, ethereal thinking, which we call instinct. It's amazing how, if you just jump over the fence and create your own space, you can put anything in place, really, and who's to say that it's not feasible?"

"Splat!" was released on July 3 via earMUSIC. Produced once again by Bob Ezrin (KISS, PINK FLOYD, Lou Reed, Alice Cooper),the effort has been described in a press release as "the heaviest DEEP PURPLE album in many years".

"Splat!" has received enthusiastic first fan and media reactions, with early press praising the album's DEEP PURPLE spirit. Uncut called "Splat!" "distilled, high-octane PURPLE at its finest". Classic Rock praised the album for delivering "everything that makes DEEP PURPLE one of the greatest acts in hard rock."

At the heart of "Splat!" is an idea conceived by Gillan. Rather than treating the end as destruction, the album imagines it as transformation: "Splat!" explores the end of humanity not in any crude apocalyptic sense but as a metamorphosis beyond physical existence.

In July 2022, guitarist Steve Morse officially left DEEP PURPLE to care for his wife, Janine, who was battling cancer. He was replaced by Simon McBride. Morse's announcement came four months after the guitarist said that he would be taking a hiatus from the band, in the hope of rejoining his bandmates once his wife's health improved.

With more than 120 million albums sold since forming in 1968, DEEP PURPLE have long secured their place in rock history. Rather than simply preserving their legacy, they continue to extend it, driven by the same spirit that defined their earliest work.

There simply aren't enough superlatives to properly acknowledge the contribution DEEP PURPLE has made to rock music. Having sold more than 120 million albums and filled global arenas for decades, there's little wonder that the respected British radio station Planet Rock named the group the "Fifth Most Influential Band Ever". The band were also presented the "Legend Award" at the 2008 World Music Awards and were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2016. DEEP PURPLE truly are "rock royalty".

With a body of work spanning seven decades, DEEP PURPLE have helped pioneer and define the hard rock genre while progressively moving into new areas, both keeping their sound fresh and attracting new fans to the legions who have remained loyal since the band's inception. The celebrated MKII line-up of Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Ian Paice, Jon Lord and Ritchie Blackmore was responsible for creating many of the defining rock albums of the early '70s, including "Made In Japan", universally accepted as one of the most important and influential live albums of all time.

Known as one of the hardest-working bands ever, DEEP PURPLE have continued to release No. 1 albums and tour globally since forming in 1968, with little rest.

DEEP PURPLE have stayed true to their musical roots, drawing from an eclectic mix of styles to create a distinctive sound that defines the band today and, in turn, has created a legacy that very few bands could ever hope to replicate. The band has written and produced so many "classic", well-known songs that its audience ranges widely in age and background — something the band has readily embraced.

DEEP PURPLE's recent studio album "=1" (2024) followed their worldwide chart-topping albums "Whoosh!" (2020),"inFinite" (2017) and "NOW What?!" (2013). On these albums, DEEP PURPLE joined forces with producer Bob Ezrin, who has worked with the likes of KISS, PINK FLOYD, Lou Reed and Alice Cooper.

Furthering their collaboration with Ezrin, in 2021 and during the pandemic the band recorded a collection of cover songs from their own homes (normal for most bands nowadays, revolutionary for a band that records everything together in the studio),creating an eclectic and celebratory history of their roots in music, in the shape of "Turning To Crime".