SALIVA's BOBBY AMARU: 'Anytime You Replace A Singer, There's Always Gonna Be Doubters Or Haters'

In a new interview with That Metal Interview, SALIVA singer Bobby Amaru spoke about the experience of replacing the band's original frontman Josey Scott a decade and a half ago. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "I think it's a blessing and a curse at the same time, 'cause anytime you replace a singer, there's always gonna be doubters or haters or whatever. But now that it's been 15 years, I feel like the band has evolved so much. And I still give credit to what the band was in the early 2000s and what they ended up doing. But I also feel like bands do evolve and members change; people leave or whatever for whatever reasons it may be. And brands can move forward. And especially today with the Internet."

Bobby continued: "I don't think it was possible, without the Internet, to do this kind of stuff. 'Cause you remember when bands would change singers, and MTV and radio was still a thing, it's almost like everybody would just give up on the band. But I think now that you have the Internet, you have social media and stuff, you can find new fans. You can also rekindle with old fans because your songs are right in their face. They can see it or hear it."

Amaru went on to say that a lead singer change in rock bands rarely works. He explained: "I saw MÖTLEY CRÜE with John Corabi [back in 1994], and I love that [self-titled MÖTLEY CRÜE] record. And it's crazy because I feel like on the Internet, anytime I see anything about that record, there's not one negative comment about it. Everyone goes, 'Dude, that's the best MÖTLEY CRÜE record. I love that record.' Everyone always talks about that record. But where was that in '94 or '95 when they needed that support or whatever it was, and they didn't get that. But it doesn't mean they didn't make a good record and weren't trying to evolve or trying to do things. But the power of MTV and the power of labels and stuff back then, it's a much different time."

Bobby added: "I feel like there's a lot of bands today that have different singers, man. It's a lot more common than it used to be, is what I'm getting at. And even when I got in, in 2011, that was still kind of weird. It was kind of a weird time. And then I remember getting in the band, and there's Dave [Novotny, bass] and Wayne [Swinny, guitar] and Paul [Crosby, drums], and we start touring. And they vented a lot about the former guy and stuff, and I was kind of just there listening. And I got it. I understood it. But there were times that I thought, 'Should I fucking run or something?' And then you just... Adversity, man. You overcome those things and the naysayers and you figure it out. And it all goes back to rock and roll and playing music and for the love of that. Not the drama or any of that stuff. I mean, yeah, there's gonna be that, but I think it kind of comes with the territory. I just try to avoid the drama, and I don't like to deal with the drama. It's just negative energy, and it's toxic."

This past April SALIVA returned with a new single, "Cope", featuring Trevor McNevan of THOUSAND FOOT KRUTCH, available now via Judge & Jury Records.

SALIVA's career launched in 2001 with the release of "Every Six Seconds", a certified double platinum-selling album, containing the hits "Click Click Boom" and 2002 Grammy-nominated "Your Disease". SALIVA's in-your-face, anthemic writing style continued with a certified gold-selling album "Back In To Your System" that contained top singles "Always", "Raise Up" and the Nikki Sixx-co-written "Rest In Pieces". Despite original vocalist Josey Scott leaving the band in 2011, the addition of Bobby Amaru brought a contemporary feel to SALIVA, all while staying true to the band's blue-collar roots. Amaru has been the SALIVA frontman for the past decade plus and was featured on the most recent releases, "Rise Up", "Love Lies And Therapy", "10 Lives", "Every Twenty Years" EP and "Revelation".

Shortly before the release of the most recent album, SALIVA guitarist Wayne Swinny passed away unexpectedly. The "Come Back Stronger" video was notably filmed just days before Swinny's death, and was dedicated to the fallen guitarist . The album went on to be highly acclaimed by critics and the singles "Crows" and "High On Me" charted Top 20 on Billboard's Active Rock chart. The band continues to honor "Uncle Wayne" at every show.

With nearly four million monthly listeners and Spotify and a catalog that boasts more than one billion streams, the popularity of the music, old and new, endures.

To celebrate the release of "Revelation: Retold" earlier in 2025, the deluxe album from SALIVA, the band released a music video for "Horizon" featuring Kevin Martin of CANDLEBOX, honoring their musical legacy with never-before-seen clips of Swinny on stage and in the studio. The deluxe record is available on Judge & Jury Records, a powerhouse record label and production company founded by multi-platinum producer Howard Benson (MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, SEETHER, SKILLET, OF MICE & MEN) and Neil Sanderson of THREE DAYS GRACE. The track was recorded at Valley Recording Studios, Benson's studio in Woodland Hills.

SALIVA is Bobby Amaru (vocals),Brad Stewart (bass),Josh Kulack (guitar),Sebastian LaBar (guitar) and Sammi Jo Bishop (drums).