SCORPIONS Singer Says MIKKEY DEE Has Added 'A Fresh Wave Of Energy' To The Band

German hard rock veterans SCORPIONS took part in a press conference prior to their October 21 concert at at the Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre in Singapore. You can now watch video footage of the question-and-answer session below.

Speaking about what keeps SCORPIONS going five decades into the band's career, singer Klaus Meine said: "When we started the band, it was about the passion for music, love for rock and roll. We shared the same visions, and we shared the love for music, and [the desire] to be in a band. It was always… all those years, especially in the early years, about chemistry. Of course, you have great musicians — a great drummer, a great guitarist — but it was also about… You know, you spend so much time [together] being in a band, it's like your second family, it's your rock and roll family. And the guy can be the best musician in the world, but if he doesn't fit right in, if you don't feel comfortable spending so much time [together] — 24 hours [a day] and month after month and year after year. It's very important to have a good company, and in a way, this was the foundation for the SCORPIONS — to have not only great, talented musicians, but also good friends, and travel the whole world. So there was this vision from the early days on — we take our music all over the world, and we did."

He continued: "We've been pretty much all over the globe all those years, but the passion for what we're doing is still there, the fire is still burning very strongly. And we feel a very strong connection with our fans all over the planet, in so many places, and therefore it's so great to come here back to Singapore. We believe we have a great show this time around, and we wanna share it with our fans, and it's a wonderful thing.

"Yes, we celebrate fifty years of SCORPIONS, but I guess it's much more than that. The fact that the band is still together and we still put on a damn good show. And with Mikkey [Dee, drums; ex-MOTÖRHEAD] just joining the band, there's a fresh wave of energy, and it's a lot of fun, and we enjoy every night.

"So we're still excited about doing all those trips and taking our music all over the world. This vision never left us. And at the same time, creating new songs — playing not only the big classics on our show, but also to present new material, new songs from our latest album, 'Return To Forever'. So it's the whole package, I guess, that makes the band very, very special. And we still enjoy it very much — not being superstars or anything, but being musicians, being artists, and expressing ourselves though the music and having a wonderful time with our fans all over the world."

SCORPIONS in September announced the addition of Dee as a permanent replacement for SCORPIONS' longtime drummer James Kottak. Dee had spent the last few months filling in for Kottak, who was said to be on break while he sought medical attention.

Kottak rejoined the SCORPIONS on the road in November 2014, eight months after he spent a month in a Dubai, United Arab Emirates jail in April for insulting Islam.

Kottak, who had been receiving treatment for alcohol abuse, released a statement in June 2014 in which he said "this entire incident caused me to realize that it is time to stop drinking once and for all so that I can become the father, musician, and friend that I know I can be."