SHINEDOWN's BRENT SMITH: 'We Want People To Not Be Afraid Of Their Failures'

SHINEDOWN's uplifting new single, "Get Up", from the band's latest album, "Attention Attention" (Atlantic Records),has been moving listeners around the globe with its offer of hope, empathy and encouragement in the face of personal struggles whatever they may be, especially with mental health issues. Offering a light in a time of darkness is something singer Brent Smith is deeply connected to after battling his own personal demons, and "Get Up" was born out of watching his friend, SHINEDOWN bassist Eric Bass, deal with clinical depression. When Brent put pen to paper, a beautiful, universal song rooted in Brent and Eric's raw vulnerability took shape. Reaching far beyond any genre or label, "Get Up" speaks to the human spirit in a time of need, and it's a song that has already resonated with the masses. Its message has drawn attention from the likes of Huffington Post, Salon, Rolling Stone, Buzzfeed, Parade, Grammy.com and more, with more than 27 million total streams.

Smith talked about the lyrical themes covered on "Attention Attention" during a recent interview with the "Music Connection" podcast. He said (hear audio below): "It's a bit of a larger conversation in regards to the dynamic of the way the world is becoming aware of mental health and also depression issues. It's not a case of the Mondays with certain people, it's a clinical… not a disorder, but it's definitely something that some people, they just can't get rid of, because it's a part of their anatomy and it's a chemical imbalance in the brain.

"'Attention Attention' as an album, it's… We want people to not be afraid of their failures," he continued. "We don't want people to look at life as, 'If I mess up one time, I'm done and I should just call it quits.' That's not the way to look at it, because the fact of the matter is you're gonna need those moments in your life where you do fail. There's reasons for that — it's going to show you what to do next time. But the reality is that you're not gonna be defined by your failures in your life, you're gonna be defined by the fact that you refused to give up."

"Attention Attention", SHINEDOWN's sixth studio album, debuted at No. 1 on the Top Rock Albums chart back in May 2018. The follow-up to 2015's "Threat To Survival" marked SHINEDOWN's first full-length effort to be produced entirely by Eric Bass. The 14-song release that tells the story of a character who starts out defeated and slowly overcomes pain and personal struggles and becomes confident at the end. The album also lyrically touches upon Smith's former drug addiction and Bass's depression.