With their previous single, “Pieces”, climbing the charts at Active Rock, DAUGHTRY returns with an angsty anthem for the anxious on their new track “Nervous”, out now on all platforms via Big Machine Rock.
Written about his battle with anxiety after experiencing loss, frontman Chris Daughtry continues to pull back the curtain on his personal life. The vulnerable new song showcases a different sound for the usually high-octane band, detailing a widely universal struggle with self-doubt and fear over haunting, synth-laden instrumentals. Cinematic production underscores the raw emotion of a life turned upside down by grief on this intimate track.
Chris says: “It’s a complicated feeling when you find yourself stuck in a cycle of anxiety and depression from the punches that life inevitably throws — you’re feeling alone and lost, but you don’t even know why you still feel that way, because everything seems insurmountable. This song represents the importance of opening up and being honest about those feelings.”
The hard-hitting track continues to usher in a fine-tuned and razor-sharp new era for the Grammy-nominated group, as they continue the rollout for their debut Big Machine Rock EP this fall. “Nervous” will join previous singles “Pieces” and “Artificial” on the new record, the latter of which earned the band their first No. 1 at Active Rock and first No. 1 single in 15 years.
During an appearance on the June 18 episode of SiriusXM‘s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk”, Chris spoke about the progress of the recording sessions for the follow-up to DAUGHTRY‘s latest album, 2021’s “Dearly Beloved”. He said: “We have the first half done, and I don’t have the exact date, but we’re looking at sometime in September to drop the first half of the record. So we’re dropping it in two parts. The first part will come out sometime in September. And then we’re still currently working on the second half right now. And the first half, I’m just — man, I am so happy with it. I’m so stoked, and I can’t wait for everybody to hear all of it. I can’t wait to play some of these songs live. And yeah, so it’s coming along great. It’s just that we’ve been really, really deliberate and taking our time with this to get it right.”
Asked if DAUGHTRY is planning to release the new music as two separate EPs, Chris said: “Yeah, I think it’s two EPs that kind of come together as one when it all comes out.”
This past April, DAUGHTRY released the official music video for its previous single, “Pieces”. The song was the second track to be made available from the band’s upcoming EP, due later this year on Big Machine.
DAUGHTRY has been winning fans around the globe since Chris burst on the scene in 2006. “Pieces” is a deeply personal song for Chris as it was written shortly after the loss of his mother and daughter. The evocative lyrics “I’ll never get over it. It’s hard to move on, but I’m learning to live with the pieces of me” are delivered with passion and is sure to be another chart-topping hit for the band.
“At some point in our lives, we will all experience trauma of some kind,” explained Chris. “Something that chips away at the essence of who we are. Sometimes it’s an event so devastating that it shatters our reality and rips a hole through our soul. This is about finding the strength to pick up those broken pieces, face the darkness head on, and fight your way toward the light.”
DAUGHTRY had previously reached No. 1 over the years on other Billboard airplay charts, including four on Adult Pop Airplay (“It’s Not Over”, “Home”, “Feels Like Tonight” and “No Surprise”),one on Pop Airplay (“It’s Not Over”) and one on Adult Contemporary (“Home”).
DAUGHTRY‘s debut album, the self-titled “Daughtry”, was the top-selling album of 2007 and was the fastest-selling rock debut album in SoundScan history. It was also nominated for four Grammy Awards and won four American Music Awards and seven Billboard Music Awards, including “Album Of The Year”. Subsequent albums “Leave This Town” (2009),“Break The Spell” (2011) and “Baptized” (2013) have all gone platinum, with “Cage To Rattle” (2018) certified gold.
“Dearly Beloved” marked a return to DAUGHTRY‘s rock roots and a return to the top of the rock charts with their singles “World On Fire”, “Heavy Is The Crown” and “Changes Are Coming”, each reaching the Top 10 on Billboard‘s Rock Airplay chart.