While some fans have disputed that he auditioned, a source has claimed to Alternative Nation that Filipino singer John Borja did indeed audition for Stone Temple Pilots in fall 2016 around the same time that Einar Vilberg did. A source tells Alternative Nation that STP loved Borja’s audition at Foo Fighters’ Studio 606, and that there was a point that he appeared to be the band’s pick to front the band in the ensuing months, but it never came to be. During Borja’s trip to Los Angeles for the audition he was also photographed with Robert DeLeo after a Delta Deep show.
Borja was reportedly under the impression that he would get the job at one point. Stone Temple Pilots members Dean DeLeo, Robert DeLeo, and Eric Kretz have not commented on what they thought of Borja’s audition itself, outside of shooting down that he was their new singer by recently calling rumors ‘rubbish.’
As of September 2016, Stone Temple Pilots had already auditioned 30 singers, with more auditions coming after September. During auditions, STP didn’t just play old songs, they played new material to see how the singers would be able to write on the spot. The band told singers though that even if they wrote with them, did not mean they were guaranteed to get the gig as the band’s new singer. STP filmed their singer audition process. STP will perform with their new singer on November 14th in Los Angeles at the Troubadour. The identity of the singer has not yet been revealed, but Pete Murray and Jeff Gutt have been rumored names in the last year.
