Robert DeLeo gave an update on Stone Temple Pilots’ singer search in a new North Jersey interview:
The band is currently writing new material while sifting through 15,000 audition tapes sent by singers eager to front Stone Temple Pilots, which also includes DeLeo’s brother, Dean DeLeo, on guitar, and drummer Eric Kretz.
He said that while the charismatic and eccentric Weiland is impossible to replace, the band is looking for someone who possesses more than just a voice that fits their music. “It’s got to be somebody who has that intangible thing, who can honor our past but stand on their own and contribute to where we’re going in the future.”
After months of John Borja claiming he is likely to be Stone Temple Pilots’ new singer, NBC 9 News/ET reported last month that STP had hired a singer from X-Factor. Stone Temple Pilots later denied the report. Below is the original story.
The band has tapped X Factor season three runner-up Jeff Gutt — who now goes by his full name, Jeffrey Adam Gutt — as its new lead singer, ET has learned. Gutt has been working with band members Dean DeLeo, Robert DeLeo and Eric Kretz for the past few months, writing and recording new material in Redondo Beach, California.
A source tells ET that Gutt and the band members have officially begun rehearsals in Hollywood this week, and are expected to tour next year. They are expected to perform classic STP hits, along with new songs.
Gutt was mentored by Kelly Rowland during his X Factor stint in 2013, though he continuously impressed judges Simon Cowell, Demi Lovato and Paulina Rubio with his powerhouse covers of songs like “Creep,” “Dream On,” and “Hallelujah.”
