The former Creed singer has sold millions of albums and spent years battling substance abuse. Now 46 and sober, Stapp has finally found balance — and wants his new music to help those searching for it.
Stapp lives with his wife Jaclyn and three children -- Daniel, 12-year-old daughter Milan and baby Anthony, 22 months old -- in Franklin, Tennessee, a little under half an hour from the heart of Nashville. On a typical day, Jackie makes breakfast while Scott helps pack lunches, and then he’ll drive Milan and Daniel to school, letting them chatter away in the car.
“Our first record already did really well, and we didn’t think it could get any bigger than that, butjust took it to the stratosphere, man,” Stapp says of the band’s second album, which is receiving a 20th anniversary vinyl reissue on Craft Recordings next month. “If not for those first three Creed records, no one would probably know my name today.”
, which sold another 6.5 million copies, according to Nielsen Music, and launched two more top 10 hits on the Hot 100 -- Stapp remembers not having anyone to look to for guidance, or offering advice. “I didn’t know what was wrong with me, and also, I didn’t want to let anybody down,” Stapp recalls. “So I just tried to keep it a secret, which is the biggest mistake anyone suffering from any type of mental health issue [could make]. It started with the depression for me, and then as a way to cope and try to feel better -- try to literally do my job -- I was self-medicating. Which then led to, you know, the addiction and the other issues.
“That gave me my voice back in a whole new way,” Stapp affirms. “I partied, and I smoked when I partied. I can hear it on the work that I did during that period.
ScottStapp Scott, great article! We are all so proud of you and love your music!😊🤟