Shinedown, a band with over a decade of experience and more than 10 million albums sold worldwide, released its fourth album, "Amaryllis," in 2012, which debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200. For Brent Smith, the band's lead singer, the previous year has been about more than just releasing a new album.
After battling drug and alcohol addiction, becoming obese, and being insulted on national television for his weight, he credits a loving woman and the inspiration of his son and fans for helping him turn things around. He replaced mind-altering drugs with intense workouts and a healthy diet, losing nearly 70 pounds.
The Weight Gain
Smith discussed his weight issues, noting that the weight gain began approximately four years prior. He had been touring for more than 12 years, and during the first two records, he was constantly performing. Smith admitted to being addicted to cocaine, OxyContin, and alcohol during those two records. The cocaine and OxyContin kept his weight down, but he quit the opiates for the third album and began to crave sugar. He was still drinking heavily and began to gain weight.
The Turning Point
Smith recalled a particularly painful moment in 2009 when he appeared on the "Today" show. Kathie Lee Gifford remarked, "At first I thought he was Meat Loaf," which caused her co-host Hoda Kotb to laugh. Smith admitted that this comment really stung. While he is a fan of Meat Loaf, he felt that Gifford's comment was not a musical comparison. It was on national television, and he felt his heart sink. He felt as if the performance was irrelevant and that all that mattered was her comment.
Brent Smith realized he needed to change. His girlfriend, Teresa, sat him down one day and told him that the lifestyle he was leading would not work, despite her love for him. She found him a trainer, and he remembers walking into the gym with a hangover. He weighed 222 pounds at 5 foot 8, and Teresa told him it was time to get his life back. He had been in a death spiral and needed to be healthy and strong for his family, especially his 4-year-old son, who served as a major motivator, as did his fans. He had an epiphany while working out with his trainer that day, and he hasn't had a drink since.
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The Fitness Journey
Smith's trainer inquired about his goals, and Smith stated that he wanted to lose 30 pounds in two months because he knew he would be on camera. The trainer explained that diet would account for 80% of his weight loss, and they cleaned it up. He emphasized that working out for three hours a day is ineffective if one lives on chili dogs and cheeseburgers.
His trainer created a program that he could follow while on the road, as he spends approximately 300 days a year traveling. He focuses on core and circuit training. Smith does "Insanity" DVDs on the road with the rest of the band, using backstage areas and hotel rooms for workouts. They have completed the entire 60-day "Insanity" program three times as a band.
The Impact of Change
Smith has lost nearly 70 pounds and is in much better shape. He says he looks completely different on stage now, and his lung stamina has improved significantly. He no longer has to wear a large jacket to hide his weight and overheat. He is now in the best shape of his life and is much more conditioned for the stage, with more power behind his voice. Things that used to be difficult on stage are now easier, and he has more clarity and feels better in his body.
Shinedown's Success
Shinedown is no stranger to the top of the music charts. The esteemed rock group released its sixth studio album, Attention Attention in 2018, to significant critical acclaim. The album debuted at number one on the Top Rock Albums, Hard Rock Albums, and Alternative Albums charts, adding it to a long list of successes for the band. Since its formation in 2001, Shinedown has sold more than ten million records worldwide and is currently tied with Van Halen for the second most number one singles on the Billboard Rock Charts.
Smith says that a key ingredient to Shinedown's success is that they don't have a ceiling. They are always trying to outdo what they've already done. That work ethic and focus on growth has kept Shinedown more than relevant in its nearly two-decade run, a span of time that has included member shuffling and a variety of personal and professional challenges for the group.
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Attention Attention: A Journey of Self-Discovery
Attention Attention follows an individual's path from the lowest lows to the highest highs and is arguably their most raw album to date. The 14-track record hits with a welcome force thanks to honest lyrics that seem to say the only way out is through. Smith stopped by Aaptiv's offices and discussed his journey to create this album, to overcome addiction, and to shed 70 pounds.
Attention Attention is a story album meant to be listened to from beginning to end. The entire album is based inside of a room, beginning with a knock on the door. When the door opens, you hear a person walk in, pull out a chair, and sit down. They take a deep breath and exhale, and then the first song, "Devil," begins. The entire album takes you on a psychological, mental, and physical journey. By the end of the album, the person in the room is no longer the same.
Smith wants listeners to find their own personalities inside of the record. It's a record about not being afraid to fail and showcases empathy and humanity, brilliance at times, and devastation at others. The album addresses and understands failures, acknowledging that they happen and can be discouraging. However, it emphasizes the importance of learning from those failures. Smith believes that people aren't defined by their failures but by their refusal to give up.
Overcoming Addiction
Smith has struggled with substance abuse and weight troubles in the past but has come out on top. In 2011, he had a special woman in his life who watched him go through part of his addiction and alcoholism. One morning, she found him passed out in the kitchen next to a bottle of vodka. She helped him up, got him food, and told him that she loved him and wasn't going anywhere, but that the "dude" who was trying to kill him was hated by many people who loved and depended on him. She continued, saying that he was more dangerous when he was sober because that's when he was clear and focused.
At the time, Smith was 5'8" and weighed 222 pounds. The next day, she found him a trainer, and they went together. The trainer taught him how to exercise, eat right, and listen to his body. He also helped Smith find reasons to be okay with who he was, even when he made mistakes. Smith used to beat himself up for days on end. He didn't expect to walk into a gym and be able to do a hundred push-ups and slam balls, as that was unrealistic. However, the trainer told him that he was agile despite being heavy and that he had a different kind of determination and drive. That drive came from accepting that he was not in good shape and that it couldn't be any worse than it was yesterday. Then, 20 pounds was gone, then 25, then 30. Eventually, he went from 222 to 152 pounds in a year.
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Smith still wakes up every day and expresses gratitude. He embraced the word "ugly" and wants to get ugly when he works out. He wants to be okay with being out of breath and drenched in sweat. He emphasizes that people may be surrounded by others who are willing to help, but they must find steps to be okay with the person in the mirror.
Smith tore his meniscus 20 years ago and had an orthopedic surgeon take care of his knee. He wasn't ready for surgery and still isn't, so he braces it when he's working out hard. His trainer in California helped him strengthen everything around his knees and taught him how to exercise even more.
Smith emphasizes the importance of stretching, including warming up, stretching after the warm-up, working out, and then stretching again afterward. He believes that this is imperative for success. He feels that his mind is cleared out and that the blood flow helps to remove the cobwebs from his brain. He believes that our bodies were meant to move.
Smith's favorite type of workout is agility training, which involves jumping over obstacles, contorting quickly, holding difficult positions, and transitioning from standing to ground positions with complete form. He enjoys high-cardio workouts but dislikes spending two hours in the gym and only burning 400 calories.
The impact of his fitness journey has helped him let go of the little things that don't matter much. It has given him a drive that he didn't have before. His son's birth also helped him understand that it was no longer about him anymore. He realized that he was no good to his son if he was dead. His well-being didn't happen overnight, but it gives him a sense of purpose and allows him to not sweat the small stuff. He looks forward to his morning workouts, even when he's tired.
Relapse and Recovery
Shinedown frontman Brent Smith opened up about relapsing before writing the band's latest album, Attention Attention. Smith touched on how Attention Attention was the first Shinedown album he wrote completely sober. He detailed his journey to sobriety and said that he had a slip around 2014 leading into 2015, right before Threat to Survival was released. He had been on the road in the Amaryllis cycle for two years straight and had lost a lot of weight. He had become a different person, but there was so much regiment to it. When it stopped, he was supposed to be domesticated, but he didn't know how to function, and he slipped.
During the 19 months of touring for Threat to Survival, Smith was withdrawing. He found himself in such a dark place and is surprised he made it out.
Smith credits his bandmates for helping him get back on track. They never judged him and supported him, but they also told him that he needed to get it together. It was a struggle, but he was at his lowest point. His bandmates and his son supported him through it all, and it showed him that he wasn't invincible. This experience allowed them to create Attention Attention.
Eric, who produced, mixed, and engineered the album, was with him every step of the way. Everything was written and performed sober. Smith used to think he had to be messed up to write messed up songs, but he realized that this was not true.