Hello everybody, we're here with Chris Daughtry to talk about your recent EP, Shock to the System Part 2, released on September 12th. So first of all, congratulations on this record.
Thank you, thank you very much.

If you had to describe it with just one word, what would it be?
Honest.

Part 1 was released in 2024. It was a dark, introspective EP, but with a touch of hope inside of it. Do you feel like Part 2 is continuing that momentum, or is it the result of the reflection, the introspective research we could see in Part 1?
Well, it's certainly still steeped in darkness, and it's all born out of an introspective period in my life. But I do think there's slightly more hope on Part 2 than there was in Part 1. We even started it with, I think, the most hopeful song on the record, Divided. I felt like if I'm listening to Part 1 and Part 2 as a whole, it needed to shift gears after The Dam. It's such a dark song, and I wouldn't say hopeless, but it does have a sense of dread about it. Divided is more anthemic, and it kind of brings the energy back up. And so I thought that was needed, to kind of separate the two parts a little bit. And then The Bottom, you know, is inspirational in its own right. But yeah, there's still quite a bit of dark introspectiveness in this part of the record for sure - if that's even a word, “dark introspectiveness”. Let's go with it. [laughs]

In music, it can be a word!
Yeah, exactly.

So it seems to be more of a cathartic thing. Do you feel that music can help people in this world?
Well, I know how much it helped me writing the songs. Not only was I still dealing with grief, with the loss of my mom and my daughter, it was also kind of forcing me to look at things within myself—even things that maybe I had swept under the rug for years. Things I not only hadn’t dealt with, but didn’t even know I needed to deal with. Going through what I did kind of broke me open in a way that allowed me to see things that needed to be looked at a little closer. And I think I dealt with that through the songs.
I know how cathartic and therapeutic it was for me. Every day in the studio felt like a therapy session in a way. Even when we weren’t writing the songs, we were just discussing things going on in life. That in itself was therapeutic and sometimes made its way into the songs. So yeah, I think it's extremely helpful.
I think music in general is this universal language that transcends language and barriers, and it reaches you when it's meant to reach you. There have been times where, even after writing these songs, by the time they're mixed, mastered, and ready to be released into the world, they mean something totally different to me. Something I hadn’t thought of when I was writing them. That’s the incredible thing about music: it meets you where you’re at. Sometimes it’s just a cool song, and other times it hits you so deeply you can’t explain—it’s almost like a spiritual thing.

First of all, I want to say I'm sorry for all the things you've been through. We often say that the best artists come from the darkest places. And I want to say congratulations because using music as therapy is something a lot of people are trying to do, but sometimes it's a little bit messy or it doesn't help them the way they thought. And I'm happy if it helps you a little bit.
Thank you. Thank you so much.

We were talking about the two parts of the EP. Was the choice only to separate the darkest from the most hopeful, or was there something else behind it?
It was something else. When we started diving into Part 1, songs like Pieces, The Reckoning, and then Artificial felt so urgent that we needed to release them immediately. We couldn’t sit on them. We were so excited that it felt like “now.” I remember calling the label and saying, “Hey, I know we're nowhere close to finishing this record, which started out as a full album, but this song needs to come out now.”
So we put it out, made a video, and started working on it. But then we got into the weeds - we didn’t quite have the first six songs finished, and tour dates were coming up. When I got off tour and went back to the studio, we had a meeting and I said, “I don’t know how close we are to finishing an album. We barely have six songs, much less 12.” It felt daunting.
The label then proposed, “What if we split this record into two parts - Shock to the System Part 1 and Part 2?” And I thought, can we do that? That’s an amazing idea. I loved it. We had never done anything like that before, so we ran with it.
Once we finished the first half, we took a break, toured, and months later came back to the studio. But it was daunting again, because we were so happy with Part 1. It took so much effort to get it where we wanted it. Starting Part 2 felt paralyzing, like staring at a messy room you don’t want to clean.
We had some sketches—melodies, gibberish, maybe a verse and a chorus here and there. Antidote was one of those, actually, just a verse and chorus finished before Part 1, but unfinished until later. I remember being in the studio, just complaining about how hard life felt. I said, “Damn it, I wish I could just go to sleep and not have to deal with all this shit right now.” Not in a suicidal way, but just longing for peace.
Our producer Scott started humming, “I keep on dreaming of the day I die.” And I thought, that’s it. It was jarring - something I would have been scared to say years ago. But it felt like a nod to one of my heroes, Chris Cornell, and The Day I Tried to Live. This was the juxtaposition: The Day I Die. That set the tone for Part 2.
It went in a heavy, almost grunge direction, but still felt current and active rock. We weren’t writing for radio, just writing from the heart with pure honesty. That daunting feeling lifted, and we felt free. The songs just took off.
So long story short, this was never intended to be two parts, but I’m glad it turned out that way. These songs wouldn’t exist in this form if we had forced the album all at once.

That's great. And it really matches with the way people consume music today; little by little, more than album by album. So maybe in a marketing way, it's better for you too.
Yeah. And I think it gives each part a chance to shine and have its voice heard. Do I think this is the way forward? Not necessarily. But for this project, it made perfect sense.

And we have two parts, but we have one eponymous track. Why did you choose this one to be the title track, and why put it on the first part?
That was one of the songs early in the process that really stood out as the album title. I knew I wanted to call the full album Shock to the System very early, because it felt symbolic. Some fans might be jarred by the subjects I was tackling, the language I was using—even swearing, which I’d never done before. All of that felt tied to that title. It was also one of the first songs completed. So when we decided to split the record, I wanted to keep the title and call it Part 1 and Part 2, so the whole project would still be Shock to the System.

And you were talking about the different approach you had for Part 2. It starts with an intro that blends into the second track. Where does that come from?
It was initially just a long intro to Divided. I always wanted to start the record with an ominous, vibey interlude that segues into something bigger. I thought if you listen to Part 1 into Part 2, that interlude would be the bridge. I called it The Seeds, inspired by the lyric in Divided: “We are the seeds fallen from the stars.” It felt provocative, like it was about to grow into something bigger.

And do you have the same creative process for each track? Or does it change depending if it's a heavier or calmer one?
It depends. Inspiration hits when it hits. For example, Terrified started before Part 1 as just an idea. We were watching Korn side stage at a festival - maybe Rock am Ring, maybe Download - and seeing 90,000 people jumping in unison. We thought, holy shit, we need a song like that.
Elvio and I started sketching in our hotel room, but it was very different. Later, our producer Scott came with a track that clicked. I knew exactly where to go lyrically. The chorus came while I was at home, and the verses came to me while I was walking outside. It was like grabbing lyrics out of the air.
We tested it in the studio, and it worked. The song became a cathartic way of addressing my anger and short fuse, almost like a Jekyll-and-Hyde archetype. When lyrics come that naturally - which is rare - it feels like a gift from the universe.

And what about the last track of Part 2, Antidote. Was it a specific choice to put it last?
Yeah. That song is so special to me. It’s very personal, about watching my daughter struggle with her mental health and feeling helpless. Putting it anywhere else would feel wrong. After you hear that song, there’s nowhere else to go. You have to sit with it. It felt like the only place for it. In hindsight, I’m glad it wasn’t ready for Part 1, because it was the perfect way to close the album.

That’s actually really beautiful. And it has a great meaning. I feel like almost all of the songs that you wrote for Part 1 and Part 2 have a special meaning to you. They deal with deep themes, yet there’s still hope in there, even when it’s dark.
Yeah. I think that’s life. Even in our darkest places, there’s always a glimmer of light to keep us going and remind us it’s not always going to be this way. I hope people feel that. Darkness is universal, but we don’t have to stay there. We can feel it, and then move on. Hopefully listeners feel they have permission to do that, and that they’re not alone.

I wanted to talk about the European tour coming up. You're coming back to Europe, you're coming back to France. How do you feel about it?
I’m very excited. I love France so much, and we haven’t been in a very long time. Every time we play there, the fans are incredible. I wish I spoke the language better. I just love the culture. I love playing in Europe in general - it feels special. Since we’re not there often, there’s this excitement for the music that feels amazing. We can’t wait to play these songs and see the European fans again. It’s been way too long.

That’s my final question: do you have a message for your fans?
Thank you for your patience, thank you for all the support, and we cannot wait to see you again.