DAUGHTRY have made a triumphant return with the release of their new single "Artificial" launched under their new label Big Machine. Recorded for their upcoming seventh studio album, the single marks a significant shift as it sees Chris Daughtry revisiting the sound and style reminiscent of his pre-"American Idol" days.
The 44-year-old frontman previously hinted at being tired of making softer-sounding music. After years of catering to his old label's demand, he reached the point where he started to second-guess himself.
"I remember a few years ago - probably around our fifth record - I had this feeling of like, 'Have we already don't it?' Is it ever going to get any better than what we've already done? I went through this self-doubting phase of am I even a good writer?" he said in an interview.
In a different occasion, he added, " 'Artificial' felt like the perfect song to lead with as it's such a departure from anything we've ever done, sonically and thematically. It felt fresh and exciting, and at the same time it felt very natural getting back to the harder side of rock."
The band address the perils associated with artificial intelligence. "People are literally writing lyrics with this thing," he said of his concerns amid the growing popularity of language bots like ChatGPT. "We started seeing how rudimentary these lyrics were, like, I've heard this before, there's nothing original here. Yeah, it's writing you a song, but there's no artistic soul behind it."
Their hard work paid off as "Artificial" achieved a remarkable milestone by reaching No. 1 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Airplay chart. It becomes the group's first time topping the Mainstream Rock Airplay chart.
Although it's their first chart topper on the Mainstream Rock Airplay, the band have previously enjoyed multiple No. 1 hits on various other Billboard airplay charts. Notable successes include four hits on Adult Pop Airplay with "It's Not Over", "Home", "Feels Like Tonight", and "No Surprise". They also claimed the No. 1 position on Pop Airplay with "It's Not Over" and on Adult Contemporary with "Home".
Fans can expect to hear a lot more personal songs from Chris and his bandmates with their next record. "I think 'Artificial' is the only song that we've ever written that has zero hope. It's like, 'We're all f**ked, game over, end of the world,' but there's a lot of personal stuff on this record for sure and I can't wait for people to hear it," he teased.
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