It’s been almost a year to date since Stone Temple Pilots unveiled their new lead singer, Jeff Gutt, at the Troubadour in Los Angeles. After two iconic lead singers whose lives ended tragically, the new front man would have big shoes to fill. The search for Gutt, though, was thankfully anything but tragic.
Stone Temple Pilots had begun an online search roughly a year before they announced Gutt’s name that was progressing rather poorly: The musicians had spent over 100 hours reviewing submissions before they had chanced upon their future lead singer, according to The Advocate. The person had a tall order to fill, though: STP didn’t want someone who could just sing: they needed a collaborator, someone who could also write with them and work alongside the iconic group in the studio.
Gutt’s own path to the singing career of a lifetime began several years earlier, though, in 2012, when he auditioned for X Factor and then again in 2013. Check out his story and subsequent performance of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” from the show:

Little did he know that he’d be discovered several years later by STP:

Of the night of his STP debut, Billboard Magazine writes, “He inhabited the spirit of the singers that came before him, his powerful voice toggling between soft moan to powerful roar, his fluid dancing recalling Weiland’s serpentine movements. It was clear that inhabiting the role of Pilots’ front man wasn’t intended to detract from its legacy, but merely to add to it—nothing could fill the big shoes left empty, and he seemed respectful of that.”
Catch Stone Temple Pilots, with new leader singer Jeff Gutt, right here in Kitchener, November 13 @ 8PM. They’re co-headlining with Seether, and their special guest is Default. Get your tickets now!