Former Skid Row singer Erik Grönwall opened up about his time with the band and his admiration for predecessor Sebastian Bach in a recent conversation.
Grönwall reflected on how Bach had been a major vocal influence on him long before he ever joined Skid Row. He acknowledged the reality that some fans will always prefer the band’s original lineup.
“I was lucky to get the opportunity to be part of Skid Row,” Grönwall said. “And Sebastian Bach has always been… When I started singing, I listened to ‘Slave To The Grind’ so many times, because I wanted to sing like him. I come from trying to sound like…”
He went on to describe the broader range of classic rock vocalists who shaped his style and how that prepared him for the role.
“When I started singing, I wanted to sound like Bon Scott, Sebastian Bach, Robert Plant, all these great singers,” he continued. “And so I feel like I’ve had a lot of time to prepare for an album like that. So when I got the opportunity I was, like, ‘Okay, I think I know what to do with this.'”
Grönwall also addressed the inevitable comparisons and fan loyalty toward original lineups with understanding rather than defensiveness.
“But then you always have fans that will prefer the original lineup,” he said. “I’m the same as a fan. I have certain bands that I want the original lineup. So I totally get that perspective. But I think we had a really good thing together.”
The comments were made during the Time To Rock Festival ’26, where Grönwall spoke candidly about his chapter with Skid Row following the Sebastian Bach era.
His time with the band came with significant personal weight. Grönwall joined Skid Row in early 2022, just months after battling acute lymphoblastic leukemia. He had received the diagnosis in March 2021, making his decision to take on the frontman role while still in recovery all the more remarkable.
He stepped back from Skid Row in early 2024 to focus on his health. His departure was officially confirmed in January 2025, and he described it as one of the toughest career decisions he had ever made.
Since parting ways with Skid Row, Grönwall has shifted his focus entirely to his solo career. He announced his first-ever solo concert, scheduled for May 26, 2026, at Cirkus in Stockholm, Sweden. He also confirmed plans to release a solo LP, stating he has never been prouder of an album than the one he is currently preparing. Both announcements signal a deliberate move toward establishing his own artistic identity outside of the Skid Row name.
His reflections on the band, delivered with both gratitude and self-awareness, paint a picture of a singer who understood the weight of the role he was stepping into and made peace with the complexities that came with it.
Source: Rock Radio UK TV
