In a new conversation with Shawn Ratches of Laughingmonkeymusic, Erik Grönwall talked about leaving Skid Row less than a year ago.
“It was a really, really tough decision,” the singer said before explaining the reasons behind his exit from the band. “And if I could have stayed in the band, I would. It just got to a point where I was, like, well, if I’m gonna respect the guy who went through all of this and respect my own values, I just had to make that decision. But it was the right decision, but it was a hard decision.”
Grönwall revealed why Skid Row rejected his idea of touring for three weeks and then taking a month off, “I can’t speak for them, obviously. I gave them a proposal that I thought would be manageable for me, but it didn’t work for them. And they have to do what they do, and they’ve been doing this for a long time, and they somehow always manage to come back again. So it’s not for me to say.”
Erik also said he tried to make it work but had no choice but to leave. The vocalist added, “I can also feel saddened that we ended up here. But I think we really tried to find a solution. And at the end of the day, everybody’s gotta do what they feel is best for them.”
Grönwall also talked about his time with Skid Row and why he left on his YouTube channel. He recalled, “At the time when I was in Skid Row I was doing a blood checkup every month in Sweden, and then every third month. Now it’s every sixth months, so that makes it a lot easier, obviously.”
He shared his proposal to the band, saying, “My last proposal was to be on the road, tour, three weeks including traveling, and have one month off, and then three weeks including traveling. I know that’s not good enough for a great band like Skid Row, obviously, and they’ve been doing this since before I was born. So, that’s the reason. I wanted to tour less in order to have more time to recuperate and after my reset of the immune system and everything.”
The singer struggled with health issues after leukemia treatment and felt the band’s schedule was too much during his recovery. Grönwall plans to tour Europe with Michael Schenker this year.
