Foreigner underwent several lineup changes, and Kelly Hansen ultimately replaced the original vocalist, Lou Gramm. Judging by his previous interviews and a recent conversation with ‘Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk,’ Gramm seems to have problems with the replacement Mick Jones found. The original frontman revealed for the second time that he thinks the current vocalist imitates him.
“I think he’s a good singer,” Lou said before sharing his feelings about Kelly Hansen’s style and how he finds it similar to his own. “And he sings those songs okay; he sings them good. But he mimics my style right down to the ad-libs, and I’m offended by that.”
He continued, “I just think that if he’s gonna sing the songs, he could sing the melodies that are familiar, but when it comes to the ad-libs and all the little things that set me aside as a vocalist when I sing them, he should make his own up. He should have his own ad-libs that are his own; he doesn’t have to mimic me.”
Lou Gramm had parted ways with the band in the early ’90s due to disagreements with Mick Jones. However, they then seemed to have buried the hatchet, as they did a few reunion shows for Foreigner. In fact, on several of these performances, Kelly and Lou shared the stage.
When Kelly Hansen joined the band in 2005, Jones said that he thought the way he sang was quite convenient and fit their sound. The audience also seemed to be okay with this replacement in general, although there were conflicting opinions. As Foreigner approaches its 50th anniversary, Kelly Hansen has been with the band for almost 20 years.
