Skid Row bassist Rachel Bolan has provided an update on the band’s ongoing search for a new lead singer, revealing that the process has drawn significant interest, as reported by MaytheROCK bewithyou.
Bolan explained that the band has received an overwhelming number of submissions and is now moving toward the next phase of the selection process, which involves getting candidates into a room to jam in a live setting.
“Well, we’ve had over 300 submissions, right? And it’s a process for sure,” Bolan said. “That’s just the submissions that we’re doing through the Sweetwater campaign. We also have had about 20 to 25 suggestions from friends and other bands like you got to go check this guy out, you got to see, you got to listen. So, but you know, and it’s an ongoing process.”
With a shortlist forming, Bolan described what the next steps look like and why the live audition format is essential for the band.
“We have a couple guys that we’re very interested in right now that we want to take to the next phase, like get in a room and jam and see how it sounds in a live situation because, you know, you could sound great in a studio situation, then sometimes you get into a live situation and it loses its luster,” he continued. “So we want to do that and the good thing is we have the luxury of time.”
Bolan also addressed why the band is taking a more measured approach this time around, contrasting it with past decisions made under pressure.
“A lot of decisions we’ve made in the past, we’ve had a tour lined up or we were in the middle of doing a record and it just kind of we we had to do things a little quicker than we would like to,” he said. “But that said, we have plenty of time right now and we could just roll with that. And once we find someone, things are going to happen really quickly.”
In the meantime, the band has not been idle, with songwriting already underway in preparation for when the right vocalist is found.
“Snake and I have been writing. Scotty and I have been writing,” Bolan added. “So, we’re getting songs together so that we’re ready for when we get someone that maybe go in the studio or at least record a couple songs, you know, and put out.”
The band appears well-positioned to move quickly once a final decision is made, with new material already in development ahead of the announcement.
The search comes after the departure of the band’s most recent frontman, Erik Grönwall, whose exit left a significant void that the band has been working to fill ever since.
Blabbermouth reported that Grönwall left Skid Row in March 2024 after a two-year run as the band’s frontman. The Swedish singer had joined the group in 2022 following the departure of longtime vocalist ZP Theart. His exit marked the beginning of the current search.
Grönwall himself acknowledged the difficulty of the split. As Blabbermouth noted, he said: “Leaving the band was one of the toughest career decisions I ever had to make.” He also revealed that the two parties simply could not reach an agreement, stating that the band and singer “couldn’t find common ground.” This helps explain why the search for a replacement has stretched well into 2026.
Since his departure, Grönwall has moved forward with his solo career. Blabbermouth reported that he performed his first solo concert in Stockholm in May 2026, signaling a fresh chapter for the vocalist. His post-Skid Row path has included launching a YouTube career and serving as Michael Schenker’s go-to frontman. All of this has unfolded while he manages a 2021 leukemia diagnosis, as Louder Sound noted.
With Grönwall now firmly focused on his own projects, Skid Row’s attention remains squarely on finding the right fit through their structured search process. The Sweetwater campaign has served as the primary formal channel for submissions, accounting for the bulk of the 300-plus applications the band has received. Combined with personal recommendations from peers in the industry, the pool of candidates has been substantial, making the band’s careful, unhurried approach all the more understandable.
