Classic Rock
Lou Gramm explains why he decided to quit Foreigner
The American singer Lou Gramm was a founding member of Foreigner in 1976 and remained part of the band until 1990 and then from 1992 to 2003 when he decided to quit. He was part of all the successful era of the band and remains as the most known voice of Foreigner, although for almost two decades already, the band’s vocals are occupied by Kelly Hansen.
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In an interview with Sirius XM (Transcribed by Blabbermouth), Gramm explained why he decided to quit the band.
Lou Gramm explains why he decided to quit Foreigner
“In the late ’90s, early 2000s, Mick (Jones) and I began writing. And we put some really, really good ideas together. I think we had about seven songs completed. We were hoping to finish with about three or four more songs and put out a new Foreigner album, which there hadn’t been a new Foreigner album in over a decade.”
“And we were also touring. We were playing something called ‘Night Of The Proms’ (2002). It was done in Brussels, Belgium, and they had a huge indoor tennis arena where there could be four games of tennis going on at once. It held 80,000 people. And after that series of shows, I left the band. I just had enough.”
“(Mick is) the founder of the band, he’s the leader of the band, but he wasn’t necessarily doing the job the way he used to do it, and he was suppressing a lot of my creativity. ‘Just sing your parts, Lou.’ And after contributing to just about every hit song that the band had released in 20-some years, to be reduced to just a non-creative part, just the singer, didn’t sit well with me.”
He continued:
“So, after that ‘Night Of The Proms’, we all flew back to the States (and) I informed the management that I was leaving the band. (They said), ‘Why? What could be wrong? Everything’s going so good.’ I said, ‘It’s not going good.’ I said, ‘I’m being shut out creatively, which is extremely important to me.’ I said, ‘I’m not just a singer. I’m a songwriter.’ I said, ‘And I always have been, even before Foreigner.’ So I left the band. And I’ve never had any regrets about it since,” Lou Gramm said.
But Gramm returned to the band as a special guest in 2017 and 2018 singing a few songs on stage with them during a tour. Recently, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2024 as a member of Foreigner.
