On the song selection for his new album, Salting Earth, he said, “Some of the songs were 10 years in the making, while others happened literally in five hours, so it was an interesting collection of music. Once I had three or four songs and I felt I was on a roll, I went back to my archives and listened to a few things that I hadn’t finished, and I re-discovered some songs, and I was able to finish those tracks. I picked my ten favorite songs and I released them as a record.”
He shared that the new album will be out on April 14, and he is really excited about that. “I hope the fans will come and see me live for a fun show. I will see them on the road,” he said.
The “End of Earth” music video was done by Kotzen and his wife. “Every shot that I am in, she is holding the camera, and vice versa,” he explained. “We had this concept of me being trapped and tortured and that ties into the song, so we decided to do a Voodoo doll of Richie, where in the end, he finally escapes to the light. We had fun with the music video and people seem to enjoy it.”
On May 11, Kotzen will be performing at B.B. King Blues Club in the heart of New York City. “We’ve got a great show happening this time around. We are adding some components that we’ve never had before. We really took our time and put together a set-list and we are playing a lot of new songs from the record. It is really great and cool,” he said.
Following his shows in America, Kotzen will be embarking on a world tour. “We’ve got a lot going, and it’s really exciting,” he said.
For Kotzen, the key to longevity in the music industry involves staying true to yourself and putting out quality work. His definition of the word success is artistic and creative freedom. “It is something that I’ve achieved, and I’m really happy with that. I’ve achieved a lot of personal success,” he said.
To learn more about singer-songwriter Richie Kotzen, check out his official website.
