Brett Hellings and Richard Fortus of Guns N’ Roses chatted about the rock band Hellings and their new music.
Hellings, with lead singer Brett Hellings on vocals and an all-star supergroup including Richard Fortus, Tommy Henriksen (Alice Cooper, Hollywood Vampires, Warlock, Lady Gaga, Meat Loaf), Buck Johnson (Aerosmith, Hollywood Vampires), Billy Sheehan (David Lee Roth, Mr. Big, Steve Vai), and Kenny Aronoff (John Mellencamp, John Fogerty, Smashing Pumpkins) dropped their debut single “Kill Me To Keep Loving You” a few months ago. “It was very easy writing and recording this record together,” Hellings admitted. “I would love to do a record with these guys again, there is no question about that.”
Aside from lead singer Axl Rose and keyboardist Dizzy Reed, Fortus is the longest-tenured member of Guns N’ Roses, having been with the iconic rock band continuously since 2002. “I’ve been with that band for 20 years,” Fortus said.
On the song “Kill Me To Keep Loving You,” Fortus said, “It was written by Buck Johnson, keyboard player of Aerosmith, and Erik Halbig. Buck came in with that song when we were doing the sessions. I thought the song’s music video came out great.”
“The song turned out really well, we are getting positive responses from it,” Hellings added. “It’s a classic rock ballad, and we need more of these. It’s incredible to be in a band with Richard and all of these guys, it feels like it’s Christmas Day. It feels like a football fantasy team. I’ve learned so much from them and I developed cool new friendships with them, and they feel like big brothers. Most importantly, we all love music so much, and I love their dedication and how they developed their style.”
The song was recorded with Brett Hellings on lead vocals, Fortus on lead guitar, Henriksen on guitars and backing vocals, Johnson on keyboards, organ and backing vocals, Sheehan on bass and backing vocals, and Aronoff on drums and percussion.
“Kill Me To Keep Loving You” was mixed by Tim Palmer, who has worked his sonic magic for Pearl Jam, U2, Robert Plant and David Bowie, among others; and mastered by Grammy winner Howie Weinberg (Nirvana, Prince, Jeff Buckley, Muse).
Hellings noted that his music is inspired by his own life experiences. “I’ve lived out in Sunset Strip for a really long time and I cut my teeth there,” Hellings said.
An endorsement from Alice Cooper on his radio show “Nights with Alice Cooper, ultimately led Brett Hellings, a well-traveled singer-songwriter to record with a powerhouse ensemble of the industry’s top session and touring musicians. It was just a 45 second mention on a syndicated radio show, but for veteran indie rocker Hellings,who has toughed it out over the years and made his mark in NYC, L.A., Nashville and Philly, it felt like a life-changing anointing from a revered rock god.
David Davidian, tour manager for Cooper and The Hollywood Vampires, heard the show, and loved the music so much that he passed it on to some of his musician friends. Free from other commitments due to the pandemic, the new band members embraced the opportunity to work with a dynamic, still emerging frontman.
Though Brett is a prolific songwriter who has been recording his own material since his debut solo 2005 album, Restless, he was happy to make an exception when he heard the original demo for “Kill Me To Keep Loving You” – a tune written by Buck Johnson and Erik Halbig in Nashville as a potential cut for Steven Tyler’s 2016 country-flavored solo debut, We’re All Somebody From Somewhere.
“Buck had given me several songs he’d written in the past, and during pre-production, he gave me the song in its raw form,” Hellings said. “The demo was intended to have a very poppy-country vibe, but I could hear its potential as a rock ballad.”
Hellings continued, “I was just getting out of a long, toxic relationship, so the lyrics of the song about someone you love being the worst thing for you hit me hard. It’s got a bigness and is very relatable, whether it connects to a personal experience like I had or anything else in your life that’s killing you — to keep loving it.”
Other songs that Hellings will release in the future – including singles and a potential full album down the road – were written by Hellings, Johnson, Henriksen and Fortus.
On being artists in the digital age, Fortus said, “There is not much value to music anymore. The industry has completely changed. When I started in music, you used to tour to sell albums and now you put out albums to promote tours. It’s completely backwards. The resurgence of vinyl is cool.”
“The album is like the calling card to get you to a show,” Hellings added. “We definitely want to create an environment where we want to engage people and we want to become fans and become interactive with what goes into the artistry and what goes into the song, so much goes into it. We really took the time on this one, we got together and we did it the old-school way. The camaraderie and the talent all came together and I think you can hear that on the record.”
Hellings listed The Rollings Stones as his dream collaboration choice in music. “The Rolling Stones have always been my favorite so to do anything with those guys would be great. I love The Black Crowes, I think they have a very cool style too,” he said.
When asked if guitar legend Link Wray was an influence on Richard Fortus growing up, Fortus responded, “Link Wray is classic. We cover ‘Rumble’ before we go into ‘Welcome to the Jungle’. Link Wray was the father of the power chord. I got into Link Wray later on in life, but he was awesome and so cool. I got into him reading about my heroes listening to him or citing him as an influence.”
Advice for young and aspiring musicians
For young and aspiring artists, Hellings said, “Don’t give up, that’s number one. Perseverance is the key. Also be open, have a vision of what you want to be and soak everything in. Choose what you want to be and don’t be close-minded. Definitely don’t give up. Make sure you love what you do and good things will come to you.”
“When you don’t give up, you might get the opportunity to create some really good stuff,” Hellings added.
“You have to love what you do,” Fortus said. “If you love it, you don’t really have a choice to do anything else. The difficult thing about being an artist is separating your business side from your creative side. You need to create what it’s who you are. Once you create something, you need to exploit that, that’s something you need to consider when you are starting out. First create music, then exploit it, and then sell the product to make money for you.”
On singing in the studio vs. performing live, Fortus noted that they are both completely different animals. “I love them both equally. It’s all about the creative process in the studio, but in a live setting, you are creating spontaneously and it’s all happening instantly. I enjoy both of these,” Fortus acknowledged.
Regarding the title of the current chapter of his life, Hellings said with a sweet laugh, “Kill Me To Keep Loving You.” “That is definitely it,” he said. “It’s my time to fly. I feel that this year is going to be so fruitful. We are trying to keep that good ole rock and roll alive. I can’t wait to release the next single for ‘One Love’.”
On the title of the current chapter of his life, Fortus said, “Home for the Holidays.” “I am just really happy to be home,” Fortus admitted. “I’ve been gone since April. I’ve played in Europe, South America, Central America, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. It has been a long tour so I am really glad to be home.”
Success
Regarding his definition of the word success, Hellings said, “Making money doing what you love would be my ultimate definition of success. In this case, playing rock and roll for me.”
“You are successful if you are happy, and you are not stressed out or worried about surviving,” Fortus added.
“Kill Me To Keep Loving You” is available on digital service providers by clicking here. “It’s a very relatable song, everybody goes through something that they have to get out of,” Hellings said. “There is so much more to come, we love you guys.”
To learn more about the band Hellings, check out their official website.
