John Cooper of the multi-platinum band Skillet chatted with Digital Journal’s Markos Papadatos about their new album “Dominion” and their latest single “Surviving the Game.”
‘Dominion’
“Dominion” was produced by Kevin Churko, and it consists of songs written by John Cooper, Korey Cooper, Kevin Churko, and Kane Churko. It was created 100 percent remotely between the band’s tour dates, home studio in Wisconsin, and the Churkos’ studio in Las Vegas.
Cooper remarked that their latest studio offering is a celebration of freedom, as well as a liberation from fear, to be who we want to be, say what we want to say, and to believe what we want to believe.
On the song selection approach for their new album, Cooper said, “This song selection was very different for us. Usually, we have extra songs (50) and we only choose 12 songs. This time, it was different, we wrote the entire record in about five months. Normally, it takes us two or more years. I enjoyed it a lot and it came together really easily. It felt like the songs needed to come out of us and you feel the urgency on the album.”
He listed “Destiny” as his personal favorite song on the CD. “This is the song that sounds the most like older Skillet,” he said.
‘Surviving the Game’
As of January 5, 2022, their single is nearing the Top 20, and it has earned approximately 12 million streams. Cooper described the tune as “very defiant,” about not giving in to the fear that the world is and has been experiencing. “It is about becoming the person you are meant to be and coming out on the other side of all the madness,” he said. “That was the first song that we wrote for the record, and I just had this lick.”
Regarding the title of the current chapter of his life, Cooper said with a sweet laugh, “Dominion.” “It is not only the title of the record but it’s a statement where I won’t let anything get me down. I don’t know what life is going to throw my way but no matter what it is, I am going to approach it head-on,” he said.
“There are things in your life that you cannot control such as a pandemic,” he said. “You can’t control getting sick, or your job or all the other issues happening in the world, but you can control the way you deal with it.”
Success
On his definition of the word success, Cooper remarked, “Success means sticking to your convictions at all costs and treating people the way that you want to be treated.”
Skillet is one of the best-selling rock bands of the 21st century. The two-time Grammy-nominated, Pandora “Billionaires Club” members and multiplatinum rockers have an undying spirit that has humbly asserted and affirmed them as one of this generation’s most successful rock acts; however, as all classic underdog stories do, it happened quietly under the radar. “Being a part of the Pandora ‘Billionaires Club’ was crazy, that was very surprising,” he admitted. “Skillet fans are amazing, they never stop listening to the music.”
By 2019, they not only garnered a pair of Grammy nominations and sold over 12 million albums worldwide, but they also took home a Billboard Music Award for the double-platinum “Awake.” Its breakout single “Monster” remains one of the “most-streamed rock songs of all-time” with over three billion global audio streams.
Skillet has sold out arenas in 26 countries and four continents; moreover, they debuted their first graphic novel, “EDEN: A Skillet Graphic Novel” with Z2 Comics, which became the publisher’s best-selling book of all time, followed by “EDEN II: The Aftermath.”
“Dominion” is available on digital service providers by clicking here. “I want people to feel as positively defiant as I do. I want them to be defiant against depression, fear, hatred, and animosity towards others. I want them to feel as positive as I feel,” Cooper concluded about the album.
To learn more about Skillet and their new music, check out their official website, and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
