SYDNEY, Australia (SONY BMG
Music Australia) - Former
Evanescence member Ben Moody is back, standing on his own two feet and ready to rock with epic new single 'Everything Burns'. Rumour has it that we can thank one Ms
Avril Lavigne for forcing the singer/guitarist to pursue a solo career...
Life was challenging for Ben Moody when he left Evanescence, the goth-rock band he co-founded in high school. Not only did he have to deal with the demise of a musical relationship he had cultivated for almost a decade, but he also had to overcome a substance abuse problem. Luckily for Ben, he had an encounter with punk princess
Avril Lavigne that forced him to consider a solo career.
"I didn't know what Ben Moody as a solo artist sounded like," Ben told MTV. "I didn't even know there was gonna be [a solo record] until Avril Lavigne told me I had no choice. I played her 'Everything Burns' and she was just like, 'You're going to do a record, and that's that!' I didn't want to argue with her."
Ben co-wrote Avril's smash 'Nobody's Home', and has worked with a number of singers since leaving Evanescence. He helped out on Kelly Clarkson's brilliant album 'Breakaway', collaborating on the tracks 'Addicted' and 'Because of You', and his new single, 'Everything Burns' features an unlikely but ultimately mesmerising partner in music - the sensational Anastacia.
Completely sober now thanks to a stint in rehab, Ben is ready to move forward, and 'Everything Burns' is testament to the strength of his talent and determination. An epic rock ballad, the track is featured on the Fantastic Four soundtrack, and plays on the gorgeous contrast of Ben's brooding musical soundscape and Anastacia's unmistakably powerful voice.
The track is also the first to be lifted from Ben's debut solo album 'Can't Regret What You Don't Remember', which is due out later this year. It's set to be a dark, heavy and brutally honest record.
"Can't Regret has been very much of a saving grace for me. It [helped me get] through rehab, even. But also, when I had moments of clarity about [drug and personal problems] and could actually, in a constructive and eloquent way, articulate what I was feeling at the time, as opposed to just ranting with rage and hatred," Ben said to MTV.
There's a great interview with Ben on media where he talks about the split with Evanescence, and his upcoming solo album.
