Mark Tremonti has shared insights into the skepticism Creed faced during their early years. According to Tremonti, the band was even labeled as potential “one-hit wonders.”
Creed burst onto the rock scene with their debut album, My Own Prison, released in 1997. The album achieved x6 platinum status in the USA and garnered the band Grammy nominations, but it also attracted its share of critics.
In an interview, Tremonti recalled, “In our early years with Creed, we were constantly told we’d be one-hit wonders or that we’d only have one successful record. People kept saying it was impossible for us to achieve the things we set out to do.”
He continued, “I was always concerned about the future, worried that I might one day no longer be able to write songs for a living. That fear was always with me. When our second record came out and the initial response was huge, it gave me a bit more confidence in our career. It performed very well.”
Despite overcoming initial doubts, Creed continued to face criticism following the release of their 1999 album, Human Clay. “People were predicting a ‘sophomore slump’ for us. But the second album ended up doing much better than the first. In this industry, success often brings more skepticism, and we had to constantly fight to maintain our place,” Tremonti said.
He noted that this kind of negativity persists even today, citing the case of Taylor Swift: “You see it repeatedly—no matter how successful someone becomes, like Taylor Swift, who sells out stadiums, there will always be people ready to criticize. It’s a pattern we’ve experienced ourselves.”
