Brandi Carlile wants to be Soungarden’s permanent lead singer

Brandi Carlile has staked her claim to be the permanent new vocalist for Soundgarden.

It comes after the singer teamed up with the surviving members of the band, whose frontman Chris Cornell died by suicide in 2017, to perform some of the band’s tracks during a gig of hers in August.

For Carlile’s show at the Gorge Amphitheater last Saturday (August 14), she was joined by Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil, drummer Matt Cameron and bassist Ben Shepherd to deliver renditions of ‘Black Hole Sun’ and ‘Searching With My Good Eye Closed’.

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Carlile had previously covered the two Soundgarden tracks with Thayil, Cameron and Shepherd for her 2020 EP, ‘A Rooster Says’, which was released as a Record Store Day special. She also performed ‘Black Hole Sun’ during a tribute concert for Cornell, I Am The Highway, back in 2019.

Speaking to Rolling Stone‘s Music Now podcast, Carlile said she wants to make the gig permanent, commenting that she “would make the time” to tour as Soundgarden’s singer.

“I am such a Chris Cornell fan,” she added. “I loved him so much. I was so devastated when he left us.”

“We are inextricably linked to Soundgarden for life,” Carlile added. “They were our heroes.”






Elsewhere, Metallica recently released the concert recording from the ‘I Am the Highway’ tribute show for the late Chris Cornell.

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The metal legends performed ‘All Your Lies’ and ‘Head Injury’ – both songs from Soundgarden‘s 1988 album ‘Ultramega OK’ – at a show for the late Soundgarden and Audioslave frontman in January. Last month, the band then shared those live-recorded covers as part of their vinyl club.