Stryper frontman Michael Sweet reacted to Nikki Sixx’s recent statement that fans shouldn’t expect a new Mötley Crüe album, sharing his thoughts in a post on Facebook. Sixx had said, “Don’t hold your breath” for new music from the band. Sweet then explained why he believes musicians should never stop creating.
“When I hear other musicians talk like this, I scratch my head,” Sweet said. “It’s actually sad to see. You should never, ever lose the desire to make music.”
“You don’t do it for the airplay. You don’t do it for the money. You don’t do it for the cheers,” he continued. “You do it because it’s part of your soul. Part of your DNA. It’s what you were born to do!”
Sweet pointed to his own output as proof of that philosophy. “This is why Stryper has 17 studio albums (#18 coming on 9/25) and why I have 11 solo albums (as well as 8 side project albums). All full length!”
“I’ll never lose the desire to create and make music,” he added. “The more I can express myself and help others in the process, the better. I’d love to make it to 50 full length albums, Lord willing. I’ll never forget why I started doing this in the first place – for the love of it.”
Sweet’s comments highlight a clear difference between his approach and Sixx’s current outlook on making full-length albums. While Mötley Crüe appears more interested in releasing individual songs, Sweet remains committed to the traditional album format and sees creating new music as an essential part of being an artist.
For Sweet, the motivation has little to do with sales, radio play or attention. Even after decades in the industry, he says the desire to create remains the same as when he started, and with another Stryper album already on the way, he has no intention of slowing down.
Whether Mötley Crüe eventually changes course remains to be seen, but Sweet’s response makes his own position clear: making music should continue as long as the passion to create is still there.
