STONE TEMPLE PILOTS went through fifteen thousand submissions before finding the band's new lead singer, nearly two years after the passing of original vocalist Scott Weiland and more than three months following the death of Weiland's replacement, Chester Bennington. STP has been without a vocalist since November 2015, when Bennington — who joined the group in early 2013 — departed to spend more time with his main band LINKIN PARK. Weiland, who reunited with the group in 2010 after an eight-year hiatus but was dismissed in 2013, died in December 2015 of a drug overdose while on a solo tour. STONE TEMPLE PILOTS guitarist Dean DeLeo and bassist Robert DeLeo spoke about the band's singer search during an interview with Seattle's Rock 98.9 radio station. "We had fifteen thousand submissions that the three of us personally went through; I mean, it was a big deal to go through all those submissions," Dean said. "And there were some great people. It was just a matter of trying to find someone who really had all we were requiring of someone." He continued: "It's, one, honoring the catalog and singing that to a point where it turns us on musically still. And then there's the part of writing new material and someone who could actually write lyrics and come up with melody and sing and knows how to use a microphone in the studio. It's a lot to ask of someone. And we're gonna do the best we can." STONE TEMPLE PILOTS revealed earlier in the month that they found "somebody that fits the bill" as the band's new lead singer, but did not reveal that person's identity. Two of the names that have been widely circulated among fans are one-time "X Factor" contestant Jeff Gutt and Filipino vocalist John Borja. Gutt was rumored to have rehearsed with the group last May, while Borja recently applied for a U.S. work visa and has hinted at joining the band. During the Rock 98.9 interview, Robert dismissed Internet speculation about STONE TEMPLE PILOTS' new singer as "all rubbish," with Dean adding: "It's been an opportunity for some people to really do some inappropriate self-promotion, is what I should say, and that's really kind of out of line." STP last performed live, with Bennington on vocals, for a one-off reunion performance in California in March 2016. The DeLeo brothers are currently promoting the twenty-fifth anniversary expanded reissue of STP's debut album, "Core", which arrived on September 29 — twenty-five years to the day of the LP's original release.
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