Erik Grönwall first burst into the spotlight in 2009 with a show-stopping performance of ‘Run To The Hills' on Swedish Idol, announcing himself as one of Scandinavia’s most formidable rock voices. After winning the competition, he forged his own path rather than following the typical pop trajectory, stepping into the frontman role for melodic rock powerhouse H.E.A.T and helping elevate them into one of Europe’s most electrifying live acts. Over a decade of relentless touring and acclaimed releases followed, alongside standout moments like his GRAMMY-nominated performance in Jesus Christ Superstar Live In Concert, showcasing a vocalist with both power and range.
In 2021, Grönwall’s life took a dramatic turn when he was diagnosed with leukemia, a battle that reshaped his relationship with music entirely. Following a life-saving bone marrow transplant, he documented his recovery through performances online, building a global audience before stepping into an unlikely new chapter as frontman of Skid Row. After touring the world and releasing new music with the band, ongoing health demands led him to step away in 2024: clearing the way for a fresh creative focus. The result is ‘Bad Bones,' a fiercely personal solo album that finds Grönwall reclaiming his voice on his own terms: raw and resilient and we caught up with him recently to talk all about it.
Thank you for your time today, Erik, it's lovely to talk to you. Wow! ‘Bad Bones.' It’s a fantastic album. You must be really proud of it.
Thank you very much, I really appreciate that. And yeah, I am very proud of this album. Absolutely. When I started writing again, it was actually a big deal for me, because I’d kind of lost that love for it. I used to write a lot when I was in H.E.A.T, but after I left the band and then went through my illness, something just disappeared. The passion for writing music wasn’t there anymore for a while.
But with this record, I feel like I found it again. And not just found it, I feel genuinely passionate about it again. So we really took our time with ‘Bad Bones.' There was no rush. Everything had to mean something. It had to feel personal. And because of that, I think this is probably the album I’m most proud of in my entire career. Every song on it feels like it belongs there. When you’re in a band, it’s more of a democratic process, you have to respect everyone’s input, which is great, but it also means your personal favourites don’t always make the cut. That’s just how it works. But here, I got to pick the songs I truly loved and that makes a big difference.
You mentioned rediscovering your love of music. When did that love first hit you? Did you grow up in a musical household?
Yeah, definitely. My dad was a musician, he had a band back in the ’70s in Sweden, so music was always around. He taught me to play guitar when I was about 12 or 13, and that’s really where it started for me. The music I grew up on was mostly from the ’50s and ’60s: Elvis Presley was a huge influence, he’s actually the reason I picked up the guitar in the first place. Then there was Creedence Clearwater Revival, Little Richard, that kind of thing.
I also remember my dad playing ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale' all the time, and to this day, when I hear that organ, I still get goosebumps. That kind of music really stayed with me. And it’s probably why I connected so much with bands like Queen later on, because they have those same elements in their sound. But I didn’t really decide I wanted to be a musician until later, probably high school. That’s when it started to feel like more than just something I enjoyed.
And when you got to that point who were the bands around you that pushed you in that direction?
At first, I was still mostly listening to older music, but then I met my friend Philip Naslund, he’s actually in the band now and plays guitar for Bruce Dickinson too. We started our first metal band together. Before that I was into Green Day, Blink-182, that kind of thing, because that was what was big when I was in school. But Philip introduced me to heavier stuff like Van Halen, Skid Row, Pantera, Metallica, and that’s when things really clicked.
That’s also when I started developing my voice properly, because that style of music demands more range, more power. It pushed me in a different way.
Going back to the start of your career, when you were on Swedish Idol in 2009, what did that experience actually teach you about yourself and about the music industry?
Honestly, it didn’t teach me much about the music industry itself, because it isn’t really the music industry (laughing), it’s a TV show. And that’s not a criticism, it’s just the reality of it. The mistake I made at the time, and I think a lot of people make, is believing that it is the industry, that once you’ve done that, everything is going to fall into place. You think, “Okay, this is it, this is where it all begins,” and then the cameras turn off and suddenly you’re standing there like, “So… what happens now? Where do I go? Why isn’t anyone guiding me through the next step? Where's the money? (laughing)
What it really taught me came afterwards. Joining H.E.A.T was where I actually started to understand who I was as an artist. During my time with the band, that’s when I developed as a songwriter, found my voice properly, figured out my stage presence: basically learned what kind of artist I wanted to be. None of that was clear to me during Idol. I thought I knew what I was doing, but I didn’t, not really. It took years of touring, writing and making mistakes to get there.
It also made me realise that there isn’t just one path in this industry. At the time, I thought being on a major label was the goal, that was the only way to succeed. But over time, I’ve learned that there are so many different ways to build a career now and a major label isn’t always the right fit for everyone. They can do amazing things, absolutely, but timing and context matter. So if anything, Idol gave me a platform, but the real education came afterwards, when I had to figure everything else out for myself.
You mentioned earlier that ‘Bad Bones' is deeply personal and that’s interesting, because in genres like Country music people often write about their lives, but in rock it doesn’t always happen the same way. You’ve really leaned into that here, haven’t you?
Yeah, it felt like I had to. I mean, I love classic rock lyrics too, you know, the big, cliché, over-the-top stuff, but with this album, it needed to be personal. That was kind of the rule from the start. Everything had to come from a real place.
I think I just had more to say than I’ve ever had before. The last five years of my life have been… intense, to say the least. Starting with the illness, then everything that happened after that, with Skid Row, with Michael Schenker, with the recovery, it’s been surreal. There’s been a lot to process. So the whole album is really a collection of stories from that time.
Even a song like ‘Twisted Lullaby,' which sounds like a straight-up rock track, has a personal angle, it’s about lying in bed at night and your mind just going, remembering all the weird or embarrassing things you’ve done, and that anxiety creeping in. So even the heavier songs have something real behind them.
You’ve been very open about your health battles. How has that experience changed your perspective on life and music?
I think the biggest shift for me has been in how much weight I give to things: especially other people’s opinions. Before everything happened, I was definitely more in my head about that. I’d be thinking, “Is this good enough? Will people like this? Is this the right move for my career?” And now… I just don’t operate like that anymore. It’s not that I don’t care at all, I obviously respect the people who listen to my music and I’m grateful that I get to do this for a living, but the starting point has to be me. It has to feel right to me first. Because if I’m not feeling it, if it’s not honest, then there’s no way it’s going to connect with anyone else anyway.
Going through the illness really forced me to zoom out and look at what actually matters. When you’re in that situation, everything gets stripped back. You realise very quickly that life is fragile, and also that a lot of the things you stress about day to day just… don’t matter as much as you think they do. So now I try to keep things simple. If I can wake up, be healthy, do music, and make a living from it, that’s enough for me. I don’t need a lot more than that. Singing, creating, connecting with people through music: that’s what makes me happy and I don’t take that for granted anymore.
At the same time, it’s not like I’ve become some completely enlightened person who never gets annoyed or stressed. (laughing) I’m still human. I’ll still get stuck in traffic and feel frustrated, and then I kind of catch myself and think, “Wait… is this really the biggest problem in your life right now?” And when you put it in that perspective, it almost becomes a reminder of how good things actually are. So I think the illness didn’t just change how I see music, it changed how I see everything. It gave me a sense of clarity, and also a kind of freedom. I’m not chasing things in the same way anymore, I’m just focused on doing what I love, for as long as I possibly can.
Let’s talk about the title track ‘Bad Bones.' There’s a bit of attitude in that one, isn’t there?
Yeah, ‘Bad Bones' really sums up a big part of who I am, and that’s why it ended up becoming the title track: it felt like the natural entry point into the whole record. The idea actually ties back to something my best friend Jona, who’s in H.E.A.T, wrote years ago. He wrote ‘Bastard of Society,' and he later told me that song was about me. Not in a negative sense, I’m not out there causing chaos, but more in the sense that I’ve always had this slightly rebellious streak. I question things. I don’t just accept the way things are because someone tells me that’s how they’re supposed to be.
So with ‘Bad Bones,' it’s kind of carrying that same spirit forward, but owning it in my own words. It’s like saying, “This is who I am, take it or leave it.” There’s a bit of attitude in it, a bit of defiance but also a lot of honesty. It’s not about trying to be controversial for the sake of it, it’s just about being real with yourself. I’ve always believed that if everyone thinks the same way, then nobody is really thinking at all, and that mindset has followed me through my whole life: from school, where my teachers didn’t always appreciate it, all the way to now.
At the same time, the title has a deeper layer to it when you look at the album as a whole. After everything I’ve been through: the illness, the recovery, stepping into and then out of Skid Row, there’s this sense of embracing all of it. The good, the bad, the scars, the experiences. ‘Bad Bones' isn’t just about being rebellious, it’s about accepting that everything you’ve been through shapes you and instead of trying to smooth that out or hide it, you lean into it. It becomes your identity, your strength. And for me, that’s what the whole record is about: standing in that and saying, “This is me…… let’s go!”
Is there a song on the album that feels like the emotional centrepiece for you?
I wouldn’t say there’s one single song that everything revolves around, not in the traditional sense of a “centrepiece.” For me, ‘Bad Bones' is more like a collection of chapters rather than one central story. Each song stands on its own and represents a different moment, a different feeling, or a different experience from the last few years. So instead of building the album around one big emotional core, it’s more about letting those individual stories sit next to each other and form a bigger picture when you step back and look at it as a whole.
That said, there are definitely songs that carry a bit more weight for me personally, depending on what they represent. ‘Who’s The Winner,' for example, is one of those tracks where the meaning can shift depending on who’s listening. I always try to write lyrics that have multiple truths in them, so people can find their own interpretation. On the surface, it could be about an argument, a breakup, or any kind of conflict: because I really believe in that idea that sometimes there is no winner. You might feel like you’ve won something in the moment, but if it damages the relationship or leaves something unresolved, then what have you really gained?
For me personally, that song ties into my departure from Skid Row. It’s not about pointing fingers or saying someone was right or wrong, it’s more about sitting with that aftermath, that quiet moment where you’re left thinking, “Could this have been handled differently? Was there another way?” It’s that feeling of emotional exhaustion after something ends, where you realise there isn’t really a clear victory on either side.
So while there isn’t one track that defines the entire album, there are these key songs that carry a lot of personal meaning, and together, they create the emotional landscape of the record. It’s less about one centrepiece, and more about how all those pieces connect to tell a broader story about where I’ve been and who I am now.
You mentioned Skid Row. How did it feel stepping onto that stage for the first time with them after everything you’d been through?
Of course there were nerves, anyone stepping into a band like Skid Row is going to feel that, but it wasn’t really about the pressure of the audience or what people might think. It was much more internal than that. I was focused on myself and whether I could physically deliver what I wanted to deliver, because I was still coming back from everything I’d been through.
The biggest challenge was my voice. During the illness, with all the medication, especially the cortisone, it really affected me. I’d lost a lot of what I was used to, and I had to work hard to rebuild it. So standing there before that first show, a big part of me was thinking, “Can I actually do this the way I want to?” That was where the nerves came from: not fear of the crowd, but fear of not meeting my own expectations.
At the same time, though, there was another side of me that had a completely different perspective. I kept thinking about the version of myself who was in the hospital, not knowing if I’d ever get back on stage again. And in that moment, it almost didn’t matter how perfect it was. I just thought, “I’m doing this for him. I’m doing this because I can.” So I went out there with that mindset of “I’m going to give everything I’ve got, even if it’s not 100 percent of what it used to be.”
In the end, I think I did the best I could with where I was at that time, and I’m proud of that. It wasn’t about perfection, it was about showing up, pushing through, and proving to myself that I could still do it. And honestly, looking back, that moment means a lot to me. It was a big step, not just professionally, but personally too.
When I first heard ‘How High,' it really jumped out at me: your vocals are incredible on that track. It actually reminded me a bit of your work with H.E.A.T. on ‘It's All About Tonight,' that kind of groove and funk. Do you have to work hard to keep your voice in that kind of shape, or is that something that comes naturally to you?
No, I definitely have to work at it: it’s not something I can just rely on naturally. I think especially after everything I’ve been through physically, I’m very aware that I have to maintain it. So I treat it almost like training, the same way you would with your body. I have routines, I do vocal warm-ups regularly, and I actually schedule them into my day, even if I’m not singing or recording, I’ll still do the exercises just to keep everything in shape.
A lot of it is also just staying active with music in general. This is the same studio where I recorded the Michael Schenker stuff, the Skid Row material, and all the YouTube covers, so I’ve kind of kept the engine running constantly. I think that helps a lot, because I’m always using my voice in some way. But at the same time, I’m also a bit paranoid about losing it again, especially after the illness, so I don’t take any chances. I have a vocal coach, I work on technique, and I make sure I’m doing things properly.
So yeah, it’s definitely not something I take for granted. If anything, I’m probably more disciplined about it now than I’ve ever been, because I know how easily it can be taken away.
You’ve built a huge following with your YouTube covers over the past few years. Your version of Black Sabbath's ‘Headless Cross' is still one of my favourites. Will those songs make it into your live set, or are you focusing purely on your own material now?
Yeah, I’m definitely bringing some of those covers into the live show, it wouldn’t feel right not to, because they’ve become such a big part of my journey. ‘Headless Cross' in particular is absolutely on the setlist. That one means a lot to me, not just because people connected with it, but because of when it happened. If you go back and watch that video, I’m right in the middle of my treatments at that point. It was a really intense time, and that performance kind of became a turning point: not just musically, but personally as well.
So for the tour, the idea is to find a balance between the new material from ‘Bad Bones' and the covers that people have discovered me through. I’ll probably stick to the most popular ones, the ones that really took off and reached a lot of people, but I also have to make sure the set still feels like a rock show. On YouTube, I’ve experimented with all kinds of genres: I’ve done ballads, even something like ‘Without You' (Mariah Carey / Harry Nilsson) but live, it needs to have energy and flow. So I can’t just stack it with slower songs.
It’s really about creating a set that represents everything I’ve been through, the album, the recovery, the YouTube journey and bringing that together into one cohesive live experience. ‘Headless Cross' is a big part of that story, so yeah, that one’s definitely staying in.
Will there be any songs from your time with H.E.A.T in the live set, or are you focusing purely on the new material and the YouTube covers?
Yeah, I’m actually considering bringing one or two H.E.A.T songs into the set. It’s not something I’ve completely locked in yet, but ‘Living on the Run' is definitely one I’ve been thinking about, because it still feels very connected to me and it’s a song I genuinely love playing. It also has a special meaning, because that was actually the first song I co-wrote with Fredrik, who ended up producing ‘Bad Bones.' So there’s a bit of history there that ties into where I am now.
At the same time, I want the show to feel like this chapter of my career. So the focus will mainly be on the new album and some of the songs people know me for from YouTube, especially the ones that really connected and went viral. But I also think it’s important to acknowledge where I’ve come from, and H.E.A.T is a big part of that story. So if it fits the energy of the set, and ‘Living on the Run' definitely does, then yeah, I’d love to include it. It’s about finding the right balance between the past and the present, and making sure the show still feels cohesive as a full experience.
There aren’t any UK dates announced yet—can fans over here expect to see you on this tour cycle at some point?
Yeah, absolutely. It actually feels like everything is just getting started now, so we’re building things step by step. Right now, the focus is mainly on shows in Sweden, and I’ve got one in Finland as well this year, but the plan is definitely to expand beyond that. The UK is somewhere I really want to come back to, it makes total sense for me to play there, especially considering the history with H.E.A.T and everything I’ve done over the years.
I think the most realistic approach is to look at festivals first, probably next year, and then build from there. It’s about growing things the right way, not rushing it. At the same time, I’m already writing for the next album, so I just want to keep that momentum going: release more music, get out on the road more, and keep building the audience. But yeah, the UK is absolutely part of that plan. I’d love to get back over there and play for you guys again.
Well, look, Erik, it's great to have you back. It's really great. This album is going to dominate everything this year in the hard rock world I think, so congratulations again.
Thank you very much. Thank you. It makes me a happy singer to hear you say that.
Pre-order physical copies of ‘Bad Bones,' which is out on May 22nd, at this link right here.
