David Draiman and Dan Donegan of Disturbed join us for a special Audacy Check In today with host Carlota as we dive into the band's brand new single, "Hey You," discuss how the group has been handling all of life’s little nuances post-pandemic, and find out what’s in store for 2022 and beyond.

Coming out swinging with their new single “Hey You,” Disturbed frontman David Draiman explains with a smirk, “we all live in turbulent times, don’t we? I think it’s reflected in a lot of our colleagues’ bodies of work, and in our body of work currently. We had two years of going down the rabbit hole of being cooped up and pent up. We’re pissed off and it’s time.”

Fans got a taste of the new single on social media earlier this week when the band provided a quick tease showing they've bottled up the past two years of frustration, given it a powerful shake, and are now ready to crack it all wide open.

While offering up the latest releases from contemporaries like Papa Roach, Shinedown, Volbeat, Korn, and Five Finger Death Punch, as well as “a lot of the young ladies in Rock who have really started to be a dominant force; the girls in Plush, the girls in The Warning...” frontman David Driaman confesses, “truth be told, the ones who inspire us most musically are one another. We’re very blessed to have one of those rare musical unions that you very rarely find in existence at all. It’s just very nice that we know when we finally get back to the table together and finally get back in front of each other that it is very effortless and very enjoyable each and every time.”

“It just becomes like a therapy session for us,” guitarist Dan Donegan adds. “The bond, especially between David and I, for me to be just express myself musically and emotionally, and for him to wrap melody around that and complement what we’re both doing -- it’s just a special bond. We feel that we’re that songwriting team that we’re able to express ourselves, put our heart on our sleeve, and talk about real things that have affected us in our lives. I think if you’re honest and you put it out there, you realize how many people can connect to those same types of subject matter.”

One major lesson learned over the course if the COVID pandemic, Draiman says, is “to have a greater appreciation for the teachers of America than I ever have before in my life; to know I do not have the patience nor do I have the discipline to be a teacher in my own right to my kid. I’m very glad that there’s such a thing as school now that it’s back in session. Homeschooling is tough. It’s one thing to be able to passively teach someone, and it’s another thing when it’s your own child and you're so vested and they’re so much a part of you. It’s hard to separate the emotion from the raw numbers and words. It taxed everybody, I think.”

“These past couple of crazy years have taught me to appreciate our ability to somewhat at least get back to a ‘normal’ life,” says Draiman. “When everything that you’re used to gets suddenly taken away from you and you don’t have a say in the matter… it’s quite the emotional bomb that gets set off. I’m sure it messed with a lot of people, I know it messed with me.”

Donegan learned, for better or worse, that “everyone on social media is an expert at everything. Expert doctors… and expert... you know. I mean they’re the judge, jury, and executioner of everything in the world. Sometimes it’s comical and sometimes it’s frustrating. Unfortunately, even good friends, when you’re at odds and a lot of opinions are flying around out there, you start to pick a few that you maybe don’t like anymore… of that. You gotta put that to the side or try the best not to get too involved in that.” Living separately from the rest of his bandmates during the break also proved to be a “lonely” experience, he admits. “These guys are family to me. It’s hard to be away from everybody that you’re used to being surrounded by all the time. But we’re getting it back. We’re slowly churning, the machine is running again.”

"'We were just starving to get back to what we do and we were very eager to put out this group of material which we feel so very good about. I mean,‘Hey You' is the tip of the iceberg in this whole situation," Draiman tells us. "It's definitely a very loud and proud introduction to the record, but there's a lot more to come that I think people are gonna be really blown away by."

Check out our full Check In with Disturbed above, and stay tuned for even more conversations with your favorite stars and artists right here on Audacy.

Words by Joe Cingrana Interview by Carlota

David Draiman and Dan Donegan of Disturbed join us for a special Audacy Check In today with host Carlota as we dive into the band's brand new single, "Hey You," discuss how the group has been handling all of life’s little nuances post-pandemic, and find out what’s in store for 2022 and beyond.
Coming out swinging with their new single “Hey You,” Disturbed frontman David Draiman explains with a smirk, “we all live in turbulent times, don’t we? I think it’s reflected in a lot of our colleagues’ bodies of work, and in our body of work currently. We had two years of going down the rabbit hole of being cooped up and pent up. We’re pissed off and it’s time.”
Fans got a taste of the new single on social media earlier this week when the band provided a quick tease showing they've bottled up the past two years of frustration, given it a powerful shake, and are now ready to crack it all wide open.
While offering up the latest releases from contemporaries like Papa Roach, Shinedown, Volbeat, Korn, and Five Finger Death Punch, as well as “a lot of the young ladies in Rock who have really started to be a dominant force; the girls in Plush, the girls in The Warning...” frontman David Driaman confesses, “truth be told, the ones who inspire us most musically are one another. We’re very blessed to have one of those rare musical unions that you very rarely find in existence at all. It’s just very nice that we know when we finally get back to the table together and finally get back in front of each other that it is very effortless and very enjoyable each and every time.”
“It just becomes like a therapy session for us,” guitarist Dan Donegan adds. “The bond, especially between David and I, for me to be just express myself musically and emotionally, and for him to wrap melody around that and complement what we’re both doing -- it’s just a special bond. We feel that we’re that songwriting team that we’re able to express ourselves, put our heart on our sleeve, and talk about real things that have affected us in our lives. I think if you’re honest and you put it out there, you realize how many people can connect to those same types of subject matter.”
One major lesson learned over the course if the COVID pandemic, Draiman says, is “to have a greater appreciation for the teachers of America than I ever have before in my life; to know I do not have the patience nor do I have the discipline to be a teacher in my own right to my kid. I’m very glad that there’s such a thing as school now that it’s back in session. Homeschooling is tough. It’s one thing to be able to passively teach someone, and it’s another thing when it’s your own child and you're so vested and they’re so much a part of you. It’s hard to separate the emotion from the raw numbers and words. It taxed everybody, I think.”
“These past couple of crazy years have taught me to appreciate our ability to somewhat at least get back to a ‘normal’ life,” says Draiman. “When everything that you’re used to gets suddenly taken away from you and you don’t have a say in the matter… it’s quite the emotional bomb that gets set off. I’m sure it messed with a lot of people, I know it messed with me.”
Donegan learned, for better or worse, that “everyone on social media is an expert at everything. Expert doctors… and expert... you know. I mean they’re the judge, jury, and executioner of everything in the world. Sometimes it’s comical and sometimes it’s frustrating. Unfortunately, even good friends, when you’re at odds and a lot of opinions are flying around out there, you start to pick a few that you maybe don’t like anymore… of that. You gotta put that to the side or try the best not to get too involved in that.” Living separately from the rest of his bandmates during the break also proved to be a “lonely” experience, he admits. “These guys are family to me. It’s hard to be away from everybody that you’re used to being surrounded by all the time. But we’re getting it back. We’re slowly churning, the machine is running again.”
"'We were just starving to get back to what we do and we were very eager to put out this group of material which we feel so very good about. I mean,‘Hey You' is the tip of the iceberg in this whole situation," Draiman tells us. "It's definitely a very loud and proud introduction to the record, but there's a lot more to come that I think people are gonna be really blown away by."
Check out our full Check In with Disturbed above, and stay tuned for even more conversations with your favorite stars and artists right here on Audacy.
Words by Joe Cingrana Interview by Carlota

Listen as our favorite artists Check In for candid conversations about music and more.

Listen as our favorite artists Check In for candid conversations about music and more.

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