The 2000s were a wild time for three things: Rock music, reality television, and supergroups. There were a surprising number of supergroups that got together at the turn of the millennium, many of which didn’t last very long. And there’s one supergroup that embodies rock music and reality television quite thoroughly.
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That supergroup was called Rock Star Supernova. The group was made up of Tommy Lee (Mötley Crüe), Gilby Clarke (Guns N’ Roses), Jason Newsted (Metallica), and Lukas Rossi.
Rossi, however, wasn’t an established big name in the rock music world. And that’s because Rock Star Supernova sought him out through the second season of the reality television series Rock Star, titled Rock Star: Supernova.
Unsurprisingly, a supergroup formed specifically to be the basis of a reality television series likely wasn’t built to last. Rock Star Supernova broke up after just a few years together, and they only released one self-titled album in 2006.
The Short Story of Rock Star Supernova
Following a thrilling season of the reality show Rock Star: Supernova, fans were tasked with voting online for which contestant they believed should be the new vocalist of the hard rock supergroup in question. Lukas Rossi ended up taking home the win.
Almost immediately, there were legal issues. The supergroup was originally just called Supernova. Supernova also happened to be the name of a different band in the pop punk space. Litigation followed, and the band would have to pay the original band a lot of money to sell promotional material or even tour. So, they opted to change their name to Rock Star Supernova.
Rock Star Supernova went on to produce their debut album in 2006. The self-titled record did fairly well in North America, hitting No. 101 on the Billboard 200 and making it to No. 6 in Canada.
However, critics tore the album apart. One critic for AllMusic really ripped the band a new one: “It’s gloriously bad, the kind of music that can only result when three talented musicians are contractually obligated to work with a wannabe singer who would be a laughing stock on a local level.”
Ouch.
From there, things went south. Jason Newstead got injured while trying to catch a piece of fallen equipment, and Johnny Colt (Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Black Crowes) had to fill in on bass. Rossi went on a bit of a solo venture in 2007. He announced that he had left the band because the remaining members were focused more on other ventures. Like DJing, apparently.
Rock Star Supernova was done by 2008. Though, they did reunite for an appearance on (you won’t be able to guess this one) the rock star-studded series about sustainability and green living, Battleground Earth.
Photo by SGranitz/WireImage
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