When Adrian Smith and Richie Kotzen released their Smith/Kotzen debut album in 2021, it seemed to come out of nowhere. Fans were thrilled, and the project’s success quickly led them to work on an upcoming sophomore album, “Black Light/White Noise”. In an interview during Iron Maiden’s Future Past tour in Santiago – published in issue 126 of the Iron Maiden Fan Club magazine – Smith talked to Alexander Milas about his creative relationship with Kotzen, his early days as a musician with Dave Murray, and how this collaboration differs from his work with Iron Maiden.
From a Microphone Gift to Iron Maiden
Smith’s musical journey began in his teenage years when he met Iron Maiden guitarist Dave Murray. “That goes back to when I was probably 15, the age when you’re looking for some sort of direction. I wasn’t particularly academic. I loved sports, but I wasn’t an athlete. Then I met Dave, and he could play guitar quite well — he could play all the Chuck Berry licks and Hendrix. I was just like, ‘Wow!’
“We were the only kids in our neighborhood with long hair. I’d started listening to Deep Purple, Free, and Sabbath, so we gravitated towards each other. I thought, ‘I’ve got to get in with this guy.’ I said, ‘Yeah, I’m a singer, I’ve never sung before but I kinda fancy doing it.’ I got my parents to buy me a microphone for Christmas, and I went around Dave’s house and plugged my mic into his amp: one of those ones with three inputs — it sounded horrendous but it was exciting! I think the first thing we did was ‘Silver Machine’ by Hawkwind. He started it off, and I thought, ‘It’s now or never!’”
Guitar playing came soon after. “Dave had a spare guitar, I think from Woolworths, and my Dad fixed it. Dave and I soon became best mates and he taught me — I learned from him as I went along, but I was singing and playing at the same time.”
A Musical Bond Sparked by His Wife
Smith revealed that his wife, Nathalie, played a pivotal role in introducing him to Kotzen. “It was my missus, Nathalie, who put us together, who’d really encouraged us—she was a fan of Richie’s music,” he shared. “She said we should get together. Richie’s amazing—he sings, and plays, we had a jam, and things worked out because we have a lot of things in common, musically too. He’s a bit younger than me but has a very good knowledge of music from the 60s and 70s, Bad Company, Free… stuff I grew up with.”
Their shared influences laid the foundation for their partnership. “I had Rob [Trujillo] from Metallica over to jam at my house… Taylor [Hawkins] too. We got Richie over and he was doing Bad Company and Stevie Ray Vaughn. I’ve always sung, always heard melodies, and had this sort of passion for singing, but I’ve always wanted to work with someone who was a singer. Richie is an excellent singer, and I could work around him—he’s got range.”
For Smith, Kotzen brought something invaluable to their collaboration: “I grew up singing until I joined Maiden, so from 17-23 I fronted a band. I’ve tried doing things on my own, and it’s very difficult—you need feedback and someone to push against. Richie’s great with lyrics, too.”
A Different Beast from Iron Maiden
Smith/Kotzen is obviously distinct from Iron Maiden, not just in scale but in sound. Their music is more organic and raw, a deliberate choice to avoid the over-polished production common in modern rock. “Richie’s very organic in his approach, and he wanted to hear two distinct guitars and real drums,” Smith explained. “A lot of modern rock is so homogenized and people get used to hearing that. And I’m a bit of a perfectionist, left to my own devices—but for this type of music, it’s got to have that organic feel. It’s more real that way.”
Their songwriting process is also unconventional. “We’re not the sort of team that’ll write 25 songs and then choose 10—we build it as we go along. When you get to five or six, it’s, ‘Now we need a slow one, or we need a mid-tempo one.’ We just went into Richie’s studio to build the tracks as we were writing.”
For their latest single, “White Noise,” Kotzen spearheaded the lyrical theme. “Richie is really into lyrics. He approaches them like it’s a puzzle that has to be solved. So you get a song title, and he’ll ask, ‘How can we make sense of this title? We should make a song that sounds tormented and angry about social media.’ We sit around, and I think Americans call it ‘spitballing.’ They just toss ideas around. Richie does that well—they’re much harder. Riffs are more instinctive, you know, just play, but with lyrics—you can’t just sing anything, they’ve got to be phonetically right.”
Adrian Smith has found a creative space where his musical past and present converge in his partnership with Richie Kotzen. The project offers a unique opportunity to explore a different side of his artistry while maintaining the legacy he’s built with Iron Maiden. The duo’s second album “Black Light/White Noise” arrives on March 7th via BMG, and can be pre-ordered HERE.
To read the entire interview, sign up for the Iron Maiden Fan Club membership AT THIS LOCATION.
