WINGER's KIP WINGER Explains How Connecting With Fans On Social Media Is 'Way Easier' And 'Much More Difficult'

In a new interview with The Rock Experience With Mike Brunn, WINGER frontman Kip Winger was asked if he thinks it's easier or harder these days to connect with the band's fans compared to how it was in the pre-Internet and -social media days of the 1980s, when WINGER first came on to the scene. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think it's way easier through social media. For those people who really work the social media, look what's happened — it's like you just go straight to the fans; you don't have to have the middleman. So that point is better. But for dinosaurs like me, it's different, 'cause social media is extremely time consuming and I like to spend my time writing. And I don't wanna film myself doing every single thing every day, 'cause I find it just extremely distracting. And the one biggest killer for creativity is interruption. And so you're always trying to, 'Hey, look at me. I'm doing this.' I find it really difficult to keep that up. But having said that, if you don't do it, it's do or die. So I understand. And I'm the same. I'm a fan of Peter Gabriel. I like to see what he's doing in the day. What does he do? Where does he go for coffee? It's interesting. So it's kind of a double-edged sword.

"But to answer your question, I think it's much easier now," he repeated. "But it's much more difficult because there's so many more people out there. The competition has become exponentially way more intense."

WINGER's seventh studio album, "Seven" is due on May 5 via Frontiers Music Srl. The 12-track album was produced by Winger and recorded in Nashville.

In January, WINGER shot music videos for three of the songs from "Seven", including "It All Comes Back Around" and "Proud Desperado".

As with "Proud Desperado", the "It All Comes Back Around" clip was filmed in Nashville and directed by Jack Sawyers.

WINGER's next LP will be the follow-up to 2014's "Better Days Comin'".

In December 2020, guitarist Reb Beach described the new WINGER material to the 213Rock Podcast by saying: "It's WINGER — heavy riffs with big vocals. Very catchy songs and very heavy stuff — very progressive."

A month earlier, Beach told the "Pat's Soundbytes Unplugged" podcast that he and Kip had initially pieced together ideas for 11 tracks for WINGER's next album, but that Kip "threw away six of 'em, saying that this has to be like the first BOSTON record where every song is undeniable. And he just wants it to be progressive and like nothing he's hard before," he said. "I brought him these riffs that are just straight-ahead rock riffs, and he said, 'I already know what the next three chords are gonna be after I've heard three chords.'

"We're going for something that's poppy and sing-along stuff yet cool, heavy, progressive riffs — kind of like [2009's] 'Karma'," Reb explained. "That's what we're going for."

WINGER will hit the road beginning with a U.K. tour with STEEL PANTHER in May, followed by a U.S tour with the Tom Keifer in June. Additionally, the band will play a number of headlining shows throughout the summer.

WINGER formed in the late 1980s and soared to immediate success with its 1988 self-titled release. The album spawned the hit singles "Seventeen" and "Headed For A Heartbreak" and achieved platinum sales status. "Winger" also stayed on The Billboard 200 chart for over 60 weeks where it peaked at #21. Their next album, "In The Heart Of The Young", also achieved platinum status behind the singles "Can't Get Enuff" and "Miles Away". The change in musical climate of the mid-'90s, compounded with unprovoked ridicule on MTV's popular "Beavis And Butt-Head" show, led the band to go on hiatus in 1994. In 2001, WINGER reunited and has not looked back since. Kip also earned a 2016 Grammy nomination for the classical album "C.F. Kip Winger: Conversations With Nijinsky", recorded with the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra.