Shinedown frontman Brent Smith says the band’s upcoming album EI8HT was made with “no A.I.” at all, and he is not apologizing for that. In a new interview with Allison Hagendorf, Smith said Shinedown wanted the record to come from “people with souls and with a consciousness,” and made it clear he does not want to “write with a computer” when he can write with human beings instead.
Smith framed that choice as more than a creative preference. He argued that leaning on artificial intelligence for songwriting and production can make artists “obsolete,” and said the thing he values most is the spark that happens when real musicians are together in a room, pushing air and creating something electric in real time. That live, human energy, he said, is exactly what Shinedown wanted to protect on EI8HT.
He also pointed to the band’s creative process behind the scenes, saying bassist and producer Eric Bass was especially careful about avoiding shortcuts. According to Smith, if Bass used a loop or sequence as a starting point, he would go back and rebuild it “for real,” turning the idea into something performed rather than programmed. Smith said that approach kept the album grounded in actual human performance rather than software-driven imitation.
The album itself is now firmly set for release on May 29, 2026, via Atlantic Records. Shinedown has already been building momentum around the project with multiple singles, and the band’s official site is actively pushing pre-orders and pre-saves for EI8HT, alongside the new track “Safe and Sound.”
EI8HT will arrive as Shinedown’s eighth studio album, and the band has described the record as a major creative step forward. The official tour site says the album is an 18-track release and notes that it has been “over a year in the making,” with Eric Bass helping drive the production and the band’s broader creative direction.
That release is tied directly to a huge touring push. Shinedown’s Dance, Kid, Dance Act II World Tour is set to span 54 dates across 11 countries, beginning May 13, 2026, in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and running through late November with a finale in Dublin, Ireland. The run supports EI8HT and will bring the band through North America, the UK, and Europe.
The tour is being treated like a full-scale event, not just a supporting run. The site lists major support acts including Coheed and Cambria, Black Stone Cherry, From Ashes to New, Those Damn Crows, and DJ Rockfeed, depending on the date and region. Ticket sales are also already mapped out, with North American tickets going on sale February 20, 2026, and UK and European tickets following on February 27, 2026.
There is also real commercial weight behind this rollout. Shinedown’s official tour page says the band now holds 21 No. 1 singles on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart, 23 No. 1s on Mediabase Active Rock, and more than 10 million records sold worldwide. It also notes that the original Dance, Kid, Dance arena run in 2025 sold out Madison Square Garden for the first time in the band’s career.
The bigger message from Smith is simple: Shinedown wants the new album to feel alive. In a music era where A.I. is becoming harder to ignore, the band is drawing a hard line and betting on sweat, instinct, and human chemistry instead. If EI8HT hits the way Smith thinks it will, that philosophy may end up being part of the album’s identity as much as the songs themselves.
