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TOM KEIFER: Writing Songs ‘Always Starts With A Lyric For Me’
CINDERELLA frontman Tom Keifer has discussed his songwriting process in a new interview with Jacky BamBam on Philadelphia's 93.3 WMMR radio station, explaining that lyrics always come first for him, regardless of a song's genre or intensity. He said the lyric acts as a "screenplay" that determines the song's musical treatment, whether it becomes a heavy, drop-tuned rock track or a piano-based ballad, and stressed that he has deliberately avoided repeating a single formula across his career.
Keifer cited examples from his solo work, including the throwback feel of "The Flower Song" versus the more contemporary pop sound of "Rise", to illustrate his varied approach. He fronted CINDERELLA on all four of the band's studio albums between 1986 and 1994 before vocal paresis and the rise of grunge affected the group's fortunes, and has since focused on a solo career with #KEIFERBAND, last confirming in August 2025 that he was working on a follow-up to his 2019 album "Rise".
In short
- Tom Keifer says songwriting always begins with the lyric first
- He avoids repeating the same style across albums
- Still working on follow-up to 2019 solo album "Rise"
Explained simply
Tom Keifer is best known as the frontman of Cinderella, a rock band that achieved major success in the 1980s. The band released four studio albums between 1986 and 1994 and became prominent figures in the glam metal movement.
Keifer's career with Cinderella was affected by vocal paresis, a condition that impaired his singing ability, and by the rise of grunge music in the early 1990s, which shifted public taste away from glam metal. The band consequently became less active.
Following Cinderella's decline, Keifer established a solo career spanning several decades and encompassing rock, pop and ballad styles. He remains an active recording artist today.
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