Def Leppard's Rick Allen gives us a sneak peek at their new album

By the time Def Leppard closed their first full India tour at Bengaluru’s NICE Grounds last weekend, the city had made its feelings abundantly clear — the audience’s hearts, both young and old, belonged to the popular English rock band! Last week, our Know Your Band section introduced you to this Sheffield, UK-born five-piece rock outfit and everything you need to learn about their music, legacy and continued success. Consider that your foundation, as we dive further this week!

Before taking to the stage in the city, Rick Allen, who joined the band when he was only 15 as a drummer, sat down with us to converse about their new music, five decades of an unbreakable brotherhood and his curiosity about India — which were only among the few things that he got candid about; and threading through all of it were hilarious anecdotes alongside the fact that the band’s voice, even after 49 long remains as crisp as when they started.

For every artiste we witness commanding the stage in a blaze of glory, there is a complex, often exhausting side unfolding frantically behind the scenes. The glamour of performing across the globe is undeniable, yet the toll it takes on a musician’s mental health is profound and that sits at the very heart of our conversation. Rick walks us through simple tricks that help him keep grounded at all times.

“These days, the moment I wake up, my instinct is love and gratitude. It wasn’t always that way. But now, I find myself thinking about the things that fulfill me — my home, my wife, my daughters and everything I’ve been able to build — rather than what I don’t have. That shift changes everything. Before any show, I take care of my body first with water followed by the right food. Today, it was papaya, nuts and a masala dosé, which was an excellent start. Then, I thank my higher power and let go. It quietens the mind chatter — the voice that says: maybe tonight won’t be as good as last night. So, I remember my parents and once I’ve done that, I feel ready,” the drummer begins.

Even after all this time, one particular performance remains etched in Rick’s heart and it is the same positive mindset that made it possible for him to write one of rock history’s most remarkable second acts. “The agreement beforehand was simple — treat The Monsters of Rock festival in 1986 (his first performance after suffering a left-arm amputation) like any other show. Joe said he wasn’t going to address the audience, just play. But as the set went on, you could feel this overwhelming anticipation building. Thousands of people, all holding something back; and when it finally broke, it was one of the most emotional moments of my life. It wasn’t about the performance but the feeling of being accepted — as a musician, as an artiste and as a human being! That will always register for me as one of the most special moments I’ve ever lived. I’ve learned through the years to surround myself with people and organisations that lift me up; and Ahhaa (a mental wellness platform) — the format of it, the way it genuinely makes people feel seen — is the only truly sustainable way we can interact with one another. Any conflict is short-lived but the way they share people’s experiences, the way it elevates them — the rest of the world could really take note,” the artiste recalls.

Earlier when Rick mentioned masala dosé, we simply had to know more about what else caught his interest during his brief stay in the country and his answer did not disappoint. “Three cities, three very different flavours. Shillong was extraordinary — the location, the landscape. I’ll be honest, I assumed India was hot everywhere but it got quite chilly up there. What I’ll carry from that city the most is the people. Every time I smiled at someone, they smiled back — genuinely, completely. I also learned about the turmeric grown there, apparently some of the finest on the planet; and the tea, which was fantastic,” the drummer reveals.

Circling back to music, we shifted the focus on integrating technology to adapt to his new drumming style after his accident and how it became a signature part of the Def Leppard sound. “It made us far less afraid of technology, of genuinely embracing what hadn’t been widely explored yet. I still love acoustic drums, that’s what got me started as a boy — the feel and sound of them. But, when I began working with electronic drums, I realised there was an entirely new potential there. Fresh sounds. New territory; and that energy carried into everything we created together,” he smiles.

Now on another massive world tour, their fans are still left wondering how they manage to maintain the same level of discipline and vocal ‘muscle memory’ even after five decades since their inception.

“We get accused of using backing tracks but, I can tell you exactly what it is. We work with a vocal coach and there are a series of warm-ups he’s developed — very methodical, very thorough — working through every part of the throat. Depending on the atmosphere or how everyone’s feeling that day, we can spend three or four hours in the dressing room just running through it. It’s an old-school approach and there’s no shortcut — it’s hard work and an absolute commitment to maintaining a certain standard; and when you do it consistently, it stops feeling like discipline and just becomes your reality,” the musician elucidates.

What started as a performance for a group of six friends eventually evolved into a legendary band that thrived through various eras of the music industry — from vinyls to CDs and now streaming. We then ask him how this evolution has changed their relationship with music, particularly in countries like India.

“Streaming is a good thing in many ways, it gets the music to more people. But it has, in another sense devalued it. There was a time when people understood that music cost something, because it did — in time, in hard work and everything we put into it. Now there’s an expectation that it should be free. The shift is also that streaming has essentially become your calling card, an invitation for people to come and experience the live show and that has made the concerts even more spectacular,” he shares.

But the true question really is: what is it about Def Leppard that bridges that gap between die-hard fans and new listeners who weren’t even born when Hysteria (1987 album) dropped. “New music. That’s the answer. Right now, we have five or six songs we’re collectively working on — not necessarily all in the same room, but that’s the beauty of how we operate today. I can go home, listen, come back with ideas. That matters to people, it signals that we’re not just threading on the past. The music we’re working on right now is becoming our favourite music and I think audiences feel that,” he explains.

We took that as our cue and jumped straight onto enquiring about their highly anticipated new album and when it’s expected to drop. “Right after this interview, I actually have a meeting with the rest of the band to discuss exactly that — logistics and timelines. What I can tell you is that we’re being more experimental with it than we’ve been in the past. We borrow from our past when something works, there’s no shame in that and a certain part of our audience expects a certain sound. But, we’re also pushing into new territory and most of the time, people genuinely appreciate that. The music we’re making right now feels alive,” he smiles.

Lastly, we bring up Definitely: The Official Story of Def Leppard, a book that is essentially a time capsule recording the band’s journey and what anecdotes didn’t make it to the memoir. “English humour is, as you may know, a little twisted. We were playing in Tennessee and it was absolutely freezing. I had hand warmers in my shoes. We were all looking at each other going: I genuinely don’t know how we pull this off tonight. I don’t think I warmed up until the last song. A few of us got sick after. That’s the reality of it. People assume that a rock star’s life is perfect at all times. It very much isn’t,” he signs off!

DID YOU KNOW?

In 2006, Rick Allen met Ashwin Srisailam (co-founder of Ahhaa, of which, the drummer is also an ambassador) in Chennai during a period of quiet personal reflection. What began as conversations around clarity and inner awareness gradually deepened over time. Through Ashwin’s mind-fitness approach, Rick built resilience and inner growth — deepening his journey of clarity and presence beyond music.

“The mind has a tendency to give up quickly and the reason for that is straightforward — there are two stories that can run in your head at any given moment. One tells you why you can’t. The other tells you why you can. We gravitate towards the first, almost by default, because the brain is wired that way. If you’ve seen one setback, it prepares you for a hundred more. It protects you by steering you away from risk. The shift happens when you start genuinely asking how can I, instead and everything changes. All those reasons you’d assembled for why something wasn’t possible are suddenly outnumbered. The single most powerful catalyst, as Rick mentioned, is gratitude as a daily practice,” says Ashwin.

Co-founder, Diane Bacchus also walks through the significance of wellness practises not only for a musician, but everyone! “A lot of the time we’re not even using our breath properly. We’re just tight, holding it all in. But open up, take a deep breath, five minutes in the morning — that’s where it starts. When you consider everything Rick Allen has navigated physically, you begin by setting the intention and take baby steps. The same way you would approach meditation or a breathing practice or gratitude. You don’t need a special window of time for it. It’s just an experience you’re having at that moment,” Diane explains.

Def Leppard’s latest single, Rejoice, is streaming on major platforms