Wolfgang Van Halen On Solo Debut: ‘I’m Just Trying To Be Me’

Wolfgang Van Halen, who's been working on his solo album the past few years, took time out to answer a fan's question on Instagram. Wolfgang first performed live with Van Halen on the band's 2007-2008 world tour, which also marked the return of original singer David Lee Roth. He made his recording debut on the band's 2012 album A Different Kind Of Truth.

Wolfgang has also toured as a member of Alter Bridge guitarist Mark Tremonti's self-named solo band and played bass on Tremonti's second album, 2015's Cauterize.

The now 29-year-old Van Halen bassist wrote: “I answered a question in my story about whether or not I view my father’s legacy/reputation as a gift or a curse and this is what I said. Judging by the response, the answer seemed to resonate with many so I figured I’d make it a post. Thanks for being cool, y’all. Excited to get this music out.”

Wolfgang's instagram post reads: “Being who I am, I think people at least will be interested in what my work will sound like, which is nice. But on the other hand, if it’s not exactly what they want to hear or if I don’t sound 'Van Halen-y' enough for them they’ll hate me and won’t give me the time of day. I’m fully prepared for a wave of hate when my music releases because it won’t be what people think it’ll be. I’m not trying to be my father; I’m trying to be me.”

Back on July 7th, Wolfgang spoke about the new album, tweeting: “I’m working on it! The state of the world has really thrown a wrench into how I saw this releasing (given that no touring is able to happen until this all blows over) but I have a few ideas that I’m really excited about, so stay tuned!!”

While his biggest influence was no doubt his legendary father, Wolfgang told us a while back about some of the other artists who inspired him: “The first band that I actually really dug a lot was Blink-182, because I think Travis Barker is an awesome drummer and I loved how the two singers harmonized — it really got me into, like, harmonizing and drums and stuff. But the big change that got me into like heavier music was probably Tool. I liked the weird time signatures and just how heavy it got — like, Danny Carey is a huge drum influence of mine, and so is Justin Chancellor on the bass.”

Wolfgang told us a while back that his dad has always been a source of advice and inspiration to him: “He definitely has some quirky lines he gives me that definitely help me out, like, in terms of playing music, 'If you ever make a mistake, do it twice so the audience thinks you meant to do it' (laughs).”