When Rik Emmett Decided the 'Mainstream Doesn't Want Me Anymore'

Former Triumph frontman Rik Emmett has revealed the moment he realized he was no longer part of mainstream music.

With Emmett leading the way, Triumph scored an assortment of hits throughout the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. The singer departed in 1988 to pursue a solo career, and as the ‘90s arrived he noticed a major shift in rock’s sound.

“The world was changing,” Emmett explained during an appearance on Rock Solid podcast. “Being a guy that had been an arena rock, MTV rock kind of guy, that world was changing. And Seattle was on the rise and was becoming a sort of a Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam kind of world.”

Looking around, Emmett realized people were suddenly less interested in his work.

“Record companies were going, ‘Rik Emmett? The guy from Triumph? Well, I don't know. I think he's too old,’” the rocker admitted.

Emmett’s solo output at the time was eclectic, spanning a range of styles. His 1992 LP Ipso Facto was a hard rock effort, while 1995’s The Spiral Notebook was more of a singer-songwriter affair.

“I was just getting older and going, ‘Well, I'm going to start making music that still moves me and works for me,” Emmett recalled. “By the time I finished those [albums], I realized the mainstream doesn't want me anymore and I don't really want the mainstream. Anyhow, I've got enough people [that care about my music]. So I became indie. I started just making my own records in my own basement and having my own thing.”

Rik Emmett's New Compilation Album

Rik Emmett's early solo output is explored in the new compilation album Diamonds – The Best of the Hard Rock Years 1990 – 1995. The release features a selection of songs from his first three solo LPs, along with two previously unheard tracks.

"These three records that have made this compilation, they were the ones that were sort of the transition from Rik being in Triumph to Rik becoming an indie artist that didn't really give a shit about anybody else," the singer and guitarist explained.