Phil Collins admits the idea of becoming Genesis singer “scared the life out of me”
Phil Collins has reflected on his career and admitted that becoming the frontman of Genesis “scared the life out of me”.
While Collins wasn’t a founding member of the band, he joined in 1970 after they had already recorded two albums and quickly became a crucial part of the operation. He later became their singer in 1975, which proved to be their most commercially successful chapter.
Now, Collins has looked back on making the step up to the microphone stand from the drum kit as part of a new podcast series, Eras: Phil Collins, the first four episodes of which are now available to listen to on BBC Sounds.
In the final episode of the series, which is set to air on January 26th, Collins sat down with presenter Zoe Ball for a candid conversation about his career, which will be made available to listen to on BBC Sounds and watch on BBC iPlayer at 6am on January 26th.
Reflecting on auditioning to become their drummer, Collins revealed, “By the time I came in to audition, I already knew the stuff. Apparently Peter thought the way I sat down at the drums said, ‘this guy can play.”
He also said of the early sound, “Even the hard bits were soft. It wasn’t edgy at all.”
Collins cited Genesis securing the front cover of Melody Maker as a vital moment that shaped their career, revealing that it “added a naught to our fee” and “it looked like we were important”.
However, following the departure of Peter Gabriel as their singer, the band were thrown into disarray, which left them in a difficult predicament. They held auditions to find a replacement for Gabriel, but couldn’t find the right candidate, and begrudingly, Collins was elected to be their new vocalist, which he reluctantly accepted.
Collins explained of the difficult transition to the limelight, “Well, it wasn’t natural for me. I mean, I, it’s a psychologically….the drums are a safety blanket, you know, a security blanket. Yeah. It’s like you’ve got something between you and the audience.”
Singing in front of a huge crowd for the first time was a daunting occasion for Collins, who recalled, “The first thing I had, that scared the life out of me was uh…having to go down the front and stand with just this microphone stand.”
He also stated that he felt “exposed” as a singer, which was never the case when he had the security of the drums to hide behind. Collins added, “Everyone’s looking at you ’cause you are the singer, whereas they didn’t look at the drummer.”
Although it was a daunting task for Collins, he quickly proved that he was the man for the job, which also opened the doors for an even more successful career as a solo artist that he somehow managed to balance alongside his Genesis duties.
The band most recently embarked on a farewell tour in 2022, which saw Collins’ son, Nic, deputise as their drummer while his father focused on his role as frontman.
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