In a new interview with Rock Candy magazine, Sammy Hagar reflects back on his joining Van Halen, noting what he brought to the band. The singer teamed up in 1985 following the departure of founding frontman David Lee Roth, recording the super successful album 5150 the next year.
Hagar says he changed their direction, replacing tracks about partying with "a more sophisticated style of music and songwriting," which expanded their fanbase to include more women. That "made our audience a little bigger and a little more mainstream," adds Hagar. The proof was in the payoff as the album went straight to number 1, going six times platinum.
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