Press Release
Source: SRO PR
Billy Morrison takes a deep dive into his psyche with Hollow, the title track of the British guitarist, singer, and songwriter’s album of the same name out August 7 via TLG | ZOID distributed by Virgin Music Group.
The sonically explosive and lyrically gripping single is released today (June 12) along with an artful and eye-popping lyric video that traces Morrison’s previously unhinged life. View the Mike Savage-directed video HERE and listen to the autobiographical song, highlighted by Morrison’s deeply felt vocals and sweeping lead guitar runs, HERE.
“The title track to my new album was inspired by the life that I led when I was homeless and addicted to heroin,” says Morrison. “Begging for money on the streets and being the guy that people crossed the street from, I would watch people’s faces as they walked towards me, gradually realizing they had to walk past me and being disgusted at how dirty I was, or that I was begging for change. That leaves an indelible mark on your soul and the song is about slowly crawling out of that hollow life.” Read the full Q&A about the track and video below.
Morrison is now lighting up the rock charts with Hollow’s first single “Becoming” [feat. Sully Erna of Godsmack & GRAMMY® Award winner Nuno Bettencourt of Extreme]. It has surged at rock radio, hitting #20 this week on Billboard’s “Mainstream Rock” chart. Revolver dove into the track headfirst with an extensive feature interview, going on to note that “Morrison and Fuel member Brett Scallions co-wrote the song before sending it over to Erna, who delivers an impassioned and raspy set of lines. Bettencourt rises to the occasion and rips pure hellfire on his guest solo.” Listen to the song HERE and watch the video HERE.
Throughout an illustrious career, Billy Morrison has played live in front of millions of fans, collaborated with every A-list rockstar under the sun (even notching a #1 single with the late Ozzy Osbourne), sold his paintings in galleries on multiple continents, and logged hundreds of hours on-air as a radio host for SiriusXM. And yet—some folks wonder, “Who the F%@K is Billy Morrison?” Which is the title of a new short film that answers the question. Directed and edited by Mike Savage, it tells his story through punchy editing, candid footage, and new interviews with Duff McKagan of Guns N’ Roses, Al Jourgensen of Ministry, B-Real of Cypress Hill, Nuno Bettencourt of Extreme, mixer/engineer/producer Barry Pointer, and Morrison himself. Watch the six-minute documentary HERE.
Two years ago, Billy Morrison released The Morrison Project via TLG | ZOID distributed by Virgin Music Group. It marked his third solo album (and first since 2015) and produced the #1 Active Rock Song (Mediabase) in America: “Crack Cocaine” featuring Ozzy Osbourne and Steve Stevens and co-written by all three artists. A deluxe edition of the album followed in 2025 and bonus track, “Gods Of Rock and Roll (Orchestral)”—another seismic collaboration with Osbourne and Stevens—landed in the Active Rock Top Ten (Mediabase).
Hollow will follow the success of The Morrison Project format with 12 songs, half sung by Morrison and half sung by a handful of Morrison’s friends. Guests include Dexter Holland, Marilyn Manson, Chuck D, B Real, Duff McKagan, Steve Stevens, DMC, and the above-mentioned Sully Erna and Nuno Bettencourt, among others. “Forgive Me,” “The Tailor,” “No Suspects,” “Another Day,” “Leave No Trace,” and “Becoming” are among the song titles.
Hollow Single/Video—Q & A with Billy Morrison:
•“Hollow” is an intense and poignant song about personal desperation, with a reference to a “narcotic embrace.” Can you tell us what inspired the song?
Morrison: The title track to my new album, Hollow, was inspired by the life that I led when I was homeless and addicted to heroin. Begging for money on the streets, and being the guy that people crossed the street from ……. I would watch peoples faces as they walked towards me, gradually realizing they had to walk past me and being disgusted at how dirty I was, or that I was begging for change. That leaves an indelible mark on your soul and the song is about slowly crawling out of that hollow life.
•Looking at your career overall, you’ve been known primarily as a rhythm guitar player. “Hollow,” with its soaring, stadium-sized guitar lines, especially shows how much you’ve developed as a strong and confident lead guitarist. Can you tell us about your development?
Morrison: I think it was only a matter of time before I somewhat “graduated” as a guitar player into the category known as “lead guitarist.” Basically playing so much guitar for so many years, it was a natural learning curve for me. I would never stand next to any of the greats, but I can clearly play what’s needed in my own music, and that would be primarily due to the encouragement and belief of Steve Stevens, who has always allowed me to stretch in the Billy Idol band. I also gravitate to the kind of lead and solos that are musical, not necessarily a thousand notes a second. So that helps!
•This is so much more than a lyric video—artful and eye-popping—following right in line with your previous standout videos. It mixes black and white urban footage from the UK with colorful, surrealist imagery. It’s a fantastic visual vehicle for the song. Can you tell us how it all came together and who directed it?
Morrison: I definitely wanted to utilize the technology we now have available to us, even though this is “just” a lyric video! So I had a conversation with Mike Savage (who made the “Who the F%@K is Billy Morrison?” mini doc) and it turned out he was dabbling with all kinds of crazy tech and agreed to try a few things for this lyric video. I had no idea how it would turn out, but the brief was: “London, homeless, begging for change, being judged and criticized, Alice In Wonderland choruses.” And look what he came up with from just that brief description! I’m very happy.
Hollow – Photo credit: Jane Stuart @JaneStuartPhotos
ABOUT BILLY MORRISON:
Billy Morrison is a British guitarist, singer, and songwriter, widely known as Billy Idol’s rhythm guitar player for the past 17 years alongside lead guitarist Steve Stevens. He is also a solo recording artist in his right having released three albums including the successful and acclaimed The Morrison Project in 2024 via TLG | ZOID distributed by Virgin Music Group. His fourth solo album, Hollow, will arrive in August 2026, also on TLG | ZOID distributed by Virgin Music Group. Morrison is also a former member of The Cult and Circus Diablo and currently also performs with the superstar cover band known as The Royal Machines. In addition, Morrison is a contemporary fine artist whose Warhol-inspired work has been shown at top galleries. He also has a regular show, “Influenced,” on SiriusXM’s Ozzy’s Boneyard (ch. 38), where he delves deep into the dynamic relationship between art and music.
