Early life, personal life
Mike Kroeger was born on June 25, 1972, in Hanna, Alberta, Canada to Debbie Kroeger; he is the older brother of his band's lead singer, Chad Kroeger. [8] Raised by their mother, the brothers shared a close relationship despite differing personalities. Chad began playing guitar around the age of 13, which influenced Mike’s interest in playing music himself. However, instead of learning to play regular guitar, Kroeger decided to try playing a 1978 Fender Precision Bass guitar that belonged to his grandfather, who was a bassist in a local band. Kroeger later stated that the bass guitar "just spoke to me," and he found it appealing to choose an instrument less commonly played among his peers. [9]
Kroeger married his longtime girlfriend Angela Marie Papp on January 23, 2000. The couple has two children: son Dawson Kroeger, born on May 6, 2001, and daughter Avalon Kroeger, born on June 6, 2003. Upon turning 18, Dawson launched his own music career, forming an indie alternative rock band called "The Props." [10]
Kroeger is a passionate fan of the National Hockey League team the Detroit Red Wings. [11]
Kroeger obtains dual citizenship from both Canada and the United States and currently resides in Los Angeles. [12]
Career
He co-founded the band in his hometown of Hanna, Alberta in 1995 with his younger brother Chad Kroeger as lead singer, his cousin Brandon Kroeger as the drummer, and long-time, close friend Ryan Peake as the lead guitarist. [13] Originally named "Village Idiots" and performing as a cover band, frustrated with playing covers, the band began writing and performing their own original material, prompting the band to choose a more original name, eventually settling on "Nickelback". Later on in the band's career after achieving widespread fame and global recognition, Kroeger revealed in an interview that he came up with the name during a period of time while he was working at a Starbucks in Vancouver where coffee would cost $1.95 and people would pay $2.0, stating that he would frequently hand customers their change back after paying for their purchase and would frequently say to them, “Here’s your nickel back.” [14]
After Kroeger and the band had written enough original material for their debut release, in late 1995, Chad Kroeger convinced his and Mike's stepfather to loan them CA$4,000 (approx. US$3,000 at the time) to fund the recording of their first release—a seven-track EP that would become their 1996 debut, Hesher . [15] In later interviews, the band revealed that only half of the loan was used for recording expenses, while the other half was used by Chad to purchase magic mushrooms, which he planned to resell to fund future band activities. [16] [17]
The band independently released their debut Hesher on March 10, 1996, which was soon followed up by their first full-length album Curb a few months later in 1996. The band signed a record and distribution deal with EMI Canada in 1998 and released their sophomore album titled The State that same year which gained traction on Canadian radio due to new Can-con regulations, which contributed to the success of his band's singles from 2000, Worthy to Say and Breathe . [18] [19]
2000–2002: Mainstream breakthrough, Silver Side Up era
Upon the success of his band's sophomore album, Roadrunner Records signed them to an international record deal in early 2000 and opted to re-release The State worldwide later that year on March 7, 2000. The band toured extensively and gained exposure by opening for acts such as Creed and 3 Doors Down. [20] The reissue introduced the band to a wider audience and included the single "Leader of Men", which became their first charting track on the Billboard Hot 100 and received airplay on rock radio stations across North America. The commercial success of the reissue helped establish his band airplay in the U.S. and global radio markets. [21]
On September 11, 2001, the band released their third studio album, Silver Side Up . Its lead single, "How You Remind Me", quickly became a global phenomenon, topping the Billboard Hot 100 and reaching number one in multiple countries, including Canada, the United Kingdom, and Ireland. The song was later named the most-played radio song of the decade (2000–2009) by Nielsen SoundScan and became one of the defining rock singles of the early 2000s. [22] Additional singles from the album included "Too Bad" and "Never Again", both of which received significant radio and video rotation. [23] [24]
In 2002, Kroeger appeared in the band’s first official concert DVD release, Live at Home , filmed during a hometown show in Edmonton, Alberta. The performance captured the band at the height of their early success, with Kroeger notably wearing a cowboy hat throughout the concert — a visual trademark he frequently adopted during the band’s early years. [25] [26]
2003–2004: The Long Road era
Nickelback released their fourth studio album, The Long Road , on September 23, 2003. [27] The album produced several successful singles, including "Someday", "Figured You Out", "Because of You", and "Feelin' Way Too Damn Good". The album was certified multi-platinum in both Canada and the United States. Kroeger continued to tour extensively with the band during this period and participated in promotional appearances across North America and Europe in support of the release. [22]
2005–2007: All the Right Reasons era
In 2005, Nickelback released their fifth studio album, All the Right Reasons , marking the first appearance of drummer Daniel Adair, who joined the band following the departure of Ryan Vikedal. [28] The album became the band’s most commercially successful release to date, eventually being certified Diamond by the RIAA in the United States and 7× Platinum by Music Canada. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and remained on the chart for over 100 weeks. [29]
The album produced multiple successful singles, including "Photograph", "Savin' Me", "Far Away", "If Everyone Cared", "Animals", and "Rockstar". "Photograph" reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and became one of the band’s most recognizable songs. [30] "Rockstar" achieved international success, charting in the top ten in the UK, Ireland, and Australia, and later received renewed popularity following a 2007 re-release in Europe. [31]
Kroeger spent the following three years supporting the album with an extensive 2006-2007 world tour with numerous promotional appearances at radio stations and music festivals along with performing on a number of televised programs and award shows that saw the band receive several nominations and awards, including honors at the American Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards, and Juno Awards. Kroeger toured with Nickelback across North America, Europe, and Australia, with various different artists including Bon Jovi, Hinder, Hoobastank, and Chevelle. After this period, Nickelback launched a final U.S. tour in support of the album in 2007 called “One More ‘Reasons’ Tour” with Three Days Grace and Breaking Benjamin opening as support, before the band returned to the studio to begin work on their follow up release to All the Right Reasons. [32]
2008–2010: Dark Horse era
Nickelback began working on their sixth studio album in early 2008. Produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange, Dark Horse was released in November 2008. [33] [34] The album featured eight singles: "Gotta Be Somebody", "Something in Your Mouth", "If Today Was Your Last Day", "I'd Come for You", "Burn It to the Ground", "Never Gonna Be Alone", "Shakin' Hands", and "This Afternoon". [35]
From January 2009 through December 2010, Kroeger toured extensively with the band as part of the worldwide Dark Horse Tour , which included over 150 performances divided over four legs with varying supporting acts. The first leg featured Seether and Black Stone Cherry; the second included Hinder, Papa Roach, and Saving Abel; the third leg featured Breaking Benjamin and Sick Puppies; and the fourth and final leg was supported by Three Days Grace and Shinedown. [36] In February 2010, Kroeger participated in his band’s performance at the 2010 Winter Olympics closing ceremony in Vancouver, where Nickelback performed their single "Burn It to the Ground". [37] [38]
2011–2019: Here and Now, No Fixed Address, and Feed the Machine era
Starting in the Spring of 2011 Kroeger and the rest of the band retreated to his brother Chad’s home studio called Little Mountain View Studio in Abbotsford, British Columbia to begin recording Nickelback’s seventh studio album, later titled Here and Now . When the album was released on November 21, 2011 it debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and reached number one on the Canadian Albums Chart. [39] The album was supported by the Here and Now Tour, which began in early 2012 and included dates across North America and Europe. Five singles released from the album included "When We Stand Together", “Bottoms Up,” "Lullaby", "This Means War", and "Trying Not to Love You". [40]
In 2013, at the age of 41, Kroeger suffered a serious stroke shortly after completing Nickelback’s The Hits Tour. He required several months of recovery and physical rehabilitation. [41] In the 2023 documentary film Hate to Love: Nickelback , Kroeger disclosed that the stroke nearly proved fatal. During his recovery, he strongly contemplated retiring from the music industry to dedicate more time to his family. However, support from his wife, children, and fellow bandmates encouraged him to continue his musical career. [42]
In 2014, the band released their eighth studio album, No Fixed Address , through Republic Records. Singles from the album included "Edge of a Revolution", "What Are You Waiting For?", and "She Keeps Me Up". An announced world tour, the No Fixed Address Tour , was cancelled after Chad Kroeger revealed in June 2015 that he required surgery to remove a cyst on his vocal cords. Despite the cancellation, promotional efforts for the album continued, with Mike Kroeger taking on a more visible role in interviews and media appearances during his brother’s absence while recovering from surgery. [43] [44]
On June 15, 2017, Nickelback released their ninth studio album, Feed the Machine , which was supported by a world tour that launched in the United States and continued into 2018 with performances across South America, Canada, Europe, and Japan. The tour featured supporting acts including Daughtry, Bad Wolves, and Shaman's Harvest. Singles released from the album included "Feed the Machine", "Song on Fire", "Must Be Nice," and "After the Rain". During a promotional interview for the album while on tour in February 2019, Kroeger discussed the band’s evolving sound, political themes in their lyrics, and his personal musical influences—including a desire to record an album rooted entirely in heavy metal. He also expressed interest in creating a full cover album of songs by Slayer. [45]
2020-present: Recent activities, Get Rollin'
In August 2020, Nickelback released a cover of "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" featuring guitarist Dave Martone. [46] The track was released digitally and received attention for its aggressive guitar work and modernized arrangement of the classic Charlie Daniels song with Kroeger's bass playing remaining foundational to the reworked track’s rhythm section. [47] From 2020-2022 Kroeger and the band continued working on new material which led to their November 2022 tenth studio album titled, Get Rollin , which spawned the singles "San Quentin" and "Those Days." [48] [49]
A few days before the official release date for Get Rollin', it was announced Nickelback woud be inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame at the next ceremony on March 16, 2023. [50]
Along with the rest of his Nickelback bandmates, Kroeger embarked on the band's 2023 Get Rollin’ Tour World Tour, covering North America and select dates in Europe where Kroeger participated in numerous interviews discussing his band’s longevity, their approach to taking a five-year gap between albums—the longest stretch between studio releases in the band’s history. [51]
The band premiered their documentary film on September 8, 2023 titled Hate to Love: Nickelback at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film covered Kroeger's pre-fame personal life, his rise to fame with Nickelback, what it was like releasing their album Silver Side Up and performing a concert, opening for 3 Doors Down on September 11, 2001 which was the same day of the 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon and hijacking and crash of United Airlines flight 93, how the group became the world's most hated and criticized band, the rise of online ridicule, and Kroeger's near-fatal stroke in 2013. [52] [53] In 2024, Kroeger confirmed that the band was considering a slower, nontraditional approach to recording, with no set release plans, however, a live concert album titled, Live from Nashville , was released on November 15, 2024 that was recorded in 2023 during their performance at the Bridgestone Arena during the "Get Rollin' Tour" with Brantley Gilbert. [54] [55] [56]
