Billy Morrison Releases HOLLOW Album, Shares “Take Me As I Am” Video

Billy Morrison has released his new solo album HOLLOW via TLG | ZOID, distributed by Virgin Music Group, and marked the occasion by sharing a video for the track 'Take Me As I Am.' The song, rooted in heavy, angst-fueled 1990s rock, features lyrics including 'Left unchecked I'm an animal, everything is flammable/I don't wanna be this way.'

The 'Take Me As I Am' video was filmed throughout Los Angeles, where Morrison lives, and powerfully underlines the personal chaos and desperation he's singing about. His longtime friend, musician Franky Perez, seen performing with two showgirl dancers, makes a cameo.

Morrison is currently impacting DSP playlists with the album's third single, 'Never Gonna Change,' a fiery pop punk anthem of alienation and rebellion that merges raging guitars and a prison-break pace with the unmistakable vocals of The Offspring lead singer. The lyric video was directed by Mike Savage.

The first single from HOLLOW was 'Becoming,' featuring Sully Erna of Godsmack and GRAMMY Award winner Nuno Bettencourt of Extreme. The track peaked at #19 on Billboard's 'Mainstream Rock' chart and marked Morrison's third Top 20 rock track overall. Erna delivers an impassioned and raspy vocal performance on the song, which is about transforming one's life from darkness to light, and Bettencourt rises to the occasion, ripping a guest solo. The video was directed by Ivo Raza.

Morrison then released the single 'Hollow,' along with a lyric video, directed by Mike Savage, that traces Morrison's previously unhinged life. The autobiographical song is highlighted by Morrison's deeply felt vocals and sweeping lead guitar runs.

Throughout his career, Billy Morrison has played live in front of millions of fans, collaborated with rock stars including the late Ozzy Osbourne, with whom he notched a #1 single, sold his paintings in galleries on multiple continents, and logged hundreds of hours on-air as a radio host for SiriusXM. A new short film, titled 'Who the F%@K is Billy Morrison?,' directed and edited by Mike Savage, tells his story through 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.

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 the bonus track 'Gods Of Rock and Roll (Orchestral),' another collaboration with Osbourne and Stevens, landed in the Active Rock Top Ten (Mediabase).

HOLLOW follows THE MORRISON PROJECT's 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.

Q&A With Billy Morrison About the 'Take Me As I Am' Single and Video

—'Take Me As I Am' rocks hard with perhaps some of your most vulnerable lyrics. Can you elaborate on the sentiment of the song and what inspired you to write it?

Morrison: Life is a hell of a journey and we are all fallible beings, but we all have the capacity for change. 'Take Me As I Am' examines both the concept of change and growth as a human being, and the idea of arriving at a place of acceptance for one another. I believe that as long as we are aware of our faults, and we strive to be a better person tomorrow, then acceptance is one of the most healing attributes we can offer the world. And not understanding the power of judgement can be extremely damaging to others. Having been judged for one thing or another my whole life, finding those people that literally 'take me as I am,' that accept me for who I am, and allow mistakes to be part of a learning process, is a wonderful feeling.

—You play all the instruments on the tracks except drums, making an already very personal song even more of an individual expression. Can you walk us through your mindset for the recording of the song?

Morrison: Imagine if STP had a torrid affair with Oasis, while hanging out at a party thrown by The Cult and watching an Alice In Chains documentary. I don't really think too hard about the mindset when writing and recording a song, and especially with 'Take Me As I Am' it was more a feeling, a vibe. And having the luxury and the ability to play all the instruments just makes it quicker to be honest. I don't have to sit and argue if it should be E minor or C sharp, hahaha! I just do what I feel, what I hear in my head. Even with the drums, I don't play the finished thing, I leave that to the professionals…in this case, it's Erik Eldenius on the kit…but Erik would be the first to tell you that I program exactly what I want to hear from the drums, down to the individual hits, velocities, etc. Drum programming is something I really enjoy, so I spend many hours dialing in the drums and then ask the drummers to play exactly what I wrote!

—Who directed the video and please let us know what we can look forward to?

Morrison: I have had a photographer, Jane Stuart, working with me throughout both album cycles (the previous album, The Morrison Project, and the new album, Hollow) and her aesthetic and ability to portray me in a way that others fail to capture drew me in. When it came time for the video for 'Take Me As I Am,' I asked her if she would consider making her directorial debut for me and she said yes! I literally just said 'I have a yellow Lamborghini I want to use, and I'd like to have a black eye in this video,' and left her to make sense of that within the track. And what a video she came up with, from creative concept to technical execution—she knew what she wanted. The color palate is very specific and the story captures the essence of the lyrics perfectly: a fallible man, learning from mistakes, and trying to make sense of his own shortcomings. The team she put together was fantastic and Jane knocked this one out of the park.

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 own 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.

The 'Take Me As I Am' video was directed by photographer Jane Stuart, who has shaped Morrison's visual presentation across two albums. Morrison is currently touring the United States as Billy Idol's rhythm guitar player alongside Steve Stevens. More on the making of HOLLOW can be found in BroadwayWorld's earlier report on the album's announcement.

Photo Credit: Jane Stuart @JaneStuartPhotos

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