Garbage have played music together, off and on, for nearly 30 years now, but during a recent interview with Classic Rock magazine (via NME), Shirley Manson confessed that she thought her career was over after the release of their third album, Beautiful Garbage.
She said that the 2001 album “died on a vine” upon its release, despite debuting at No. 13 on the Billboard 200 chart. “I honestly thought that was the end of my career and that we were never going to recover,” Manson explained. “It took a long time for us as a band to regain our equilibrium and our confidence and our joy.”
“Joy is of monumental importance when you’re an artist, particularly in an industry that has become so hard," she added. "So to realize that you’ve regained something at this late stage in your life and career feels like unexpected treasure.”
Even this late into her career, the singer admitted that she and her bandmates always "expect the worst" when they put out new music
“We are always quite surprised when we get a positive reaction. It’s not something we really expect or are accustomed to,” she said.
Earlier this year, Garbage released their seventh studio album, No Gods No Masters.