Why Korn’s Jonathan Davis Doesn’t Scat Often Anymore

Korn are without a doubt one of the most distinctive bands in heavy music history, and much of their uniqueness is a result of frontman Jonathan Davis' many talents. The singer admitted that he doesn't scat or play the bagpipes much anymore, and explained why in an interview with the Daily Beast.

Funny enough, "scat singing" actually originated within the jazz genre, according to the Jazz Academy. Jazz icons such as Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald were known for their ability to create "wordless syllables and sounds" as a means of vocal improvisation.

Davis utilized his signature scatting on a lot of Korn's earlier albums, but not so much on the more recent ones. He also occasionally whips out the bagpipes when the band is performing live — but only occasionally.

"I could do that shit for hours. I don’t do the bagpipes a lot and I don’t do the fucking scatting a lot because everybody wants me to, and if I do it too much it’s gonna burn out," the singer explained. "When I do it it’s special. I do it on every record, it’s just on one song and not throughout everything."

Another act fans won't find Davis or Korn participating in much anymore is playing their entire 1994 debut album in full, which is something they did during their 2014 tour in celebration of the record's 20th anniversary. The frontman recalled that he revisited a lot of his childhood trauma when the band wrote the album, and the final product was quite sinister as a result.

"It was taboo at the time to talk about that shit. But whatever. I had to get it out. It helped a lot of people. That was a crazy time, and when I think about that record… it’s such a dark fucking record," he acknowledged. "We played it in its entirety in 2014, for its 20th anniversary, and all of us got offstage and we looked at each other and were like, 'God, that record is dark.' We hadn’t played it in its entirety in ages. And I don’t want to play that record again. Fuck no."

Korn's tour with Chevelle and Code Orange continues tonight (March 11) in Greensboro, N.C. Check out the dates here, and maybe you'll get to see the lucky show where Davis brings back some of his abilities.

Korn's Jonathan Davis Scatting Live