Papa Roach frontman Jacoby Shaddix is opening up about a deeply personal transformation, sharing that his journey to Christianity has brought him peace, freedom from addiction, and a completely new outlook on life.
Shaddix, the unmistakable voice behind the band’s breakout hit “Last Resort,” has been a mainstay in rock music for more than two decades. Papa Roach continues to reach a massive audience, boasting millions of monthly listeners and multiple award nominations, including two Grammy nods. But despite his success, Shaddix says his personal life once felt far from stable.
During a recent appearance on the Dumb Blonde podcast hosted by Bunnie XO, the singer reflected on how unexpected his faith journey has been.
“The two things I never wanted to be in my life was sober and a Christian,” Shaddix said with a laugh. “And look, here I am now — a follower and a sober guy.”
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For Shaddix, the turning point came as he struggled with alcohol addiction and began attending recovery meetings. Those gatherings often encouraged participants to turn to a higher power, something that initially left him skeptical.
“My faith walk has been like a wrestling match,” he admitted. “I started going to meetings and going to recovery houses and stuff like that. And they’re like: You need to find God or a God of your understanding.”
Eventually, Shaddix says he began seeking the God of the Bible, though the process wasn’t easy.
“It was a rocky path to find that — and a lot of failure and a lot of questioning,” he said. “Turning my will over to God and following [God] — and then taking it all back, and then living my way, and then repeatedly finding myself just in that deep, dark hole.”
The singer described a cycle of trying to follow God while still battling the habits and patterns that had shaped his life for years. But at his lowest point, he cried out to God in desperation.
“I finally put the bottle down and [was] like that foxhole prayer, where I’m just like, ‘God, do You just hear me? Can You hear me? I need a miraculous change. I need something beyond what I can do.'”
A Christian friend and mentor later played a significant role in helping him grow spiritually. Seeing authentic faith lived out in someone close to him began to shift his perspective.
“I was very skeptical and very — like, ‘These church people are weird,'” Shaddix said. “And then when I saw this faith walk alive in front of me… somebody talking the talk and walking the walk… it became alive to me.”
Over time, that curiosity turned into belief.
“I’ll try to believe,” he recalled thinking at first. “And then it became like: I’m a full-blown believer.”
Now, Shaddix says he’s studying the Bible with friends and learning to live differently than he once did. As his faith deepens, he says he’s experiencing a new sense of freedom and clarity.
“Things that maybe I once thought were acceptable in my life — now I’m like, ‘Man, that ain’t serving you,'” he said. “The more that I purge these things and turn it over and just walk in the light — I feel like it’s the way, it’s the path.”
After years immersed in the rock-and-roll lifestyle, Shaddix says he knows firsthand that chasing the ways of the world didn’t bring lasting peace.
“And because I’ve tried the other way,” he said, reflecting on his past, “I’m trying to break that chain.”
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