Erik Grönwall, who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in March 2021, has released a new video message in which he offered an even lengthier explanation for his decision to leave SKID ROW.

In the clip, which was uploaded to his YouTube channel on Friday, March 29, the 36-year-old Swedish singer stated in part: “Okay, so it’s out, and now you all know that I have decided to leave SKID ROW. I feel relieved, in a way. I’m happy that it’s out, that I don’t have to hide it from you guys. I think the word I’m looking for is ambivalent.

“So what do you say we talk about it?

“First of all, let me just say that I am overwhelmed by your understanding and your comments and the love and support you guys have shown me since we made the announcement,” he said. “It’s incredible. Thank you so much for being the best fans in the world.

“Like I said in the announcement, the main reason why I’ve decided to leave the band is because it’s been very hard and it’s proved very challenging to prioritize my health and full recovery being the lead singer of the band. And it’s not like I woke up yesterday and decided to go, ‘Ooh. That’s a horrible idea. What time?’ This is something I’ve been considering for a long time. The first time I brought it up and requested a better balance in the touring was in 2022.

“So most of you guys who follow me, you already know this, but for those of you who don’t, let me give you some background info,” he continued. “In 2021, I was undergoing treatment against leukemia, and as a result of the treatments and the bone marrow transplant that I did, my immune system was impaired. You can think of my immune system as a four-year-old kid bringing home all kinds of shit and viruses from preschool. So I pretty much get everything. It takes a while for the immune system to build up that resistance again, but my immune system is getting stronger every day. So that’s the good news. However, I’m still doing regular checkups, like blood tests, at the hematology department at my hospital in Sweden. But that part has proved very challenging while keeping up with the SKID ROW schedule and demand. And as I’m sure you all understand, I have way too much respect for my medical history and for my health to push myself to the limit.

“But I also wanna say that this illness came with a lot of good things. And one of the best things that I want to mention here is that it gave me a superpower called perspective. I remember sitting at the hospital, and I was in a really fucking dark place. And I was looking out my window and I saw all these people going to work in a hurry, stressing. And I remember asking myself, watching all these people, and I was, like, ‘What are we stressing about? What are we chasing?’ So right there I felt like I had so much perspective on things and actually a gratitude towards — it’s weird to say it, but a gratitude towards my illness. I remember going, ‘Thank you for giving me this perspective this early in life.’ Anyway, so I was sitting there, and I remembered that the samurai had a code of honor that they called Bushido that they lived by. And so with the perspective I had at the time, I wanted to create my own Bushido. My goal was always, okay, ‘I’m gonna get through this and I’m gonna get healthy,’ but I wanted to remember the perspective, that feeling of gratitude and perspective I had at the time, because I know that we’re human beings and we move on and we forget things, but I didn’t wanna forget this; I wanted to remember this for the rest of my life. So what I did was I created my own Bushido at the hospital, and on top of that list, it says ‘health first’. And back to SKID ROW, that’s exactly why I had to make this decision.

“I’ve had to look at that list a lot of times this last year,” Erik added. “Actually, to be honest, since I joined the band. And I’ve been questioning myself if I’m really living according to those values. And at the end of the day, I realized that the answer was no.

“And I just wanna say, before the media starts with all this fucking clickbait shit, let me be perfectly clear. Listen carefully: I am not sick. And it’s not like I don’t wanna tour. I love being on the road. I just need a better balance. And, of course, we have tried to find the right balance together as a band multiple times. But at the end of the day, I realized that it was better for me to just step aside.

“There’s a lot of people that are relying on making a living from SKID ROW. And being on the road is mainly where the money is nowadays. So, I totally understand that people have to keep touring. And I feel like it’s hard to say this without sounding like, um, like a martyr. Is that the word I’m looking for? Yeah, I think so. But I feel like I need to say it to let you guys know the thoughts I’ve had recently.

“It’s actually been a bit of a burden to tour with a new immune system — not only knowing that I’m intentionally pushing myself, but also knowing that if I get sick on the road, which I’m more likely to with a new immune system, there is no one who can fill in for me. We’ve had our amazing guitar tech, and I can’t express how much I love this guy enough, but our guitar tech, Casey, he filled in for both Snake (Dave Sabo, guitar) and Rachel (Bolan, bass) when they got sick. But when I got sick on the road, we had to cancel, reschedule shows, and, honestly, it’s not a fun position to be in. So, wait? All of this is happening because of me? It’s not good for the band, it’s not good for the crew, it’s not good for the fans, it’s not good for the promoters, it’s not good for the SKID ROW team. All of that also made it less fun for me. I didn’t really enjoy myself out there.

“I love singing,” Erik concluded. “I love being an artist. I love touring, but I wasn’t happy. I understand and respect that SKID ROW is a touring band, but like I told the guys, if I can’t prioritize my health, then I’m not the right guy for the job.”