John Torra was obsessed with the 1980s metal band Quiet Riot in high school. Now the 23-year-old is its lead singer.
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How Did John Torra Become the New Singer for Quiet Riot?
As reported by Rolling Stone, Torra became obsessed with metal when he was 14 after his dad played "Mean Streets" by Van Halen for him.
"The intro to that song is very unique," said Torra. "I was like, 'What is that?' And he goes, 'That's a guitar.' I said, 'A guitar can do that?' When that happened, everything changed."
Torra then began performing in metal bands in Long Island, covering Skid Row, Ratt, and Cinderella. After auditioning for Skid Row earlier this year and hearing nothing back, he created a viral Instagram video to get Quiet Riot's attention.
A few days later, Torra got a call from Regina Banali. She is Quiet Riot's manager and the widow of its original drummer, Frankie Banali.
"I kind of froze because I was like, 'I know who this is,'" remembered Torra. "She wanted to see what my story was, if I was looking to do this for my life, and was willing to sacrifice."
Torra Made His Debut With the Band Last Week
Torra made his debut with Quiet Riot on Oct. 1 at the Cherokee Event Center in West Siloam Springs, Oklahoma, after running through the band's set over several days in Los Angeles.
"I was trying not to cry," shared Torra. "It really had sunk in because this is what I've been searching for and working hard at for almost 10 years, and it was happening."
The band is set to play shows around the world through April of next year. Torra is excited for the challenge.
"It's definitely going to be a learning experience, but I'm pretty much like a sponge," he said. "I soak everything in, and I love listening and learning. And I think the guys in the band are definitely going to take care of me and help me out, and they'll guide me and tell me because they have a lot more years of experience on me, so they've seen it all."
In the comments of a video of Torra's debut performance, fans said they were "freaking impressed" with the singer. You can watch the clip below.
