Hardy Blames ‘Hipster Jealousy’ for Creed + Nickelback Hate

Hardy has a theory regarding all the unfair hate aimed at Creed and Nickelback.

The singer has openly shared his appreciation for both acts in the past. So when he was asked why the bands seem so polarizing during a recent interview with SNSMix (watch below), Hardy got straight to the point.

“Because they wrote hits,” the singer matter-of-factly remarked. “I think that anybody is easy to make fun of when everybody else likes them. I think that’s when people start disliking bands is when everybody starts liking them and that’s just a, it’s just a horrible truth.”

Hardy went on to detail the strange backlash that people create towards successful bands, as well as their fans.

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“Let’s say you’re a rock ‘n’ roll fan and you don’t particularly like, I don’t know, frat guys,” Hardy explained. “And a rock ‘n’ roll band gets so big that the frat guys or whatever start listening to Nickelback. Well you don’t like that because you’re like a hardcore metal dude or whatever. You’re a rock ‘n’ roll guy and I just think that that’s how people develop haters, is when the masses start liking somebody and they get this like hipster jealousy where they’re like, that’s bull crap. Like I discovered them first, so I’m not going to like this band anymore.”

Hardy Describes Fan Backlash as a ‘Weird Possessive Thing’

From Hardy’s perspective, hater are an inevitable byproduct of fame.

“When everybody starts liking something, that’s when a lot of people start hating that same thing,” he noted. “It’s just the way I’ve always thought about it. And when you first get into a band you feel like it’s yours – like there’s like an ownership thing, right? And then if everybody else likes it, I can see why people feel a certain way.”

“They’re like, ‘That’s not fair. I discovered them first. I knew about them way longer than you did,’” the rocker continued. “It’s like this weird possessive thing and I just think that that’s what happens.”

Hardy’s History With Nickelback and Creed

Last year, Hardy collaborated with both Nickelback and Creed on separate occasions. Last April he joined the Canadian rockers for a performance on television series CMT Crossroads, and in August he jumped onstage with Creed for a rendition of “Weathered” during their tour stop in Nashville.

“I love ‘Weathered,’ man. It’s got a cool southern rock vibe to it and, dude I know every Creed song,” Hardy admitted. “I was a huge Creed fan growing up and I was thankful to see that that one was still in the set list.”

Hardy launches his Jim Bob World Tour this week, starting with a May 22 performance in Chula Vista, California. The trek wraps Sept. 24 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Meanwhile, Creed and Nickelback will co-headline the Summer of ’99 and Beyond Festival in mid-July, amid Creed’s headlining summer tour that stretches from July 9 through Aug. 30.