Tom Keifer, frontman of CINDERELLA, has revealed his songwriting process in a new interview with Jacky BamBam of 93.3 WMMR radio station.

According to the interview, which is transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET, Keifer emphasizes that every song begins with a lyric: 'Writing always starts with a lyric for me.

I know a lot of people think it's the other way around.

Even the heaviest songs with heavy riffs, it starts with the lyric, and then that lyric is kind of the — it's the screenplay for the song, basically.

It tells you what the song's about.

From there, you determine, is this a heavy song or is it a ballad? Should it be on a piano or an acoustic, or is it heavy drop-tuned electric guitars? Because it's the subject matter of the lyric, to me, that determines how you wanna present the song.' Keifer noted that his solo work reflects a diversity of styles, stating, 'I never felt the need to be formulated where every album that comes out is the same album with the same style, the same songs.' He cited a progression from CINDERELLA's 1986 debut 'Night Songs' through its 1988 release 'Long Cold Winter' to his solo records, calling them 'six very different albums.' Tom Keifer continues to develop material for the follow-up to his 2019 solo album 'Rise,' which was released via Cleopatra Records.

His current project, #KEIFERBAND, features Savannah Keifer, Tony Higbee, Billy Mercer, Tanya Davis, Jarred Pope, and Kory Myers.

While CINDERELLA hasn't released a new studio album since 1994's 'Still Climbing,' the band has performed sporadically since 2010.

In March 2022, Keifer confirmed the passing of CINDERELLA guitarist Jeff LaBar, who died in July 2021 at age 58 after being found by his wife in his Nashville apartment.

In a September 2025 interview with Deanne Coffin, Keifer reflected on his journey, saying, 'Just don't stop.

[Laughs] You just keep going.

I love playing music.

I always have.' He added, 'I think every artist has their story of ups and downs in the music business and all.

There's no secret [the bands who were big in] the '80s took quite a dive in the '90s, and on top of it, I was told I would never sing again [after a severe bout of vocal paresis].

And everybody has their story, so I'm not whining.

I mean, everybody has their adversity.

And I think the secret, if there is one — I mean, I don't think you can bottle anyone's secret.

I just think if you love doing it, you just keep doing it.

It's like the saying from the movie, 'If you build it, they will come.' So, yeah, through the ups and downs, and there's been times, you go out and you just play, and you play for anyone who wants to come and hear you still.

Or in the beginning, before nobody wanted to hear it, and you're playing for 10 people, but all of a sudden it turns into this massive thing.' Keifer concluded with a message to aspiring artists: 'Just do what you love.

Don't follow trends.

Be who you are.

Play what you love, because if you're chasing trends, by the time you catch up with it, there's gonna be a new one.

So I think probably, aside from everything else that I said about just never stopping, if it's truly what you love and it's your dharma, as they say in the Eastern philosophy, the most important thing is be yourself, be true to your own musical style because if you're going after a trend, you'll be on the tail end of it.'"