Night Ranger and Mr. Big Stars Team Up for New Group Named Skills

Skills, a newly formed band featuring members of Night Ranger and Mr. Big, will release its debut album Different Worlds on May 13.

The group is fronted by Renan Zonta, vocalist for the Brazilian rock band Electric Mob. A press release notes that Frontiers record label president Serafino Perugin was “blown away” by the singer’s talent. “Knowing how much Renan loves classic ’80s hard rock, Perugino thought it would be cool to pair him with some monster players from that era,” the release further explained. Thus, guitarist Brad Gillis (Night Ranger), bassist Billy Sheehan (Mr. Big) and drummer David Huff (David and the Giants) were recruited for the group.

In addition to announcing Different Worlds, Skills released ”Stop the World,” the first single from their upcoming LP. Watch the song’s music video below.

Gillis founded Night Ranger alongside bassist Jack Blades and drummer Kelly Keagy in 1979. The guitarist has remained a constant member of the band’s lineup, contributing to all 13 of their studio releases. Gillis’ rock resume also includes a stint performing with Ozzy Osbourne on tour following the death of Randy Rhoads in 1982.

Likewise, Sheehan has an impressive rock history. Before founding Mr. Big in 1988, the bassist joined David Lee Roth for his first tour following the vocalist’s departure from Van Halen. With Mr. Big, Sheehan contributed to the band’s biggest hit, “To Be With You,” which went to No. 1 in 14 countries in 1992 and kept the top spot on the U.S. Billboard chart for 3 weeks.

Skills’ debut LP Different Worlds is available for pre-order now on CD, vinyl, and digital platforms.

View the track listing for the album below.

Skills, ‘Different Worlds’ track list

1. “Escape Machine”
2. “Blame It on the Night”
3. “Different Worlds”
4. “Losing the Track”
5. “Writings on the Wall”
6. “Show Me the Way”
7. “Just When I Needed You”
8. “Need to Fall”
9. “Stop the World”
10. “Hearts of Stone”
11. “Don’t Break My Heart”