By all accounts, Papa Roach frontman Jacoby Shaddix never saw it coming: a crossover moment that would unite one of alt-metal’s most enduring voices with a modern country powerhouse. But when Carrie Underwood’s name landed in the band’s orbit, everything changed. The result? A raw and powerful reimagining of “Leave a Light On”—an acoustic anthem that digs deep into mental health awareness—with Underwood lending her powerhouse vocals to the cause.
“Oh, that was incredible—such a cool moment in the studio and just a really organic way it happened,” Shaddix told SNSMix.com. “We found out she was a fan through an interview she did on SiriusXM Octane, where she talked about her love for rock and metal music. She cited our band as one she likes. My friend sent it to me like, ‘Dude, did you see this?’”
What started as a passing mention soon turned into a full-blown collaboration. Shaddix and his wife caught Underwood’s show in Las Vegas, and the connection was instant. “We just hit it off,” he said. “I asked her if she’d be down to sing on ‘Leave a Light On.’ I told her the message—it’s about extending a helping hand, being there for someone in a moment of darkness. She got back right away like, ‘I’m all about it.’”
The emotional weight of the song was matched by the gesture behind it. Both artists agreed to donate all proceeds from the version featuring Underwood to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. “Being in the studio with her was incredible,” Shaddix added. “She’s one of the most talented vocalists I’ve ever worked with—just top-notch.”
But the magic didn’t stop at the studio door. Weeks later, with Carrie Underwood nearing the end of her Las Vegas residency and Papa Roach scheduled to play in town, Shaddix reached out again.
“We hit her up like, ‘We’re gonna be in town the same night—any way we can make this happen?’ She was all about it,” he recalled. “I said, ‘If you’re coming up for “Leave a Light On,” what do you think about doing “Last Resort” too?’ She was like, ‘Oh my God, that’d be so cool.’ She came to rehearsal, nailed it, and we did both songs live. It popped off. Really cool moment.”
It was a full-circle performance—one that felt less like a genre stunt and more like a moment of pure musical communion. Underwood wasn’t just a guest vocalist parachuting in for a verse; she was fully engaged, reverent of the message and history, but bold enough to scream alongside Shaddix on “Last Resort,” a song synonymous with emotional catharsis.
The collaboration felt symbolic of a larger movement sweeping across both rock and country—a new genre-fluidity that finds artists like Hardy, Jelly Roll, and even Post Malone exploring common ground between twang and distortion. Papa Roach, always fearless when it comes to crossing lines, was ahead of the curve.
“We’re no strangers to genre-bending,” Shaddix said. “We’ve worked with the Black Eyed Peas, Pharrell, N.E.R.D.—we did that early on. It’s cool to see country artists blurring lines too. That’s something new and exciting in music, and I want to be part of it.”
For a band two decades into their career, this isn’t reinvention—it’s evolution. With “Leave a Light On,” Papa Roach didn’t just make a statement about mental health. They made a statement about connection—across genres, audiences, and the divides we often place between ourselves.
