JJ PETERS (DEEZ NUTS, I KILLED THE PROM QUEEN) Reflects on Sobriety, Stability, and 25 Years of Legacy on Music Is My Life

The latest episode of the Music Is My Life Podcast, hosted by Lochlan Watt, delivers a rare and revealing conversation with JJ Peters—drummer of Australian metalcore pioneers I KILLED THE PROM QUEEN and mastermind behind international hardcore institution DEEZ NUTS. Recorded backstage at the Northcote Theatre during Prom Queen’s massive 25 Year Anniversary Tour, the episode captures Peters at a pivotal moment in his life and career.

With the release of Saudade, the seventh DEEZ NUTS full-length and the first created in sobriety, Peters pulls back the curtain on the challenges, changes, and clarity that shaped the album. He reflects on what it means to front a band with a name that has been both “a blessing and a curse,” and how the project became his primary focus as I KILLED THE PROM QUEEN’s stability wavered over the years.

Watt leads Peters through a deeply personal discussion about returning to his roots with Prom Queen, despite not playing drums for over a decade, and the strange mixture of nostalgia and pressure that comes with revisiting such a defining chapter of his musical identity. Peters speaks candidly about uncomfortable wake-up moments—literally—where he would come to and see messages from fans disappointed by shows he barely remembered. Now sober, he’s determined never to let that version of himself re-emerge.

Across the episode, Peters offers a grounded, self-aware look at rebuilding trust with fans, rediscovering passion for performance, and navigating a career that spans continents, genres, and personal rebirth. Saudade marks a new era for DEEZ NUTS—and this conversation marks a new level of honesty from one of hardcore’s most recognizable voices.