In a recent interview with Guitar World magazine, Kiko Loureiro discussed the factors that influenced his choice to depart from MEGADETH at the close of 2023 following a nine-year tenure with the band.
He said: “It started when I booked a trip home to Brazil. The last time I’d been was in 2019, before the pandemic; I got to a point where I said, ‘I need to visit my family,’ so I booked a trip for the Thanksgiving period in 2023 because MEGADETH never does anything around that time.
“When you’re young, not married and have no kids, the mindset is, ‘The more concerts, the better.’ But my daughter is 12 now, and I want to spend time with her. I also want to be out there playing. When the MEGADETH thing happened for me in 2015, I had a young daughter and twins who were newborns. I was always struggling with knowing I needed to be touring, but also wanted to be home with my kids and my wife. So the feeling of, ‘Should I be out doing this rock star thing while my kids are at home?’ kept coming up. And the more moments and important dates I missed, the harder it was.
“It got harder in 2023, especially during the three-month summer tour. So I went to Dave [Mustaine, MEGADETH leader] in June, saying, ‘This is too much. I’m not feeling like I’m in the right place or mood to give 100 percent.’ It was complicated for me to say because I wanted to play, but I knew I needed to be at home. And, of course, Dave was not expecting it. We had just done a show in Florida with the MISFITS, and it was right after that show that I talked to Dave. And then MEGADETH management was there, and I let them know I could not do the September gigs. I offered to help find a replacement and do what was needed to help MEGADETH be ready to go.”
As for what made his leaving a final decision rather than a temporary one, Kiko explained: “My proposal was not to do the September shows and help them find a replacement, which turned out to be Teemu [Mäntysaari]. But then I had some situations with my kids and had to go to the doctor, and I felt like I wanted to be home.
“And I get it — MEGADETH must go on, right? Being able to pick and choose where and when I play is not going to be a thing. I mean, I guess it could be, but that’s not the way it turned out. Maybe they felt like, ‘Well, Kiko might come out on the next tour and say the same thing,’ which I understand. So I told them, ‘I understand if you guys feel that I’m unreliable,’ They kept asking me, ‘Are you sure?’ Ultimately, I had to take control because I knew I needed and wanted to be home. People who don’t have kids won’t understand, while if you do, you will.”
