Travis Barker has opened up about the guidance he provides his son, Landon, regarding his burgeoning music career, revealing that he once advised the young artist to turn down an opportunity to appear on The Voice. The legendary Blink-182 drummer shared the anecdote during a recent appearance on The New York Times’ Popcast, emphasizing the importance of staying true to one’s artistic vision.

“My son called me the other day and he’s like, ‘Hey, they offered me to go on The Voice,'” Barker explained. “I was like, ‘Dude, you’re way too cool for that. You got to think about your idols. If your idol is Kurt Cobain, would he ever do The Voice? No.'”

While Barker has made appearances on competition shows like American Idol in the past, he drew a clear distinction between his own career path and the trajectory he envisions for his son. “I’m different,” he noted. “I’m doing fun shit that’s just fun for me ’cause I’m a drummer and I’m not on the forefront. It’d be different if I was singing with all these people.”

Barker’s advice to Landon centers on the idea of maintaining a unique path. “Stay on your own trajectory,” he told the podcast, adding that he sees no reason for his son to rush his development. “I’m in the studio, I hear the songs that he’s creating. There’s no rush, you know?”

The drummer also touched upon his own professional commitments, confirming that Blink-182 is currently working on a new album. When asked about the timeline for the project, Barker confirmed, “Working on the Blink album this year.” This follows the band’s successful 2023 release, One More Time…, which marked the return of the original trio featuring Mark Hoppus and Tom DeLonge.

Landon, who released his debut single “Friends With My Ex” in 2023, has previously spoken about his father’s transparent approach to musical feedback. “I feel like [Travis] doesn’t let me down easy,” Landon shared. “It’s good – I so appreciate it because I love authenticity, and I love the transparency, and he’s always transparent and supportive. It works very well.”