New flame, new record for Sum 41 frontman

By Melissa Arseniuk

Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2009 | 9:26 a.m.

It may take Sum 41 three years to release a new record, but frontman Deryck Whibley took less than three weeks to debut a new love interest in Las Vegas.

Not even a month after separating from pop-punk princess Avril Lavigne, Whibley vacationed in Vegas this weekend with model Hanna Beth Merjos.

Lavigne, on the other hand, has been linked to oil heir Brandon Davis.

She and Davis were photographed in July while partying together on Davis’ yacht in St. Tropez. The paparazzi-shot photos set the rumor mill into overdrive, and Whibley reeling – all the way to Las Vegas.

Whibley was spotted at the Hard Rock Hotel just days after the suggestive, scandalous photos of his wife surfaced. Upon arriving, he proceeded to drown his sorrows/celebrate his imminent singledom at Wasted Space.

It was not the first time Lavigne and Davis caused a stir.

Whibley reportedly text messaged Davis, demanding, "Stay away from my wife,” late last year after learning Lavigne had gone for dinner with the oil heir.

Coincidentally, Davis was once linked to Paris Hilton, who was in town this past weekend, too, and had also previously dated Whibley.

The Sum 41 rocker dated the Hilton in her early “Simple Life” days, back in 2003.

He began dating Lavigne the following year, and the two were married two years later, in 2006. After three years of marriage and months of reportedly being on the rocks, however, the couple announced their separation on Sept. 17.

Yet Whibley appears to have bounced back quickly.

He and Merjos checked into the Mirage this weekend, where they took in the “Slash and Friends” concert on Friday, had dinner at Stack on Saturday, and partied into the wee hours of Sunday morning at Jet.

While the pair have yet to officially declare themselves a couple, it was obvious that the still-married Whibley and Merjos are more than just friends. According to People.com, they were openly affectionate to one another, and walked hand-in-hand as they arrived for dinner at Stack on Saturday.

Still, Whibley played it cool when asked about the weekend-long date.

“I’m just here with a good friend of mine,” he said.

The 29-year-old said they were just “hanging out, having fun.”

While he downplayed his love life, Whibley talked up his band’s new record.

“We’re in the studio right now, we’re working on a new album,” he said.

While he enjoyed his weekend getaway, he headed back to Los Angeles on Sunday so he and his bandmates could get back to work on the new record.

Whibley said the band is planning to mix business with pleasure while developing the follow-up to 2007’s Underclass Hero.

“We’re talking about going to France for a bit, maybe, to record,” he said. “I want to record in, like, some, like, crazy Chateau somewhere outside of Paris, just to do something different.”

He said the band has more than a dozen new songs in the works.

“We haven’t laid down too many (tracks) yet but we have 15 to 18 songs written,” Whibley said. “We’re jut working on them right now.”

In terms of sound, the frontman said fans should brace themselves for a less poppy, more punchy record.

“I would definitely say it’s more of a darker, like, heavier, aggressive record,” he said, “but, you know, it’s still early so it’s hard to say.”

As far as a release date, however, Whibley couldn’t say for sure.

“I don’t know; (I have) no idea,” he shrugged. “We’re working right now so, (hopefully by) spring next year.”

Melissa Arseniuk writes about Las Vegas entertainment and celebrity events. She can be reached at 702-948-7823 or by e-mail at [email protected].