INTERVIEW: Amy Lee Of Evanescence

I was in LA when the Evanescence single 'Bring Me To Life' was released, and to say it was a hit of tsunami-like magnitude would be an understatement. Every store on every corner was blasting it, and you couldn’t turn on MTV without seeing the accompanying video that spawned a million goth mall rats.

The accompanying album, Fallen brought the Little Rock, Arkansas band to global success with more than 17 million records in the hands of fans worldwide, two Top 10 singles, 'My Immortal' and 'Bring Me To Life', two Grammy Awards in 2003 (Best New Artist and Best Hard Rock Performance for 'Bring Me To Life') and a ridiculous lot of dosh.

Next came 2006's The Open Door, which was followed by extensive touring commitments, line up changes and a lawsuit or two, prompting the band to declare a hiatus of sorts, with singer Amy Lee disappearing underground.

Come 2011 though and they are back – with Lee the sole original member and a brand new album to crow about due to be released this month.

Lee has said she really felt like “I'm making the best album of my life… I wouldn't be here in the studio, making another record, if I didn't think it was going to be better than anything I'd ever done. It's been a while for sure, but the incubation of a lot of these songs is what's making them great."

Talking to her at home one quiet evening I say surely that must have been a super frustrating time for someone who is very prolific creatively, or was it quite liberating allowing so much time to get things right? “Oh definitely the latter, which was a big part of the process. I really spent a lot of time writing because I wanted to make something awesome as the fans expect a lot.”

She adds that she wouldn’t feel satisfied as an artist putting out “anything less than awesome, but there were times of frustration too and asking ‘why can’t this just come out faster?’” She says with a laugh “part of my process is banging my head against a wall and going through a little self-loathing, that’s just me!”

When asked if she found it hard reading band forums where fans were getting seriously pissed off that they were waiting such a long time for more Evanescence she says, “I deliberately didn’t spend my time trawling the Internet because I really wanted to get away from all that and just concentrate on writing and being happy with my life. I don’t need anyone else’s opinion on what – and when – I should be doing things.” She adds that the long hiatus was never part of any master plan, “I just had to get away from it all and find myself again.” She explains that she wanted to spend some time not being defined by her band, “and it’s not like some big celebrity who goes to the right parties and courts publicity by hanging out with weirdo fellow celebrities, I’m not like that at all.” The creator of an album that sold 17 million copies believes it is important to be “as grounded as possible, I’m just a normal person, y’ know.”

When asked about how she picked the final tracklisting she admits with a laugh, “I actually haven’t even reached that part of the process yet! There are 16 songs recorded, and just picking those was hard. Now it’s time to pull it down to the final twelve and I think I’ve got it… I think.” She calls the experience “heartbreaking, but at least we have the internet so those four songs will get out there somehow.”

The only original member of Evanescence remaining in the band, she says that she’ll “always be the captain” of her merry crew, but this time around she let the new blokes in from the get go, and the played a vital role in helping shape the album. Songs were written by Lee alone and with other members of the band, “and a few different combos emerged within the band, which was cool.” It was a whole new way of working for the singer-songwriter, and also her first time working with producer Nick Raskulinecz, whose recent producing credits include Foo Fighters, Stone Sour, Deftones and Alice in Chains.

“I chose him because of his reputation for pushing people,” she explains, “and he really took us out of our comfort zone by throwing us all in one room and pretty much yelling ‘go!’” It wasn’t what she was used to, but was “good for us and good for the music because it created a strong foundation for us as a band. The album is written by a band, as opposed to being something you could bang out with a drum loop or play on piano.” They loved playing together again after a break, and the joy that this bought Lee is evident in the constantly excited – and almost incredulous – sound in her voice.

“Everyone you see when we go on tour had some key role to play in the creation of this record, and I think that’s really special.”

She says the experience has seen her fall in love with Evanescence again, “which is important as it’s a huge part of me.” She says that she uses her songwriting as her outlet for being “totally emotional, and I love that about music. The music that inspires and excites me the most is the music that really makes me feel something.” She confesses to be a frenzied lover of all music, “and I love the music that we make. I know I have something special and I want to share it, and I’m not a vain person. I just feel it needs to be shared.”

“I want to do what I was born to do, and I feel like this is it.”

Evanescence - What You Want

By Helene Ravlich