Amy Lee of Evanescence interview

4 year hiatus, how come?

Well erm we toured the open door for over a year and I actually got married when still on tour. By the time we got to the end of it I wanted to take a break from Evanescence and you know be normal, be married, work on my house, being in new York with my husband and just sort of living off the road. I’ve been fully entrenched with Evanescence since I was very young, I was 14 years old, so it’s the first time I really stop writing and creating and took a break. So for a while I wasn’t writing at all and then it started happening naturally, after a couple of years away  I just missed it really bad and I was ready to make another album and it became a full on obsession and then 2 years later here we are with our album. 

Write own music all the time? What inspires your song writing?

Yes, it really can be anything erm for me its on a pretty deep level its not always very specific I write about my feelings sometimes more than actual. So when we write the lyrics don’t come first that’s usually afterwards, you just feel it you put your hands on the piano and start playing what you feel like. After we have a song I take it and be on my own and start singing and see what comes out, you kind of surprise yourself sometimes with what comes out of your subconscious for me that’s how it goes and then really hone in on what I’m writing about emotionally and then you know finish the song.

What are your songs about mainly?

Mainly? Errm wow that’s an interesting question. I guess it’s about my deepest feelings. I guess when I think about this album a lot of times I hear myself singing about like a quest for freedom, I’m always trying to hear myself and fix my problems. I’m in a great place in my life but the music for me has always been an outlet for all the difficult things that I go through. So that I’m able to sort of get it out and then like the therapy session, you know get on with my life. So I think in the music there’s a lot of me processing my experiences and my emotions. 

Has your marriage life affected your song writing?

I don’t know people ask me that a lot, “now that you’re happy how do you still write sad songs?” well life is complicated there is no such thing as happily ever after, there are always things to feel and things to go through, things that will be hard and things that will be wonderful. I like that lyrically our music has become more and more dynamic and it’s easier to describe the first album then the second and third because it was the same kind of feelings over and over. And now we’ll have a song like coming home and the emotion is at its peak and you know there’s a little bit of everything I think that’s what makes it very cool it’s like a whole person not just bits and pieces. 

What instruments do you play?

I play the piano that’s my primary instrument, I play the harp there’s a little bit of that on the album. I play the guitar but not for the band, just for myself sometimes while writing.

 How was working with your producer? He is really well known and has worked with many artists, how does that make you feel?

Absolutely, Nick was wonderful. Immediately when we met, we clicked him his personality really fit with ours. Err I think we’d be friends even if we hadn’t been working together. Honestly he’s pushed every one of us in really good ways which is something a great producer would do. I would love to work with Nick again.

Evanescence has been touring for a long time – many concerts, does it ever get boring?

Boring? Ahaha its hard for it to get boring because its really challenging. When I’m on stage its hard to completely zone out because I have to concentrate and focus on all the difficult vocal parts and difficult piano parts as well. There’s kind of a lot of think about on stage, so yea no never boring. Sometimes its difficult, sometimes we’ll have a show that’s really difficult, because whatever the monitors aren’t working you know I don’t know just not having a good night. But the most part, the crowd really fuels us especially how they all listen to your music too, I think that really helps.  I  think maybe in a year maybe it’ll be a little more boring, hehe. Right now there’s still a lot love for new music and a lot of thinking going on so we don’t mess up.

What have been some of the highlights of your career?

Err over the course of my whole career? Good one. Actually I have to say that playing at the noble peace prize last month was a huge highlight. Definitely something that we’ll never forget.  It was based in Oslo and after the ceremony they have a big concert and everyone comes, the winners of the prizes are there it’s kind of a performance in honour of them. Which is a lot of pressure because there are people in beautiful gowns and suits and very formal and very different from the usual rock show type? It was a big deal and we just felt completely humbled and honoured. It felt so much more important than our regular rock shows, its about people that are changing the world and we felt completely honoured to be apart of that so that was a huge highlight and it just happened.

How did you get invited to play at the noble peace prize awards?

Hehe they called! I know it’s crazy. It’s crazy I wouldn’t even know how to have the guts to reach out and do something like that. We got invited they called for us and I immediately just like “Oh, yea! How did this happen.” 

Any favourite places to perform?

Erm I’ve had some really good experiences in Athens, Greece that’s a favourite. Brazil we love playing in Brazil we have a special connection with the fans there. Erm Japan we love going there, we’ve been outside Japan in Asia so this whole tour we’re getting to visit Malaysia, Korea, Taiwan its very very exciting to us it’s going to be a whole new experience. Honestly this whole tour, we’re going to be touring throughout this year, and the plan at the beginning of this year was “ok I want to go the all the countries that we haven’t been to, especially the ones where the fans are active on the internet” that’s the fun part of us, getting to experience a new adventure.

Do you prefer performing live or in the studio?

That a difficult one we were talking about it that day in the van, its hard whatever you are doing you miss the other thing.  We’re here in Nashville rehearsing for the tour and this is where we recorded the album. A few months ago I was like I kind of miss the studio I want us to go back to Blackbird and they were like yea and I was like but I remember when was I was in Blackbird all I wanted to do was go on tour. So they are both completely different things and they are both awesome in different ways. I love creating I love being in the studio and recording something for the first time but there’s also a very special magic about playing live, the energy of the crowd changes the music from night to night. I don’t know that’s an impossible question. 

Evanescence is at the top of the Billboard charts, how does that make you feel?

Incredible, we didn’t expect that. Especially after all the time away, we were coming into this with a very humble attitude. We loved our music, erm we thought we made the best album we have ever made, and that was good enough for us. Whatever that meant in today’s market, we just didn’t want to get out hopes up. And see to go to #1 was incredible, incredible feeling and I’m still very proud of us and I don’t know what else to say other than positive feelings.