Spiritbox singer Courtney LaPlante wrote an article for Kerrang! which deals with gender equality in the world of Metal & Rock music, and the challenges women face in this traditionally male dominated genre.
Posted yesterday, March 8, to celebrate International Women’s Day, the article also contains her thoughts on feminism, among others. She said in part:
“Choose to challenge”. My first thoughts are a little cynical: “Choose” is an interesting verb to use. Challenging the status quo doesn’t really seem like an inherent action in my job, but I feel like existing in the heavy music world I have no choice. to do. My very existence makes a lot of people uncomfortable, and often people avoid or despise what makes them uncomfortable.
She continued:
Sometimes I feel like an intruder in a world where my presence forces others to reassess their lack of empathy for women. Sometimes I feel like my position in this musical world is that I’m in a band with other men, which validates me and shows other men that they can listen to my music and feel good. identify there. Sometimes I use my voice to express my disagreement, and that creates a lot of tension in the ecosystem of a tour. Someday I know I’m going to have to give up a tour because I wouldn’t feel safe with a peer of mine. Someday, I’ll have to justify why I chose to wear a short skirt on stage. It’s a strange feeling to see its existence – or the way you choose to present it – become inherently political.
She added:
Whether I’m female or male, all of these labels are subject to a higher level of criticism than my male counterparts. I could complain about it for a few thousand pages. It’s exhausting. I believe this is typical of any male dominated industry. I did not sign up to do “identity politics”, but I have no choice. I am not the one who sets the rules of the game. I prefer to speak of “reality” rather than identity politics. Things are changing, but I think the choice to challenge is much more difficult than it seems …
Moreover, quite recently, Spiritbox has finished recording their debut album. This opus is scheduled for 2021, although the exact details are currently kept under wraps.
Courtney LaPlante told Metal Hammer about their plans for the record last December:
We’re going to release a full album. This means that we don’t need to make every song we create sound like a single; we can experiment more and have more fun exploring different song structures. I have a feeling that over the past couple of years everyone in the band has decided to have fun with the creative process.
Spiritbox – Holy Roller :
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