Point highlighted by the vocalist is not directly related to the song, but it makes the scenario better to work in
Rock fan who has never come across the speech “it was really good in the past” You are probably having an isolated experience with the musical style. This does not mean, however, that everything made in the genre today is inferior to what was available before.
One aspect in particular of rock’s inner workings has evolved, in the opinion of Courtney LaPlante: the greater presence of women in the scene. The vocalist of Spiritboxone of the most popular metal bands today, addressed the topic in an interview with the program Allison Hagendorf Show (via Blabbermouth).
The topic started when the presenter asked LaPlante about the changes, specifically in hard rock and heavy metal, in the last 15 years. Before forming Spiritbox in 2016, Courtney and guitarist Mike Stringeralso her husband, took part in other projects, such as the Iwrestledabearonce.
The singer, at first, responded:
“When I started, I didn’t notice the fact that there are a lot of women behind the scenes now, compared to when I started and participated in Warped Tour in 2012 [como vocalista do Iwrestledabearonce]. It was very interesting for me, because sometimes I feel like it’s very difficult for people to have empathy outside of the group they’re in — or rather, they’ve never been taught that they need to do that. Women, in order to adapt, need to have empathy with the standard, because we are not the standard, which is very strange because we are 50% of the population.”
Still according to Courtney, the female presence in the heavy music “industry” is not limited to singers and instrumentalists. There are more advisors, businesswomen, producers and other professionals in general. This is a scenario that is also repeated in other styles.
“Other industries now have a lot more women in them. If you look at the pop world, there has always been a dominance of women. Now, the rap world is dominated by women, which is really cool. This is something that has changed a lot.”
Finally, LaPlante highlighted:
“If you have people who are more likely to empathize with you, they are more likely to be able to advocate for you. I also surround myself with amazing men, but there’s something like a nod of understanding between two people, even before they meet, that they’ve both probably had similar experiences.”
Female presence at the Metal Grammys
For the second time, Spiritbox was nominated for Grammy of Best Metal Performance. In 2024, the band competed for the award with the song “Jaded”losing to “72 Seasons”title track from the new album by Metallica. Next year, the dispute will be with “Cellar Door”against “Mea Culpa (Ah! Ça Ira!)” (Gojira with Marina Viotti and Victor Le Manse), “Crown of Horns” (Judas Priest), “Screaming Suicide” (Metallica) and “Suffocate” (Knocked Loose with Poppy)..
In an interview with Rolling Stone BrazilCourtney LaPlante not only celebrated the nomination as an individual achievement, but also praised two other pieces of information. In addition to it being rare to have more than one young artist compete, no woman has won the Best Metal Performance trophy since the category’s creation, under a different name, in 1989 (with the inaugural awards ceremony taking place the following year). This time, there are three chances for a female to gain maximum recognition, given the appearances of opera singer Marina Viotti in Gojira’s recording for the Olympics and Poppy as a guest artist on Knocked Loose.
She states:
“If we don’t win, I would love for them to win. This award came the year I was born, 1989. There was a year when Lzzy Hale and the Halestorm won, but in that period when it was called Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance (in 2013). No woman has won the Grammy for Best Metal Performance since it was created in 1989. I think about it every year. I’m almost 36 years old and a woman has never won. There are now more chances than ever for a woman to win. I hope we win, I hope Knocked Loose and Poppy win, or, if Gojira wins, there’s a woman who’s an opera singer. That’s three out of five chances to break that glass barrier.”
Bring Me The Horizon becomes the most streamed rock band in the world
Source: Rollingstone
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
