Emily. Amy Lee, Evanescence group: biography, personal life, creativity

“Music is one of the most important things in my life. I firmly believe that creativity is the best therapy for your soul, which is why I encourage my fans to be creative. When you create something, this is real life. And when you create something as real as music, you feel worthy, fulfilled.”

Personality, energy, creativity

Insanely talented, exuding megahertz of her frantic energy, from which fans go into ecstasy at concerts, a girl of unusual beauty - this is all about the permanent vocalist of the Evanescence band, Amy Lee ...

The essence of the music of Evanescence and its vocalist Amy lies in the fine line between melodic piano overflows and a sharp transition to resonating guitar basses. Aggressive playing of the band, accompanied by Amy's strong and passionate vocals, combined with deep lyrics, imbued with the struggle in inner world man, make the group unique and recognizable by listeners around the globe.

This woman really deserves to be called the owner great soul. Behind the stereotype, the icon of rock music, the goddess of powerful vocals and gothic images, the idol of millions of teenagers, stands a tender, clever woman who made a fortune out of her talent. However, fans love her precisely because, without going into commercialism, Amy remains true to her principles and her soul, remaining primarily a musician, and secondarily a business woman. She is so unique that her name is already written in the history of modern music.

Amy Lee's childhood was by no means calm - the family constantly moved from their native Little Rock (Little Rock, Arkansas) in California to Florida or Illinois, a noisy family with five children, early death her sisters Bonnie at the age of three unknown disease- all this influenced the development of little Amy. However musical family helped her to start realizing all her talents since early childhood, and the music consumed Li's entire being. Already at the age of three, she began to learn to play the piano and did this for nine years. In parallel, her father, John Lee (John Lee), a DJ on the radio, taught her to play the guitar. Amy never took professional vocal lessons, unlike piano lessons.

In the end, the Lee family settled in their native Little Rock, where the band Evanescence was founded. After graduating from Pulaski Academy (a monastery Baptist school) in 2000, Amy entered Middle Tennessee State University. She loved studying, especially since she was always interested in art, which was what her former school specialized in.

Throughout Amy's work and lyrics, there is a longing for her dead sister. The touching song “Hello” from the album “Fallen” is dedicated to this event in her life.

According to Lee, the first songs she wrote herself at age 11 were called "Eternity of the Remorse" and "A Single Tear". At one time she dreamed of being classical composer. But over time, having met like-minded people on future group, she felt drawn to heavier music.

naked soul

In this person, first of all, she admires how far she is from the bustle of show business, especially now, having become a person of world fame, the fire of the soul, humanity, kindness, and lust for life still burns in her eyes. Amy Lee fans love her not only for her powerful music, but also for her views on show business. Namely: Lee does not hit into commerce, does not think only about how to make money from his talent. She simply does her favorite thing, not getting lost in the turmoil of the modern rhythm of life, where everyone, trying to earn as much as possible, forgets about why he started making music at all.

For example, in music video In the video for "Everybodys Fool", Amy wanted to show that most celebrities, by using sexual imagery, are just selling their "lies" to the masses. Amy refuses to compete with her colleagues in the use of sexuality in music, leaving only a naked soul on stage.

Hobbies

Most of the sketches for the concert costumes Lee does on his own. Usually she wears corsets, nets, long skirts and leather boots. Amy's lack of style can be seen by looking at some shapeless outfits. However, what is a sense of style compared to devotion to her views, the uniqueness of the image and the way she presents herself? It is impossible not to fall in love with a person who loves his job so much, and who has such boundless charm and talent to captivate the audience at concerts, once having become a witness to all this.

In addition to his main occupation - working with a group, Lee has other hobbies. Few people know that she is fond of painting. According to the singer, her whole house is lined with paintings in the spirit of fantasy or abstractionism, but so far she has not thought of exhibiting them to the public. However, he does not give up the idea of ​​​​realizing this in the future by organizing an art show.

Out of the Shadows

Amy Lee is the founder and regular sponsor international fund support for people with epilepsy, including Out of the Shadows. At younger brother Lee, Robbie, was diagnosed with this disease, which prompted Amy to do charity work. Out of the Shadows is committed to spreading knowledge about the disease of epilepsy, to convey to people as much information as possible about it, and to eliminate prejudice against people with this disease.

On the official website of the Out of the Shadows Foundation, on behalf of Amy, the following is written:

“I love my job, and I'm glad that my music resonates in the hearts of people. I only write songs about what I have experienced in life, and if my fans really appreciate my work, then it was all worth it. But don't forget that I... a common person. I don't have extraordinary powers. All of us ordinary people We live and are part of each other's lives. And this applies to people with epilepsy, including. When you look at me behind the scenes, you won't be able to tell me apart from other people. The same is true for patients with epilepsy. When you see them outside of their attacks, they act and live like we do - they are also part of our life, and we are part of them.

Amy Lee claims that epilepsy attacks can be alleviated with the help of Mozart's music. It was he who was chosen from six proposed composers such as Joseph Haydn and Franz Liszt to conduct experiments. Although music has not been proven to lead to a complete cure for the disease, there are obvious improvements in the state of seizures. In 2002, in the April issue of the journal Epilepsy & Behavior, it was stated that when listening to Mozart, the signs of an attack alleviated.

At the end of the article, here are Amy's words, which have, perhaps, the most positive and creative message to all her fans, and to every person, regardless of musical, social, racial, religious and any other conditional affiliations:

“Music is one of the most important things in my life. She helps me with everything. She helps me to be understood. She makes me cry, angry, happy, anything. I firmly believe that creativity is the best therapy for your soul, which is why I encourage my fans to be creative. When you create something, for example, music, this is real life. And when you create something so real, you feel like a truly worthy, realized person "...

Where was Amy Lee? She enjoyed life with her husband, friends, did cooking, learned to play the harp and found time for herself. Behind the stereotype, the icon of rock music, the heroine gothic image- stands a vulnerable, a little strange, but smart woman who has made a fortune out of her talent. At the same time, Amy does not fall into commercialism. After all, her priority is music, in which there is a meaning ...

“Music is one of the most important things in my life. I firmly believe that creativity is the best therapy for your soul ... "

Amy cannot boast of cloudless happy childhood. Constant moving, the early death of her sister Bonnie ... All this one way or another later reflected on Amy's work.

“I have always been a drama queen. I remember that as a child I played dead often and wanted my mother to believe it and call the police. But she never believed, and I was very upset and cried.

“I cry a lot. I don't know how, but it helps me. I cry for bad things and for good things. Sometimes sadness can be beautiful…”

But the musical family helped her realize all her talents from early childhood. Already at the age of three, she began to learn to play the piano and did this for nine years. In parallel, her father taught her to play the guitar. In the end, the Lee family settled in their native Little Rock, where the band Evanescence was founded.

At one time she dreamed of being a classical composer. But over time, having met like-minded people in the future group, she felt a craving for heavier music.

“If we sang about how happy we are, we would just be fooling ourselves. People try to get away from problems by taking drugs, getting drunk, going to parties and discos. What really helps me is to sit down and think it over, face the fact, only then can you solve your problems and be happy.”

“Many fans often tell me, “This song changed my life. What made you write it?" or "This song saved me from a divorce." Such words cannot but rejoice!

Amy Lee is still working in the band Evanescence. But with Ben Moody, with whom they started together, the relationship did not work out. The reasons for this are different - from personal disagreements to creative ones. Maybe it was just jealousy...

"Our former guitarist Ben Moody was always offended that people paid more attention to me than to him. They even threw more bras at the concert!”

Lee makes most of his concert costumes himself. She usually wears corsets, nets, long skirts and leather boots to perform. Although sometimes you might think that Amy has no sense of style. But she had a certain image.

“People tell me that I can't dress like a fairy. And I usually say, I'm in a rock band, I can do whatever I want!

“In my clothes I like to mix several styles: something from rock, like chains, metal and stuff and things from Victorian era and fairy tales. I'm just using my imagination"

Creative individuals can be very far from such things as fashion, style, general beauty standards. About Amy herself, rarely anyone will say that she is beautiful. And you can't call her slim either. But Amy doesn't seem to care.

“I don’t see anything sexual in people who have one skin and bones. They'd better not wear tight clothes."

Brian Molko and Amy:

Vanessa Hudgens and Amy Lee:

Another unexpected photo — Justin Timberlake and Amy Lee:

Amy and Kelly Osbourne:

In addition to music, Lee has other hobbies. For example, she is fond of painting. According to the singer, her whole house is lined with paintings in the spirit of fantasy or abstract art, but so far she has not thought to put them on public display.

Now, after a long break due to marriage (her husband was Josh Harzler), Amy Lee is back to work. Last fall, an album was released that Amy is very proud of.

Amy Lee wrote her first song at the age of 6 and dedicated it to her younger sister Boni, who died of an unknown illness at the age of three. Now Amy Lee's work is not limited to just writing and performing her songs. She also writes music for films, takes part in in large numbers varied projects.

Amy Lynn Lee, lead singer of the group "Evanescence" (which means "disappearance" in English), was born on 12/13/1981 in the state of California, in the city of Riverside. Amy studied for about 15 years at music school. The future singer was very fond of studying. At an artistic school, Amy even led the school choir. She became a professional pianist and also mastered the skills of playing the guitar, which she acquired thanks to her father, John Lee, a well-known radio DJ in Little Rock.

Since childhood, Amy Lee dreamed of becoming an actress and attended a circle acting skills, participated in school plays. She recalls how, smeared with lipstick, she pretended to be dead, lying on the floor. But the parents just laughed. Amy studied at the Pulaski Academy until 2000. After graduation, she moves to Los Angeles.

Amy Lee wrote her first song at the age of 6 and dedicated it to her younger sister Boni, who died of an unknown illness at the age of three. Now Amy Lee's work is not limited to just writing and performing her songs. She also writes music for films and takes part in a wide variety of projects.

Back in the years of study future singer was very dissatisfied with her appearance - the color of her hair, eyes, cute features of her face (dimples, plump cheeks), so she always tried to change them: with the help of white makeup, black hair dye and blue lenses. Amy Lee approaches the choice of clothes without much enthusiasm and considers it unacceptable to give a lot of money for her. That is why most of the things from her wardrobe are purchased in second-hand stores. But Amy gives each item its own uniqueness with the help of pins, scissors and other auxiliary items. However, for clips, the singer most often purchases clothes to order, which, nevertheless, affects her budget.

As for Amy Lee's personal life, we can say that the imprint of the singer's work can be traced in her. One of her novels spun precisely thanks to her talent as a pianist. IN adolescence Amy met a guy named Ben Moody, who marveled at her piano playing. Their subsequent romance turned into creative union. In 2003, Amy met Seether's Sean Morgan, with whom she sang "Broken". Their romance lasted two years.

On January 5, 2005, after a concert in Washington, DC, singer Amy Lee attempted suicide by taking an overdose of sleeping pills. But she was saved. She did not explain the reason for her action. Amy Lynn Lee - talented singer with their weaknesses, preferences, likes and dislikes. She loves chocolate with coconut, driving, old movies; hates fast food, politics and, especially, "pop music". The life motto of the singer is “Expect the unexpected!”, and life philosophy- "Love yourself."

AMY LYNN LEE: she couldn't burn the paradise, "cause she"s a Goddess

While Evanescence is suing their former label Wind Up Records (due to the fact that they did not promote their last album enough, and owe money for copyrights - ~*Ev-Com*~ approx.), the band's lead singer Amy Lee is busy recording the soundtrack for the soon-to-be-released independent film "War Story".

She told MTV News that most of the film's scores are atmospheric compositions, as she and composer Dave Eggar aimed to create "walls of sound... roaring violins, trumpets and keyboards... lots of ominous melodies." But the film's track will also include one of her new songs, an electronic track called "Push The Button", and that's far from the only thing Amy has been working on in recent months.

Any Evanescence fan will definitely know that late last year at the Wellspring House charity show, Amy Lee performed "Find a Way" for the first time, and the recording of the performance has been circulating on Youtube ever since.

This song was the first new material that Amy's fans have been able to hear since the release of the band's self-titled album in 2011. Lee is confident that fans' interest in new songs has reached its peak. Therefore, she, a well-known perfectionist, during our interview considered it necessary to emphasize that the song is not called "I" ll Find a Way "(" It's only up to me, "- laughs Amy). Amy is not worried that so far the song exists only in low quality She wants you to know that the real version of the song is much, much better.

“I originally wrote it for another movie and I really like it. It's a really cool song, it's epic,” says Amy. “The acoustic version we recorded doesn't showcase the whole idea of ​​the song, but I think it's beautiful and I was thrilled to be able to sing it to my friends at a Wellspring concert, which had a real homely atmosphere. I was amazed at the reaction of Youtube users.”

So when, if ever, will we hear the "epic" version of this song? This good question, and it's one of those that Amy doesn't have an answer for. IN this moment, she's focused on continuing to work on soundtracks with Eggar and doing some chamber gigs like Wellspring where she'll share the stage with close friends.

Which means if you're waiting for Evanescence news, here it is:
“We are now minding our own business,” says Amy. “I was really inspired to work on the Wellspring House concert with Paula Cole. We prepared a whole show that made me leave my comfort zone, six covers, and they were all unusual for me. But in my heart it reminded me of how, as a child, we played together with dad in the living room, performing Beatles songs, Carole King and Neil Young. It was liberating and it was fun."

This year, the legends of modern rock music returned to touring activities - american group Evanescence led by permanent frontwoman Amy Lee. The band's last album at the moment was released in 2011, and immediately after the world tour, the musicians went on a long break and everyone took up solo projects. And after 6 years, the Grammy statuette winners and performers of the hits “Bring Me To Life”, “My Immortal” and many others are back in the ranks! With the renewed line-up, Evanescence embarked on a massive European tour, performing for the first time in five years in Moscow and St. Petersburg in June. This spring, Amy Lee announced that she had already started writing new material for the long awaited fourth album Evanescence, but impatient fans will have to wait: The musicians are currently recording an experimental project for Evanescence - the album "Synthesis", which will consist of two new songs and selected tracks from all three records, which will be re-recorded with a live orchestra and elements electronic music. In the fall, Evanescence will go on tour with an orchestra. In the meantime, we invite you to check out Amy Lee's latest interview with NYLON magazine, in which the singer-songwriter-songwriter talks about big comeback Evanescence on new album and debut 'Fallen'.

What are you most proud of in your career?

I'm proud of the group we've become. When we first started, I was just learning how to write music and perform on stage, learning what our sound would be like. In the 22 years since Evanescence was founded, I have grown as a musician and performer. As a group, we have grown and become a powerful and strong team. I like the way we sound live when we perform. I'm proud of the music we're making now. And I'm proud of the musicians who surround me now.

Which of your personal qualities are you most proud of?

— The fact that I'm not afraid to try something new, to break my own rules. Inventing, changing internally and staying inspired.

We are currently working on a special album called "Synthesis". We carefully selected songs from each of our albums and re-recorded them with a full orchestra and in electronic sound, we also added two completely new songs, various inserts and intros. Synthesis and organics, pain and beauty, past and present. It will be very cool! David Campbell (string arranger for all three Evanescence records) plunged headlong into the process, creating some of the most beautiful versions these songs you've ever heard. He was really able to connect beats and arrangements with our ideas with Wil Hunt (producer). It was so inspiring and collaborative! We will release an album and go on tour with the orchestra in the fall.

It seems the world needs rock music again. Do you feel pressured by the status quo of Evanescence, or do you feel free to take the band in new directions?

— I always want to feel free, follow my heart and flow of inspiration. When we write, we put all expectations and pressure out of our heads. It just gets in the way. It doesn't matter what people expect or even demand, I have to do what I think is creatively right. This is what I did when no one knew about us. We wrote the music we love. I see no good in betraying these principles. I need to write music that I love and for which I exist, and everything else will come.

How has it changed your attitude to your debut album"Fallen" so many years after its release?

“Over the years, my outlook has changed somewhat. I have experienced a lot, learned a lot. I became less afraid, began to treat myself kinder. Now I see and understand much more than before: the similarity between us, in the soul. Now I see less anger in people and more pain. It changes my attitude towards some old texts. But it's still a living part of me, more so than ever, because we have this history: Fallen, the fans, the band and me.

What advice would you give to aspiring musicians in writing music?

Just do your best to create your favorite music. We are not so different, someone will definitely like it. And if not, then remember that you did not try in vain - you are the one who will live with her for the rest of your life.