In an appearance on Cutter's Rockcast Evanescence vocalist Amy Lee spoke about her musical inspirations and the names that motivated her to front her own hard rock band.
The singer stated that at the time she didn't think about genre when choosing her favorites, but that she thinks it's great that this is being discussed nowadays. "I was very inspired by Nirvana , but not so much the rock part, more the alternative world of music," she commented. " Björk has been my number one since I saw 'Human Behavior' on TV when I was 12 or 13 years old. I remember thinking 'I'm obsessed with you now.'"
Amy Lee also cited other inspirations, such as Soundgarden , Metallica , Smashing Pumpkins , and Garbage , stating that the “authenticity and originality” of these artists was something she aimed for. “Before we got a record deal, when we were still kids starting a band, I thought it was great [to be a girl] because I could do things that boys couldn’t,” she says. “I could hit notes they couldn’t, and I could play in different tunings. I just felt that the timbre of my voice was a bonus, and also the fact that it contrasted.”
“I love contrast in music,” she continued. “I love when you can put something very dark next to something very light, or something very heavy next to something very beautiful. And having a voice that allows me to show my femininity and contrast it with quite a bit of aggression in the band, for me, was a fun idea. I felt good about it, and it was something I thought was kind of unique at the time.”
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