Amy Lee

Early life and musical start

Amy Lee was born on December 13, 1981, in Riverside, California, to parents John Lee, who worked as a disc jockey and voice-over artist, and Sara Cargill. The oldest of five siblings, Lee has two living sisters. She had a younger sister who died at age three from an unidentified illness when Lee was six years old, and a younger brother who died in 2018 at age 24 after struggling with severe epilepsy for most of his life. Lee said that when her little sister died, her "whole perception of life changed", and it influenced her rumination on death. She wrote the songs "Hello" from Fallen and "Like You" from The Open Door for her late sister. After her sister's death, Lee did not allow herself "a lot of outward grief" to protect her parents' emotions. She spent time by herself creating, which became a self-soothing medium.

Lee discovered a passion for the piano in early childhood, wanting to play the instrument at age six after hearing her mother play. Classical music was her first musical influence as a child, inspiring her to become a musician and composer. She was first inspired by Mozart when she watched the 1984 film Amadeus at eight years old. Beethoven was another early classical inspiration, as well as Danny Elfman and Hans Zimmer's film scores. She wanted to take piano lessons, and studied classical piano for nine years. Lee considers the Lacrimosa movement of Mozart's Requiem her favorite piece of music, and wove it into The Open Door song "Lacrymosa".

Lee began writing poetry about eternity and loneliness at age 10. Her mother had expressed concern about her writing, suggesting she see a therapist. Lee thought about taking antidepressants at the time but chose not to as she felt it would take her "soul away" and she "wouldn't be able to feel anything." One of the first songs she remembered writing was an instrumental piece called "Eternity of the Remorse", writing the sheet music when she was 11. Her first song with lyrics was called "A Single Tear", which she wrote for an eighth-grade assignment, recording it on a cassette tape and playing guitar while her friend from choir did backup vocals.

During her pre-teen years, Lee's family moved to many places, including West Palm Beach, Florida, and Rockford, Illinois, eventually settling in Little Rock, Arkansas. When her family moved to Little Rock, Lee had a lot of pent-up "negativity". In Little Rock, she attended Pulaski Academy, a private college preparatory school, starting in junior high. She described the school as a "weird fit" for her, where she was a loner for a while, and experienced bullying for dressing differently, which she would later embrace during high school. Lee found solace in writing, and joining the school choir helped her slowly gain confidence in her voice. She was in the alto section of her choir. Lee was initially insecure as a singer, and only used singing as a vehicle for her writing. A self-described "choir nerd", she became president of her high school's choir, and wrote a choir piece called "Listen to the Rain", which the choir teacher liked and asked her to direct. The piece was performed by the choir in graduation.

Career

1994–present: Evanescence

In 1994, Lee played Moody a cassette tape of her playing guitar and singing a song she wrote and the two began working on music at Lee's home. They were soon performing acoustic sets at bookstores and coffee houses in Little Rock and co-founded Evanescence. What made Lee want to start Evanescence was "the idea of combinations that were unlikely". Lee wanted to combine her various musical tastes, "bringing something from the cinematic and classical symphonic world and marrying it to metal, hard rock and alternative music." "There was all this music that was inspiring me. And Evanescence was the product of these two extremes combining". The duo independently recorded two EPs: Evanescence EP (1998) and Sound Asleep EP (1999). Their demos got them airplay on the local modern rock station in Little Rock and helped them develop a local fanbase. Although Lee and Moody performed live with guest musicians, Evanescence remained a duo. After graduating high school, Lee attended Middle Tennessee State University to study music theory and composition for film scoring, but left after a semester to solely focus on Evanescence. They packaged a demo CD, Origin (2000), to showcase to record labels.

Evanescence was signed by Wind Up Records in 2001, and moved to Los Angeles, where they completed their debut album, Fallen (2003). Most of Lee's writing on Fallen was driven by her mindset during a relationship she was in with an abusive man. Some of the songs on the album were composed by Lee and Moody when they were young teens, including three songs originally from their earlier independent records. Lee and Moody said they did not consider their music to be "goth" or nu metal. In October 2003, Moody left the band in the middle of the Fallen tour, citing "creative differences". Lee said it was a relief that he left because of tensions created within the band. "It was a really uncomfortable situation for everybody ... completely unstable and unhappy. ... I was afraid everything we worked for had the potential of going down the toilet." Tour guitarist John LeCompt commented in 2006 that Lee "gained authority as soon as Ben Moody walked out the door. They had an equal partnership, but he was the man, he had to strangle the band, all the life out of it". In Lee's termination letter to Evanescence's manager, she stated that Moody was physically and verbally abusive to her. With Moody gone, "a weight had been lifted".

Lee's creative disagreements with Moody included his strict approach to songwriting and focus on commerciality; he would "always be corralling" her ideas, and wanting to push the band in a more commercial, pop direction, and his influences were "a lot different" than hers. "A lot of the reason it's been so much fun writing [post-Moody] is that we're not thinking about that. It's like, 'What do we like? What's fun?'", and there is "no pressure of wanting to rule the world", Lee explained. In 2005, Moody conceded that they had different approaches: "[Amy] is much more creative than I am ... I am a bit more commercial minded ... she is more educated musically, and she wanted to explore that. ... I think in my immaturity at the time, I did that in just a way-too-controlling manner — it was like my way or the highway. We just couldn't meet in the middle, so I was like, 'The hell with it.'"

2000–present: Solo work

Lee performed backup vocals for "Missing You", a song on Big Dismal's 2003 debut album Believe, and sang backup vocals on two songs with supergroup The Damning Well, though her vocals were taken off the final release due to record label issues. Lee later performed a duet with her then-boyfriend Shaun Morgan on the track "Broken" for Seether's 2004 album Disclaimer II. The song is in the soundtrack for the 2004 film The Punisher.

In 2004, Lee said she was working on music for The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, but that the music was rejected by the studio for being "too dark". The producers of Narnia then stated that Evanescence music was never planned for the soundtrack. Lee said that she used part of the instrumental she wrote to segue into the last track of the album, "Good Enough".

Lee became the American chairperson for Out of the Shadows in 2006. This organization is an international foundation with the goal of providing education about epilepsy. Lee's younger brother, Robby, was previously diagnosed with this condition. The singer also made a brief guest appearance in the music video for Johnny Cash's "God's Gonna Cut You Down" in late 2006. As each celebrity featured in the shoot was allowed to choose what they would be doing for the video, Lee chose to appear laying flowers on a grave. Her scene was recorded at Trinity Church in Manhattan, during which she wore a black velvet coat that previously belonged to Tim Burton.

In February 2007, Lee performed with Korn on their song "Freak on a Leash" for MTV Unplugged: Korn. The song was also released as the first single from the album. In November 2007, VH1 produced a mockumentary in the style of Behind the Music, titled Rock Band Cometh: The Rock Band Band Story, to promote the video game Rock Band. She is one of the celebrity cameos featured on the show.

In June 2008, the National Music Publishers Association presented Lee with their 2008 Songwriter Icon Award, which "recognizes outstanding songwriters for their personal achievement".

For Walt Disney Records' September 2008 release of Nightmare Revisited, Lee covered "Sally's Song". The album contains new material and covers of songs from the original Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack. Lee performed live renditions of "Sally's Song" during the October 17 Nightmare Before Christmas re-release premiere in Hollywood, and for an October 13 appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

Artistry

Songwriting

Lee is a singer-songwriter and classically-trained pianist. As its main songwriter, Lee infused her love of sonic contrasts and various genres in Evanescence. She described her natural writing process as being "shut in" in isolation. She prefers the feeling of a "clean slate" before she starts writing music, not setting a plan and "going with the flow of inspiration". "An idea can come from anywhere—and oftentimes doesn't feel like I'm setting out to make some epic song." Writing primarily with keyboards and music software, Lee has also engineered, programmed, mixed, and produced music. When demoing, Lee would layer chord progressions and sound effects, including piano, electronic sounds and drum loops. A multi-instrumentalist, she plays and has written with other instruments such as organ, harp, and guitar. She generally writes lyrics last, working on music and sounds first before completing melodic ideas and realizing what she feels inspired to write about; often a mood she develops sonically informs her lyrically. Lee said that she rarely starts writing with a specific intention, and discerns what she wants to express after stream of consciousness writing, which she later hones in on lyrically.

Lee regarded the process of creation and expressing herself through the arts as emancipation for herself, a cathartic outlet through which she could pour various emotions and process difficult experiences. For her, writing has to come from an honest place and an internal need to create. Her experience with death and grief as child influenced her perspective and creative work, including her music, lyrics, and drawings. "I spent a lot of time being creative by myself because I was trying to express something that I couldn't say ... trying to paint a picture of the inside". Later in her teen years, her struggle with abuse she experienced also informed much of her writing. She attributed the dramatic sounds she developed in Evanescence to her desire to channel her biggest emotions through music. In 2007, she stated that it was recently that she could start drawing "from all emotions to make music, not just the painful ones." Lee did not view her music and lyrics as morose, stating that, while some of her experiences reflected such emotions in the music, it came "from the perspective of somebody who wants to live, wants to be happy and wants to love life".

Lee often writes songs that relate to several things, remarking that her feelings are "complicated, all the time. It's never just one thing. Hardly ever, do I just feel happy or just feel sad. It's always a weird combination of things that make no sense, and that's how I write my music." Her thematic inspirations largely come from "an internal place ... perception and reactions to the events of my life but also to the outside world." Some of her writing has been inspired by her "vivid" dreams, and the idea of life after death. Some lyrics are also her talking to herself while trying to navigate situations. Lee is also lyrically inspired by stories of courage, people overcoming struggles and "stepping forward after they’ve been through something major." Over time, Lee became more outspoken in her lyrics. Topics she has written about in Evanescence include: loss, abuse, fears, numbness, harassment, solitude, artifice, relationship dynamic, sorrow, relationship with music, aimlessness, contentment, mental health, defiance, indulgence, longing, nature, dreams, the music industry, identity, autonomy, disillusionment, speaking up, social issues, illusions, spiritual uncertainty, perseverance, and solidarity.

Voice

Lee sings in a mezzo-soprano register. The Boston Globe has described her voice as an "ethereal soprano" in a review of "Going Under", highlighting her ability to move with power and brightness through upper registers.

Musical influences

Lee has cited influence from composers such as Mozart, Danny Elfman, and Hans Zimmer, and artists like Björk, Portishead, Massive Attack, Korn, Nine Inch Nails, Tori Amos, Radiohead, Shirley Manson and Garbage, Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pantera, Depeche Mode, Rob Zombie, White Zombie, The Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam, Metallica, Joan Jett, and A Perfect Circle.

Style and imagery

Lee has a recognizable fashion style, marked by her taste for Victorian-styled clothing and occasional use of gothic make-up. She has been labelled a "gothic rock superstar" and a "style icon". Her image was described as "independent and self-assured".

Lee designs many of her own clothes, including those worn in the music video for "Going Under", the dress worn for the cover of The Open Door and the dress she wore to the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in 2011. After she designed the dress she wore at the 2004 Grammy Awards, she chose Japanese designer H. Naoto to make it for her. In 2003, Lee said she wears "lots of funky stuff onstage", and likes to "mix it up" with "two basic elements ... rock, metal and chains and stuff, mixed with fairies and Victorian clothing, fantasy".

Lee explained and showcased some of her wardrobes in 2011, commenting that she would rather make her own clothes because it is hard to find exactly what she wants elsewhere. She likes "asymmetrical things" and "a little bit of chaos" in her outfits, and "when it comes to the band, I want to dress to fit the music." Lee said she used to wear corsets more often in the early years when she wasn't as confident on stage, and it wasn't about "goth" but more about making her feel like "you're about to ride a rollercoaster and you're strapped in and not going to fall out."

Lee also guided Evanescence imagery since its start, including the title theme, videos, and album artwork.

In 2006, Blender listed Lee as one of the hottest women in rock alongside such singers as Joan Jett, Courtney Love and Liz Phair. In 2013, Lee ranked first in NME.com's "Hottest Women in Music" award.

Personal life

Lee was in a relationship with Seether's singer Shaun Morgan from 2003 to 2005. In May 2007, Lee married therapist Josh Hartzler. The couple's child, a son, was born in July 2014.

Lee said that she has never been formally religious but considers herself a Christian. She said that Evanescence was not a Christian band and did not have any religious affiliation.

Lee has spoken about mental health and stated that she has experienced anxiety and depression from an early age. She considered her creative process to be a self-soothing activity.

Discography

Aftermath (2014)

Recover, Vol. 1 (2016)

Dream Too Much (2016)

Filmography

I Love the New Millennium (herself)

VH1's 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs (herself)

Metalocalypse: Army of the Doomstar (voice)