EVANESCENCE's AMY LEE: 'It's A Beautiful Thing To Be Able To Bring Big Groups Of People Together To Feel Something Real'

At this year's Sick New World Texas festival in Fort Worth, Texas, EVANESCENCE's Amy Lee spoke to Rock 100.5 The KATT FM's Cameron Buchholtz about the band's renewed popularity following the release of EVANESCENCE's latest album, "Sanctuary", which came out in June. The singer said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's been a really inspired time. The past few years really have just been like this fire was lit. And I don't know — everything kind of is at the right time for us. In my heart, [I] just [have] a lot to say about the state of the world, and I feel like rock is the place for that. I mean, my rage has gotta go somewhere. So there's all of that. But the band's in a great place, and we're really like leaning into the support system that we have with each other. And when we get together, it's just a really beautiful and powerful thing to be able to bring big groups of people together to feel something real. So we've just been going for it."

She continued: "I'm feeling more YOLO [acronym meaning 'you only live once'] than ever at this time in my life, so we're just putting absolutely everything into this music. And now that the record's out and it's doing great — we're so happy with how it's been received — we're just putting everything into the rest of it, like make the raddest production that we've ever had. Go for the pyro. Make a killer music video. Do another one. We're just on a roll. So we're just making our own space."

After Buchholtz noted that "everything is kind of on an upswing right now", not just with EVANESCENCE, but with rock music in general, Amy concurred. "It feels that way. Yeah, it does," she said. "And, of course, there have to be ups and downs. When we started out, it was a lot right away. Obviously our first album was 'Fallen' and everything with [the mega hit song] 'Bring Me To Life' and all that. But it was so, like — I don't know. I couldn't appreciate that then the way that I appreciate it now, for a million different reasons. But it's a really cool thing to have sort of this moment of resurgence with our fans and a place for people to have sanctuary in music. And that's what things like this festival are too. We all just need to get together and scream. It's right. It's righteous. It's where we feel our power as human beings. It's in the soul. And so it's a beautiful thing."

"Sanctuary" is available as a digital album, standard CD, deluxe CD and limited-edition box set. A double vinyl of the album was released on September 4. The deluxe CD is exclusive to the EVANESCENCE store and includes a Blu-ray that contains a "Live In São Paulo" concert, documentary from EVANESCENCE's 2023 South America tour and a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the "Who Will You Follow" video. The deluxe vinyl is also a webstore exclusive.

This past September, EVANESCENCE released the official music video for "Tell Me When You've Had Enough". The clip was directed by Eric Richter and filmed during the band's recent North American leg of its 2026 world tour. The track is for anyone who's sick of being controlled and manipulated. It questions how much we're willing to sacrifice to stay on the path of least resistance, when really it's time to resist. It was co-written and produced by Zakk Cervini (BAD OMENS, Yungblud, BRING ME THE HORIZON, SPIRITBOX) and Jordan Fish (BRING ME THE HORIZON, Poppy, HOUSE OF PROTECTION, ARCHITECTS).

EVANESCENCE's previous single, "Who Will You Follow", became the fastest-moving rock radio single of the band's career to date, entering the Top 10 at U.S. rock radio in under four weeks and ultimately reaching No. 1 on Billboard's U.S. and Canadian Mainstream Rock charts, the Billboard Rock & Alternative chart and earning the band its first-ever No. 1 on Billboard's Hard Rock chart. Meanwhile, the single "Bring Me To Life" recently earned diamond certification from the RIAA and is only the 14th song in history to achieve diamond certification from a diamond album.

On the recent North American leg of the 2026 world tour, EVANESCENCE partnered with PLUS1 to help expand access to critical health resources and support for people and communities across North America. Together, the tour generated nearly a quarter million dollars for Direct Relief and Help Hope Live — supporting Direct Relief's work to improve the health and lives of people affected by poverty or emergencies, and Help Hope Live's work helping people and families facing unmet medical expenses and related costs.