EVANESCENCE's AMY LEE Says 'Constant Bad News' Is 'Exhausting' But The Solution Isn't Just Running Away From It

In a new interview with LA Lloyd, the nationally syndicated radio host for the "LA Lloyd Rock 30", EVANESCENCE frontwoman Amy Lee spoke about the band's recently released single, "Who Will You Follow". The track 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) and serves as a preview for EVANESCENCE's upcoming album "Sanctuary", due on June 5. Asked if the lyrical inspiration for "Who Will You Follow" is "the danger of influence itself" or if she is talking about "specific people to watch out for or if it's just a metaphor in a way", Amy said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I feel like it's so specific, but I get it. The lyric is, 'When all your faith in reality fades away, who will you follow?' Like, who will you follow? If you don't even know what is real, how can you base any action if you don't even know what's true? If you don't even know what's A.I. You don't even know what's being fed to you on your feed, that we are all so... It is so hard, and I am just as guilty. I have to stop myself from doing this [scrolling through my social media] and then being, like, 'Holy shit, an hour just went by and I don't even know what I just looked at, but I'm mad and scared.' So I feel like all of this input that is just such a drain, and at the same time, we do have to face reality."

Amy continued: "I feel like 'Who Will You Follow' is more than anything like the plot of 'The Matrix' [1999 science-fiction action film]. So it's waking up. It's the disillusionment of this, and wanting that. I want that. I want us to look at each other in the eyes as human beings and go, 'Hi. Is this real life? You're a real human being? Great. Let's have a glass of wine and get through this shit together,' because running away from it and pretending like it isn't happening, and just going along with the lies while they step on your neck isn't working. Let's come together."

Amy added: "Love is strong. People are powerful. We just gotta know that. We have to remember that we have each other."

Noting that emotional, negative content fuels the viral spread of news on social media, Amy said: "It's hard because you wanna do something. And what can we do? And I guess I asked myself that question. And I was, like, well, I'm a singer, and people listen to what I say. So instead of me personally spending my time trying to make the perfect post and then all the energy that it takes out of me feeling misunderstood, or whatever, shit on, how about do what I'm best at and put my hope and my love and my anger and all the things that I hope can bring us together into the music? And hopefully have a deeper impact than that. No shade to the people shining light on the things that are true. That needs to happen. But there is definitely a degree of just so much information, most of it lies, but just information, just constant bad news. It's exhausting. We are exhausted. We're exhausted, and I don't think the solution is just running away from it. I think it's that we need change. So first of all, let's face it together."

Amy also talked about the positive aspects of social media platforms and the fact that they have become essential for P.R. by providing a direct line to the audience and an opportunity to engage in real-time conversations. She said: "I remember being so excited when that whole thing kind of started, like just being able to have some kind of a social media account and talk directly to the fans instead of waiting for a journalist to have an interview with me and then process it in their own words and put it out in a magazine for somebody to read a month later. To just literally be able to go and go, 'Hey, here's the deal,' or, 'Here's the announcement,' or, 'Hey, by the way, what I said, that's not what I said. This is what I meant.' Whatever it is, just to be able to have an actual direct line of communication I think is a really good thing. And it's really cool also to see all of people's artistic expression. I don't know if it's just my algorithm, and I really don't spend a ton of time there, but TikTok is fun to me. My algorithm is very much art creation and comedy — just people being stupid. And that I can get behind. [Laughs]"

"Who Will You Follow" has already become the fastest-moving rock radio single of EVANESCENCE's career to date, earning the band its first-ever No. 1 on Billboard's Hard Rock Song chart.

"Sanctuary" will be available as a digital album, standard CD, deluxe CD and limited-edition box set. A double vinyl of the album will be 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.

EVANESCENCE recently announced a 2026 world tour, kicking off on June 11, taking them across North America and Europe. Special guests SPIRITBOX and NOVA TWINS will open on the North American portion of the tour, and special guest Poppy will support on the Europe shows, with NOVA TWINS opening outside the U.K. K.Flay, who features on EVANESCENCE's last single, "Fight Like A Girl", will open the U.K. shows. K.Flay will also support EVANESCENCE for their Red Rocks Amphitheatre concert.

EVANESCENCE has partnered with PLUS1 so that $1/£1/€1 from every ticket sold will support organizations providing humanitarian aid and medical relief to those in need around the world.

Photo credit: Chapman Baehler (courtesy of Mercenary Publicity)