LORRAINE LEWIS On Getting Abruptly Fired From VIXEN: 'Rock And Roll Is Not Warm And Fuzzy'

In a new interview with Troy Patrick Farrell of the "This That And The Other" radio show, former VIXEN singer Lorraine Lewis opened up about her recent exit from the band after a five-year run. She said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I wanna say, first of all, that, for me, I've had the best time with VIXEN. I've had the best time with that band. Touring last summer was amazing. We killed it. I know we killed it. I know that I did my job. I know that as a front person and as a singer, I brought it every show. I treated the band like it was my own. Not that I, not that it was, or not that I knew that it ever would be — I mean, VIXEN is not my band; it's Roxy's [Petrucci, VIXEN drummer] band, and I've known that forever. But I know that as the lead singer, I brought my brand of rock and roll. And she wanted me to be a part of the band five years ago, and so I was happy and honored to be carrying on the legacy of VIXEN for sure. I was really thrilled about that, and I've had the best time, and I miss the girls a lot.

"I will say it's always, though, been more about the fans for me," she continued. "It's about belly-to-belly with the people. I mean, the fact that people show up to these '80s rock shows and love the music still and young people that weren't born back in the day are showing up to these shows and love the music, I mean, that's where I'm at with with my love for the business. It's all about the fans and the friends that show up to these shows, because without them, we are zero; without them, we are nothing. And I really mean that, and I know it to the core."

Elaborating on the way her departure from VIXEN came about, Lorraine said: "What I will say about the situation, and I do want people to know that I didn't quit the band. A lot of people think that I quit. The announcement that I made, it seemed to suggest, to me, that you could tell that it was not my decision to leave. I mean, that's how I thought that I worded it. And I have a cabinet of people around me, and we really fine-tuned it. And I wanted to make sure that I wanted the fans to know how important they are to me and how much I love them and how much fun I've had. And also, don't count me out. I am not going anywhere. I might not be in this band right now, but there is more to come from me. I was Lorraine Lewis before that band and I am still Lorraine Lewis and I will always be, and music is in my soul and in my gut and in my heart, and there's more to come. And so I wanted people to know, though, that the band was moving in a different direction. And that's how I was presented with the change. I was told that the band was moving in a different direction and I was not going to be the singer anymore. And that's really it. And it's just important for me to let everybody know, the fans… This isn't about them or me or us or musicians or anything — it's about the fans. And I just want these people that have messaged me and asked me, 'Why did you quit?' I just want to say I didn't quit. I didn't leave you. I didn't quit. It was not my decision. And that's really all there is to say about that."

Asked if she was given a reason as to why VIXEN was "going in a different direction" after releasing a new single, "Red", with her vocals just a few months earlier, Lorraine clarified: "No, no. When I say that they were going in another direction, that's what I was told. Really, what it meant was 'we're moving in a different direction away from you.'"

Regarding how she interpreted being told that VIXEN was going to continue with a new singer, Lorraine said: "We were killing it. That's all I know. We were killing it. I was ready to kill it this summer, ready to kill it next year, ready to kill it the year after that. Ready to kill it. Do what I always do. Rock the house. Bring it. My voice is in shape. I'm ready to go. My body's in shape. I'm a machine."

Asked if Roxy called her personally to deliver the bad news, Lorraine said: "I haven't talked to Roxy in a couple months. I haven't talked to them in a while. But I will say I miss the girls. I love them. I love them dearly. We've had a blast. We've kicked ass together."

She added: "I was ready to go out on tour. I mean, I have new outfits, for God's sakes. [Laughs]"

Asked if VIXEN had planned to release more new music after "Red", Lewis said: "I was hoping. I was hoping that that was just the beginning. Yeah, I really thought it was just the beginning of what we were planning to do."

Circling back to her dismissal from VIXEN, Lorraine said: "It was a surprise. What are other ways of saying 'surprised'? Shocked? Bummer city.

"Let me just say this — Mitch Schneider; you know who he is. Mitch was my PR person back in the day from MSO publicity," she continued. "And we talked after everything went down, and he said to me, 'You know, Lorraine, rock and roll is not warm and fuzzy. That's the bottom line.' And I said, 'You're so right. It just isn't.' And that's really all I want to say about that. It isn't. It's not warm and fuzzy. I have great, amazing memories, badass memories for sure. But, yeah, it ain't over. [Laughs]"

In January 2019, VIXEN recruited Lewis as its new lead singer following the departure of Janet Gardner.

Lewis had already performed with VIXEN in March 2018 in Durant, Oklahoma while Gardner was recovering from surgery.

Lorraine previously discussed her exit from VIXEN earlier this week in an interview with The Bay Ragni Show. She said at the time: "I did my first show with them in 2018 when Janet had a brain issue. And I think that I can remember it was Choctaw, Oklahoma, and it was a fabulous show and really great. And then Janet decided to leave and do her own thing. And I was invited to be the lead singer of VIXEN, which was a great honor and a privilege and a pleasure for sure. And, yeah, and that's basically what happened. So I was invited to come into the camp. I think that they needed me at that time. Yeah, and five years of rocking and rolling and having a blast."

Asked if she was surprised when she was let go from VIXEN, Lorraine said: "You said that a lot of people were shocked or surprised. I was definitely shocked and surprised. I thought that my statement [that I released announcing my departure] was pretty clear. I think that a lot of people have misunderstood it. So I guess it's important for me to say, because, look, the bottom line for me, I had the best time, I love the girls. We had an amazing time. We totally kicked ass together and I am really proud, really proud of what I brought to the brand. And I know that I did a great job. No one can tell me that I didn't. I know this. You can say whatever you want about me, whatever, but I know I brought it and I brought it every night and I do what I do, which I am a rock and roll singer through and through and I love the crowd and I love the people. I live for the people. I mean, I live for the music, too — don't get me wrong; it's all about the music at the end of the day — but I'm here for the people. I'm an entertainer. I'm born to entertain. That's what I do. So, for me, I wanted to let the fans know that I was no longer going to be the front person for the band."

She continued: "It was not my decision to leave. And I think that that's something that I do want to have be clear and known, and that's not for anybody else or any musicians or anything. It's for the fans, 'cause I had a lot of fans reach out to me and say, 'Why did you quit? Why? Why did you leave? Why?', and upset that I 'left'. And plain and simple, it was not my choice to leave. And I think that that is all I really need to say about that. It was not my choice. I was surprised. I thought we were getting ready to go out on tour for the summer. So, I was ready to rock and roll. And again, I miss the girls. I love the girls. And we had the best ride. And I am still honored and so humbled and grateful to have been a part of VIXEN and what I brought to the table and the amount of touring that I got to do with them and have a blast. And I think that the fans really loved it."

Lewis added: "Here's to the fans and the friends of the band. You are the people that really matter to me and I love you all so much. And it was important for me to let people know, because shows were coming up and I felt it was my right to say what I wanted to say as gently as I could, and so I released that statement on a Sunday and let people know. And yeah, I'm sure that people were surprised and shocked. I know that they were, because my phone blew up like crazy and hasn't really stopped. But that's really all I can say about that. I had a great ride with them."

Lorraine, a former singer for the 1980s hard rock band FEMME FATALE and current senior casting producer at the production company Renegade 83, went on to say: "That band is a chapter of my life. That's a chapter. My life is pre-that, my life is television, my life is vast. I've been on the planet a very long time and I have lived many lives. I've worn many different hats. I am a million different people from one day to the next… Yeah, I'm a million different people and this is just a segment of my life that I've enjoyed to the fullest and to the max. And now it is on to the next."

Asked if she was fired from VIXEN in a phone call or an e-mail, Lorraine said: "I'm not really wanting to talk about all that yet. I just really have no need to talk about all the details. I think that a lot of people really want to know, and I think that there might be a time and place to do that. But I heard a quote from Cher recently, and I posted it, actually, today. And she said — she gave someone advice, she gave a really famous actress some really good advice, and she said, 'If it's not going to matter in five years, if it doesn't matter in five years, it doesn't matter.' And that hit me like a ton of bricks, because that was a message I felt for me, because in the big picture of my life, this is a segment that I have just stepped away from and that's okay. Life goes on life."

Lewis continued: "My life has been up and down and all around. So this is nothing that fazes me in the least. Yes, I can say I was surprised. Yes, I didn't know this was gonna happen; I thought we were just killing it. But, really, in the big picture and what Cher said, in five years, will it matter? No. In five years, this segment, this chapter is definitely not going to matter. So that's really how I choose to live my life. That's it."

VIXEN's new singer Rosa Laricchiuta (TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA, HEADPINS) made her live debut with VIXEN on June 21 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California alongside GREAT WHITE, SLAUGHTER and QUIET RIOT.

During a recent appearance on the Battleline Podcast, VIXEN guitarist Brittany Denaro (a.k.a. Britt Lightning) discussed the decision to part ways with Lewis. Asked what she would say to fans who are concerned that VIXEN bears little resemblance to the band that broke through in the late 1980s, with drummer Roxy Petrucci as the sole remaining member from VIXEN's classic lineup, Britt said: "Yeah, well, I think Roxy is definitely dedicated to maintaining the musical integrity of the classic VIXEN. And she said that. And I think for whatever reason, she feels that this change is gonna be a positive one… So, I'm excited. I trust her. She's been doing this a long time, and she knows what feels right."

Britt continued: "Sometimes things run its course. And, again, I'm not involved in in this decision or at liberty to really speak about … the reasons in it. But at the end of the day, it doesn't matter, I guess. We're forging forward, we're forging ahead, and there will be new music. And I think it's gonna rock. So I'm very excited."

Britt went on to discuss the importance of getting along with VIXEN's new singer on a personal level, explaining: "At the end of the day, obviously you have to be talented, but just being a good person and being a cool person, 'cause we spend a lot of time together. I mean, that saying, musicians, we get paid to travel and then we play the gig, but what do we get paid for? The travel. I mean, I've flown to South America for one 30-minute show and then flown right back. So that's a lot of travel time and not a lot of playing. And that's a lot of time that you have to be with each other, and if you're with somebody that just drives you nuts, that's the worst thing ever. And then you can tell on stage too. So you know there's good chemistry when — you can feel it, is what I'm saying, on stage. And I think the audience can always feel it too. So, I know it'll be great though. Roxy also is more familiar with her as a person, and if she greenlighted it, then I know it's gonna be good."

When VIXEN announced Lewis's exit from the band on May 27, the group said in a statement: "First of all we want to extend a special thank you to Lorraine Lewis. We're grateful for her contributions to VIXEN and wish her all the best in her career moving forward."

On May 26, Lewis released the following statement via her social media: "VIXEN Tribe and devoted fans: The band has taken a different direction, and as much as I will miss you please know that more Rock & Roll from me is on the way!

"It has been an honor to front the band since that first show in 2019 & I am forever grateful for the opportunity and memories that came with it! I've had the time of my life and have loved rockin' with ALL of you! I can't wait to rock your faces off again soon cuz trust me babes, I'm not going anywhere!! I love you."

Prior to Lewis's addition to VIXEN, Petrucci, bassist Share Ross and Lightning vowed to "expand upon the VIXEN legacy while remaining true to our musical roots."

Gardner, Petrucci and Ross are considered to be part of VIXEN's classic lineup, along with founding guitarist Jan Kuehnemund, who died of cancer in October 2013.

Gardner contributed lead vocals to VIXEN's most commercially successful studio albums — "Vixen" (1988),"Rev It Up" (1990) and "Tangerine" (1998) — as well as the group's latest full-length release, 2018's live album "Live Fire".

More than two years ago, Ross announced that she was "taking a hiatus" from VIXEN. Her replacement is Julia Lage, formerly of the Latin Grammy-nominated Brazilian rock group BARRA DE SAIA and wife of Richie Kotzen. Lage made her live debut with VIXEN on February 8, 2022 at the pre-Monsters Of Rock cruise concert at Magic City Casino in Miami, Florida.

VIXEN's "Red" single arrived last October. The official music video for the track, which was written and produced by CINDERELLA drummer Fred Coury, was directed by Drew Johnston and Vicente Cordero and edited by Ryan Conion.