LZZY HALE On Using Sexuality To Promote HALESTORM: 'We Were Absolutely Sexualized Through The Years'

HALESTORM frontwoman Lzzy Hale, who graced the cover of Revolver's 2009 "Hottest Chicks In Metal" issue and has been named the "hottest chick in hard rock and metal" by the magazine's readers, admitted in a recent interview with Riff X's "Metal XS" that she used her sexuality early in the band's career to get more media coverage for HALESTORM.

"Years ago, when we were first starting to tour and you're trying to get yourself into magazines and get attention for this or that, I was involved in a lot of that where… and, in a lot of ways, I kind of felt a little left out 'cause I've never been one to really bare it all, you know?" she said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "And so I'd be like in Revolver magazine for 'Hottest Chicks In Metal' or whatever and be like the only one fully clothed. [Laughs] But, yeah, you're kind of forced into it because if that is the publication, you want attention for your band and you wanna talk about the music and everything."

She continued: "But, yes, we were absolutely sexualized through the years. I think for me, you kind of turn that around and in what you say in your songs and you can kind of always have the last laugh, so to speak, in that. But it's definitely changed. And it was only a few short years ago that I was probably the only girl at one of these festivals, and that's just not the case anymore. So I'm very proud of that and it's just great to see all of my sisters having success."

Back in 2015, Lzzy told the El Paso, Texas radio station KLAQ that she never had any issues with being voted Revolver magazine's "Hottest Chick In Rock", which some people felt encouraged the objectification of women in music. "You know, I think it's a personal preference," she said at the time. "For me, personally, I've never… obviously, I've never really had a problem with the sex-and-rock-and-roll thing; it's been going on forever, and I think that they kind of go hand in hand. So it really doesn't bother me. But, to me, it is kind of funny how, I think… What's it been? Like, three times in a row, I'm probably the only one that's fully clothed in that article. So I think that's kind of funny — that I've been on the cover of that a couple of times, and I don't necessarily have double Ds to whip out whenever I want to. So, to me, I don't know… To me, it's cool. And just for my own mind, as long as you've got something to back it up and you're actually doing some stuff with your life besides taking off your clothes for magazines, I think that's cool. I do know a lot of girls that are very, very against that. Again, I think it's a balance, and that's, you know, your personal thing."

Years ago, Hale told The Pulse Of Radio that she believed it could be too easy sometimes for female musicians to rely solely on their looks. "Actually, I've been encouraging a lot of people to challenge us, and make sure that when you're reading these articles or you're seeing us in magazines or something, that you go and you check us out live, or you go and you sample a CD, something like that," she said. "If people start doing that and don't just look at us because we're a quote-unquote pretty face, or scantily clad — I think if more people were looking beyond that, it would make us step up a little bit."

Lzzy and her brother Arejay (drums) formed HALESTORM in 1998 while in middle school. Guitarist Joe Hottinger joined the group in 2003, followed by bassist Josh Smith in 2004.

In May, HALESTORM teamed up with country singer Ashley McBryde for a reimagined version of the band's song "Terrible Things", which was originally featured on the Lzzy-fronted outfit's 2022 studio album "Back From The Dead".

This past December, HALESTORM released a deluxe edition of "Back From The Dead". "Back From The Dead: Deluxe Edition" includes seven previously unreleased B-sides, including "Mine", a 1980s-inspired rocker. "Back From The Dead: Deluxe Edition" is available digitally, on CD, and cassette tape, marking the first time that the album has been offered in those physical formats.

In December 2018, HALESTORM was nominated for a "Best Rock Performance" Grammy Award for its song "Uncomfortable". Six years earlier, the band won its first Grammy in the category of "Best Hard Rock/ Metal Performance" for "Love Bites (So Do I)".