SPIRITBOX's COURTNEY LAPLANTE Hopes To Become First Woman To Win 'Best Metal Performance' GRAMMY AWARD

In a new interview with Brazilian music journalist Igor Miranda, SPIRITBOX frontwoman Courtney LaPlante spoke about the band's upcoming sophomore album, "Tsunami Sea", which is set for release on March 7, 2025 via Pale Chord in partnership with Rise Records. The LP was produced by Dan Braunstein and Mike Stringer, mixed by Zakk Cervini and mastered by Ted Jensen.

Asked how excited she is for the new album release, Courtney said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I wish that it was coming out next week. I wanna play these songs so badly. I want to play these songs live for our fans. I want them to hear these songs. And it feels very far away, but it's for the best, because now it's my job to make sure that as many people as possible hear the songs, and it's my job now to be the ambassador for these songs. So it is good that it's gonna come out like pretty far in the future for me. March 7th feels very far away."

Regarding how "Tsunami Sea" compares to SPIRITBOX's previous releases, including 2021's "Eternal Blue" album and 2023's "The Fear Of Fear" EP, Courtney said: "Everything is connected together in our band. We don't market our albums like this, but they're all concept albums and they all tie into one another. I'm always just building upon what I did before. And it's important to me that I don't market it like that. I just like to show it instead of telling our fans, 'This is a concept album.' I would just like them to discover that for themselves. So it's a continuation of 'The Fear Of Fear' but also we look at it like the sister to 'Eternal Blue'. And it's very different than 'Eternal Blue', but they both feel like a very big part of my identity as a person — lyrically and thematically. So, I don't wanna say it's a rehash of our old music, but it is the grown-up sister, with musicians that instead of being scared and not confident and trying to do this, after we work nine-to-five jobs and on the weekends and during work, and then recording it in a kitchen in Joshua Tree, in the desert, this is now somebody that we have the privilege of doing this as our jobs and we take it so seriously. It's not a casual thing at all. So what could be now that we are living our dream lives and we get to fully commit every minute of our lives to creating music."

Courtney also talked about SPIRITBOX securing second Grammy nomination for "Best Metal Performance", this time for "Cellar Door". The nomination follows SPIRITBOX's previous Grammy nod for "Jaded".

"I can't believe it," she said. "I'm so excited. And I was so surprised last year when we were nominated. To be nominated again off the same body of work is such an honor. But I will say the thing that makes this one different to me is that usually, historically, it's all legacy bands [that get nominated], the biggest bands in the world, and then maybe one small band — maybe. But this time, instead of just us as the small band, us and KNOCKED LOOSE and Poppy, where both of us, two of the five bands are younger bands. And we have GOJIRA, who had the greatest metal performance of all time at the Olympics as well in there, which is so cool. But I'm so inspired that both of us — us and KNOCKED LOOSE and Poppy — are nominated, because i've never seen that before where two newer bands both got in there. So I think we're both really excited for each other. And if we don't win, I would love for them to win, because since this award has ever existed — this award, the first year was when I was born, in 1989. There was one year where Lzzy Hale and HALESTORM won, when it was the hard rock and metal Grammy ['Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance'], but no woman has ever won the best metal performance Grammy since it came out in 1989. And I think about that every year. I'm almost 36 years old. 36 years, a woman's never won. And now there's more chances than ever for a woman to win. So I'm really excited. I hope that we win. I hope that KNOCKED LOOSE and Poppy win. Or if GOJIRA wins, there's a woman who's an opera singer on that song. So there's three out of five chances for that ceiling, that glass ceiling to finally shatter."

Formed in 2017 in the picturesque-yet-isolated region of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, by Laplante and guitarist Mike Stringer, SPIRITBOX became a household name in rock circles in the summer of 2020 with the release of their blistering breakout single "Holy Roller", along with a host of other captivating singles shortly after, resulting in a media firestorm of hype.

With new and existing fans eagerly watching their next move, SPIRITBOX exceeded every expectation imaginable in 2021 with the release of their genre-defining debut studio album "Eternal Blue" via Pale Chord/Rise Records. "Eternal Blue", which debuted at No. 13 on the Billboard 200, kicked open the doors of the heavy metal scene and rewrote the genre's playbook with 12 stunning tracks that incorporated everything from djent and post-metal to infectious synth-laden pop sensibilities and cinematic arrangements, brought fully to life by the inimitable Laplante's ethereal and commanding vocal performances.

The album cycle for "Eternal Blue" saw SPIRITBOX not only grace the covers of esteemed music publications such as Revolver, Alternative Press, Rock Sound and Kerrang!, among many others but would also solidify the band as one of the most in-demand groups in live music today with their one-hundred percent sold out, first-ever headlining tour in support of the album which saw ticket sales over 40,000. The band would also share the stage with seasoned metal veterans such as LIMP BIZKIT and GHOST and win "Best International Breakthrough Band" at the 2021 Heavy Music Awards.

In 2022, SPIRITBOX secured highly-coveted spots at numerous major U.S. rock and metal festivals and were nominated for two Juno awards, respectively. SPIRITBOX would also round out their current lineup with the inclusion of drummer Zev Rose and bassist Josh Gilbert in addition to releasing their sonically experimental EP "Rotoscope" in June of that year as well as a cross-genre collaboration with dubstep artist Illenium for the track "Shivering".

During another whirlwind year for the band, including a U.S. tour with SHINEDOWN and PAPA ROACH, SPIRITBOX wrote and recorded their critically acclaimed EP "The Fear Of Fear", released in November 2023. The EP features the single "Jaded", which was nominated for "Best Metal Performance" at the 66th annual Grammy Awards. In the same month, the band would make another genre-bending splash with a high-profile collaboration with rapper Megan Thee Stallion for a remix of her song "Cobra".