EVANESCENCE Singer AMY LEE Calls VELVET REVOLVER's 'Contraband' 'Boring'

EVANESCENCE frontwoman Amy Lee recently spoke to Kerrang! magazine about her band's massive success and the possibility of a solo career at some point down the line. Several excerpts from the interview follow:

Kerrang!: Have you become cynical about your peers?

Amy Lee: "No way, but theres just so many new bands out there and I'm not motivated to see a single damn one, and a lot of the bands worth listening to are old and tired now. VELVET REVOLVER...I haven't seen them play live yet but that album really bores me! Maybe there's one song that's cool, but to me it's just not worth building a supergroup around."

Kerrang!: They've got Slash in it.

Amy Lee: "Yeah, but great celebrities don't make a great band. I don't hate them, but the music just isn't that great."

Kerrang!: Has the industry changed?

Amy Lee: "Definitely. Theres been a lull in the rock industry and the labels are pouring all their money in to rap and hip-hop. At the American VMA's [MTV Video Music Awards] we felt really disrespected and looked over and ignored. You invite us to an award show because youve nominated us and you don't even want to interview me because you're too busy with Beyonce and Usher? It's like, 'Why did i go to the trouble?' We were 20 rows in the back!"

Kerrang!: Is that just a sign of the times?

Amy Lee: "Maybe, but it'll come back around. Every kind of music always has its day, and right now it's rap and hip-hop and that's great. But that's just not what I'm into and obviously it's not my band's scene. I'm just glad the new album hasn't come out this year."

Kerrang!: How is it writing without EVANESCENCE's co-founder [Ben Moody]?

Amy Lee: "I definitely feel like I have something to prove, so there's pressure. Thats okay, though, because I know the truth: that it isn't the case that Ben was the brains behind the operation who let me be the singer. Some people think that and it bothers me, but there's nothing I can say to change people's minds so I'll let the album do that."

Kerrang!: Are your current bandmates equally expendable?

Amy Lee: "It's the opposite. The people in the band came in after the majority of the work on the first album was done, but when Ben left, we had a meeting and we all agreed they should be a part of it — not just session players. That's made it really exciting, because this is a real opportunity for them to make it their own. You love your band so much more when it's your music."