Evanescence frontwoman
Amy Lee wrote this song to celebrate the power of speaking out in order to promote more justice in the world. Said the singer: "This is an era of awakening, and full of powerful beauty. I hope to inspire others to seek truth, find their own voices and use them as I step up to use mine. Don't let anybody speak for you. Only you can do that."
A lineup of Lee's fellow female artists lent their voices to the song's anthemic chorus, They are:
Halestorm's Lzzy Hale
Taylor Momsen of The Pretty Reckless
Violinist and songwriter Lindsey Stirling
Within Temptation singer Sharon den Adel
Deena Jakoub of Veridia
Evanescence guitarist Jen Majura
Lee's two sisters: Carrie South and Lori Lee Bulloch
Amy McLawhorn, wife of Evanescence guitarist Troy McLawhorn
Recording the song in the COVID-19 era with everybody in the studio was a no-go, so Lee set up a Zoom account. "We all live all over the place, so mostly the girls just recorded themselves, sent the audio to me and we piled it all up together," she explained to Radio.com. "Just to feel their support in a song that is different thematically for me and for us as a band. It's stepping out and up in a new way."
Lee's longtime friend Deena Jakoub helped her write the song. She had come over day as she was stuck on the chorus. "Right away she had an idea," Lee explained
American Songwriter. "The two of us were just kind of jamming around the room singing and screaming until we had that chorus melody."
Evanescence released this song as their third single from The Bitter Truth on August 14, 2020. The day before, Lee had posted to Facebook her thoughts on the "lack of female rock singers" following a radio discussion on the subject. Lee explained that the interviewer had grilled her about the lack of women in the rock world, but she was unhappy with her reply. After thinking about the issue further, she detailed what she wished she'd said.
"Honestly, women DO get skipped over. We DO get left out of the recap when it all boils down. It IS harder to make it onto the cover or the radio. Because our face is not the classic, quintessential face of rock," she wrote. "But here's the deal: The true heart of rock music is the spirit of REBELLION. Going against the grain."
-
This is the first time that Lee has touched on her personal beliefs, a topic she'd had held off from previously out of fear of dividing her fans. "I want the music to be our free place where we can all have something in common," she explained to
Billboard magazine. "But sometimes things are just right and wrong, and you have feelings that can't be held back. And if I'm gonna be true to myself and my music, like I always have been, then I have to say what's heavy on my heart."
The song's release linked up with the launch of Evanescence's Use My Voice voter registration campaign, which finds the band joining forces with voter registration organization HeadCount to encourage US citizens to register, check their registration, or find out about their remote voting options amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
The video was directed by filmmaker Eric Howell, whose short film, Strangers, won the Best Drama Award at the Santa Monica Film Festival (SMFF). Lee first met Howell back in 2015 when she was asked to write the end title theme for Voice From The Stone movie, starring Emilia Clarke.
The clip starts with Amy Lee in the dark. We see her make her way through corridors with candles, flashlights and sparklers before joining a light-filled demonstration. The visual serves as a metaphor of moving from darkness into a more illuminated future where people will use their voices.