Former Arch Enemy singer Alissa White-Gluz recently opened up about the challenges of being a female vocalist in the metal music industry. She shared her experiences in an interview on the Behind The Screams podcast.
White-Gluz discussed the ongoing difficulties women face in the metal scene. She also explained how she learned to embrace her identity rather than hide it.
“I faced a lot of backlash for being a woman. And also being a woman who wasn’t afraid to be a woman,” she said. “You know, I didn’t try to like I very quickly moved away from being one of the guys to just being like, well, they’re they don’t see me as one of the guys. They are making it quite obvious that they see me as a woman, so I’m going to just accept that.”
The vocalist emphasized that despite increased female representation in metal, the fundamental challenges remain unchanged.
“And that’s kind of like, you know, I would love to say that it has gotten better, but I actually don’t think it has,” she continued. “I think that there are a lot more of us in the scene now, which is great. We’re all friends and we all support each other. I talk to all your favorite female singers. We all talk all day, you know. But the hardships are still there. There’s still a lot that we face that our male counterparts don’t face. And it’s not only like that in music, of course, it’s like that in every field.”
White-Gluz was candid about the ongoing nature of these struggles. She offered advice to aspiring female musicians.
“But I I’m not going to sit here and say that problem solved. You know, I did it, guys. See, I did it. So, you can do it, too. Now, I did it, but it was f*cking hard. And it’s still hard. And it will be hard for any young women who are starting now as well,” she said. “And so that’s why I guess my best piece of advice is don’t be afraid to be yourself. Don’t be afraid of the fact that you’re a woman.”
She concluded by explaining why authenticity is crucial, regardless of how others might perceive it.
“Because if you try to hide it, if you try to be one of the guys, if you, you know, go against your core values so that you fit in more with other people, it doesn’t matter,” she continued. “People still look at you and they see a woman and they are going to treat you as such. And that is sometimes for better and sometimes for worse. And so I do feel like I have a wealth of lived experience in this.”
