Kittie singer Morgan Lander recently discussed the band’s current success and how the music industry’s reception of women in metal has evolved since their early 2000s breakthrough, in an interview with Louder Sound.
Lander reflected on the challenges the band faced during their initial rise to fame and how the current music landscape has become more accepting of female artists in extreme music.
“The world wasn’t ready for Kittie in the 2000s… There was so much resistance back then from so many people,” Lander said. “We were so divisive. People either really loved us or really hated us, and we got a lot of really great press, and a lot of really terrible press. I don’t think they knew what to do with us.”
She also addressed the dismissive treatment the band received from media during their early career.
“Questions were cutesy, almost used in a way to take away from our validity as musicians and whatnot – like, ‘Do you guys all do your make-up together?'” she continued. “We were so young. Young women. And we dared to take up space in an industry that I don’t think wanted to take us seriously.”
Despite the initial challenges, Lander noted that the band’s current success has exceeded their peak popularity from the early 2000s.
“We are playing to bigger crowds now than we ever have, even at the height of [seminal debut 2000 album] Spit,” she said. “When I look back at that time, I think, ‘Wow, there was so much press and there was so much demand.’ But all of the things that we’ve done in the last few years – as far as people listening and discovering us, the number of people that we’re playing to, and where we’re being invited – has far surpassed those times. The world has changed and adapted, and women in extreme music is something that is more accepted.”
This renewed success comes at a pivotal moment for the band as they prepare to celebrate three decades of their musical journey with an extensive touring schedule.
Ethereal Metal Zine reported that Kittie has announced the “Legacy Of Fire Tour: 30 Years of Kittie,” marking their first full North American headline run in over a decade. The tour will kick off June 6 in St. Louis and wrap June 27 in Montreal. Kingdom of Giants and Gore will serve as special guests across all dates.
The timing of this major tour announcement aligns with the band’s recent creative output that has helped fuel their current momentum. Blabbermouth noted that recent releases like 2024’s comeback album “Fire” and 2025’s “Spit XXV” EP have contributed significantly to their resurgence. The EP features re-recorded versions of tracks from their gold-certified debut.
The tour represents more than just a celebration of longevity. It showcases how the band has maintained relevance across multiple generations of heavy music fans. Metal Injection highlighted that the powerhouse lineup spans generations of heavy music, demonstrating Kittie’s influence on both contemporary and emerging acts in the metal scene.
This extensive touring schedule marks the band’s first extended outing in nearly a decade. Knotfest emphasized that their current popularity has created demand for live performances that exceeds even their early 2000s peak period that Lander referenced in her recent interview.
