With Evanescence’s new album Sanctuary out now and a UK tour landing this September, Amy Lee finds herself reflecting on truth, creativity and what keeps her inspired more than two decades into the band’s career.
Interview by James Hickie
Describing music as an “oasis of reality when we’re surrounded by lies”, she discusses the making of the record, working with an all-star production team and why she’s embracing new collaborations more than ever.
Evanescence’s latest album, Sanctuary, arrives at a time when Amy Lee feels the world is becoming increasingly difficult to navigate. For her, the record’s title is about finding something genuine amidst the noise.
“For me right now, the sanctuary is a sanctuary of truth and humanity amidst a world that feels more out of control and violent and cruel than ever,” she says. “Throughout my life, the creation of music, consuming music and loving music, has been my sanctuary. It is the place that I go to pour my heart out. What I’ve learned through touching people with our music and playing concerts all over the world, is that music connects us to each other – that human connection that we find through sharing the depths of our hearts. So, Sanctuary here doesn’t refer to some idyllic escape, but more like an oasis of reality when we’re surrounded by lies.”
That outlook naturally feeds into some of the album’s themes. While Lee is reluctant to describe the band as political, she believes artists have a responsibility to engage with the world around them.
“The world is political. We’re not political for standing up and saying, ‘Hey, it’s wrong to murder someone’. I live in a political world, as a human being with a soul, some integrity, honour, and hope for the future. As an artist, I think it’s my job to say what’s real and what’s happening and say what I think we possibly should try and do about it. I’m just a human being living in a political world.”
Musically, Sanctuary benefited from a varied creative team. Alongside longtime collaborator Nick Raskulinecz, Lee also worked with Jordan Fish and Zakk Cervini, helping to bring fresh perspectives to the project.
“There is so much talent on this album,” says Lee. “I’m so honoured to work with everyone that we were able to work with. We’ve worked with Nick before. He’s an amazing producer and friend and gets me on a deep level, so I will always make music with him. When we started out on this record, it was picking up where we left off on [2021’s fifth album] The Bitter Truth. And then we did the song “Afterlife” with Nick as well, from the Netflix animated series Devil May Cry, which was a part of that session. But then there was this second chapter, a new energy thing with Jordan Fish (alumni of Bring Me The Horizon) and Zakk Cervini, which was really an experiment. We got in the studio together, having not really worked together in-person before, and just clicked in a way that is rare. I think it’s rare when you meet somebody and start making music and you’re really finishing each other’s sentences. Everybody was improving what was happening, levelling up each layer.”
The album’s creation became a race against time as touring commitments loomed, but Lee admits the pressure ultimately proved productive.
“Sometimes a little bit of that pressure can be a good thing – and I hate to say that out loud, because I don’t want to tell myself that in the future. It’s often the lyrics that can come more slowly. Lyrics are always important to me, but especially at a time like this, when every word needs to live up to how great the music was sounding. That’s daunting, but at some point, you just have to get there and focus on it, not allowing yourself to think, ‘I don’t feel like it today – I’ll do it tomorrow’. Allow yourself to try, to create the opportunity where it could happen – taking walks in the woods, walking through the streets. I guess I have to say that a little pressure was good for me. There was an urgency in the end, for sure.”
Despite the deadline-driven process, Lee still found joy in bringing the record to life.
“It was fun!” she exclaims. “It takes so much energy, but it gives so much energy too. So there were plenty of sleepless nights – every day for a year I woke up with one of the songs in my head, dreaming of the music, unable to rest until we’d solved the puzzle of the next part. It’s a total obsession. I think part of what keeps it fun is being in-between tours, thinking of ideas and rushing off to go work on them somewhere. I’ve got a great setup in my house, so I recorded a lot of my vocals myself in the moment that I thought of a great idea. That free-form vibe for me helps it always feel like art and fun and creativity, and not like work or a mission. We’re on a mission, but it’s for something that we love!”
The UK has played an important role throughout Evanescence’s career, and Lee believes that connection was evident from the very beginning.
“[What has kept that relationship strong is] hard to say,” she admits. “I love a lot of things about English culture. I grew up listening to a lot of trip hop, like Massive Attack, and other bands from that era that were moody and dark and definitely inspired me. Plus, the fashion world as well – people like Vivienne Westwood. I remember in the early days, speaking to the record label, who were talking about how they were only an American label and they weren’t going to try to do anything to push us outside the US. I immediately said, ‘That’s not a good idea – we need to be an international band – and at the least in the UK, as they’re going to understand who we are’. And then it all worked out, because the [2003] Daredevil movie sort of forced their hand, because it was released globally, and “Bring Me To Life” started taking off on its own, so the label had to get on board.”
Alongside Evanescence, Lee has enjoyed opportunities to contribute to projects beyond the band’s traditional album cycle, including “Afterlife” for Netflix’s Devil May Cry.
“It’s cool to be at this point in our career where we are to a degree some kind of household name, like people know who we are and think of us for projects like that,” Lee says. “Instead of me having to run around and like track down somebody and see what movies are in development and try to get on board, they’re like, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if the singer from Evanescence was singing on this song’, then that turns into a full-on collaboration and Evanescence song. It’s good to be here now. I choose this era, 20+ years into our career, my 40’s over my 20’s any day!”
Looking ahead, She is keen to continue exploring new ideas and partnerships.
“I have a wide open mind for whatever, but these days, if I have an idea and I see a collaboration or something in my head, I’ve just been going for it. I don’t want to give anything away, but there is a new element in progress to be a part of the live show that we haven’t done before – and we’re talking about collaborating with different artists. After “Bring Me To Life,” when the rap wasn’t my idea, I felt like I really wanted to run away from it. I don’t feel that way anymore. I have made so many cool friendships and connections and collaborative moments in the past few years that I’m just really proud of, that I want to keep it going. This is the era of yes!”
Among the artists who inspired her own journey, Lee points to strong female trailblazers who forged their own distinctive paths.
“Shirley Manson was a big inspiration for me,” she says. “She’s so strong, so fearless, and I love Garbage. I definitely grew up with her as a role model. Bjork was my queen. She made her own universe to rule over and she was never trying to fit into any box – with that beauty and confidence and artistry. Plus, as a vocalist, she really inspired me a lot. I think women who carve their own path, of which there have been so many, especially in the 1990s and the era of alternative music, provided so much to look up to.”
More than anything, creativity itself remains the driving force behind everything she does.
“The times in my career I’ve thought about being done, they’ve always been about something other than the music,” says Lee. “Creating music is just who I am, and I can’t help wanting it badly enough to conquer monsters and climb mountains, and I did have to do that. But the things that wear me out, the things that have almost stopped me, are just business stuff – having people around me in the past that didn’t support me or get what I was doing, or were in it for themselves. It’s really hard to keep pouring your heart out genuinely. I have a band around me that all love our music. Nothing feels like I’m climbing a mountain all by myself. It feels like we’re on an adventure together.”
With Sanctuary out now and a UK tour on the horizon, Amy Lee remains as passionate about creating music as ever, embracing fresh collaborations while staying true to the honesty and connection that have defined Evanescence from the start.
Evanescence plays the first direct Arena in Leeds on 8 September 2026.
