Rock music in a female form: Amy Lee, “Evanescence” (photo, video). Amy Lee (Amy Lynn Hartzler)

(Amy Lynn Lee)

(1981)

The famous lead singer of the group "Evanescence", Amy Lee, was born on December 13, 1981 in the city of Riverside (California). The parents named their daughter after the popular song "Amie" at the time. Amy's family moved quite a lot - first to Florida, then to Illinois, and finally they settled in Arkansas, in the city of Little Rock. In the new place, Amy's father, John Lee, got a job as a local radio DJ and everything seemed to go well, but Amy was not like everyone else. She loved to act out tragic episodes in front of her family; she did not like fairy tales with happy endings. The parents were surprised by this behavior, since Amy Lee's brother, Robbie, and her sisters, Kerry and Laurie, behaved like ordinary children.

Although Amy Lee's behavior as a child was strange, she proved to be a diligent student at school (especially in high school). Thanks to her father, Amy Lee, in addition to school lessons, began taking piano lessons. The father also began to personally teach Amy to play the guitar. In addition to studying musical instruments, Amy Lee began studying singing and joined the school choir.

In 2000 Amy Lee graduated from high school (Pulaski Academy) and moved to Los Angeles. Before graduating from the academy, Amy had already pierced her eyebrow and ears, piercing each ear three times.

In 2003 Sean Morgan (from the band Seether) was able to win Amy's heart. They began an affair and even sang several songs together. At the beginning of her novel, Amy Lee bought herself a T-shirt that said "Seether", Sean appreciated this and bought himself a T-shirt that said "Evanescence". In 2005 Their romance ended and they broke up.

Amy survived the breakup quite easily, because since childhood she had been acting out such episodes of life in front of her loved ones. Amy Lee continued to live and surprise everyone around her, she was especially good at surprising in terms of clothes: black and white tones, cut and scratched jackets, corsets. As Amy Lee admitted, she buys all these things at second-hand stores. Amy's dream is to live in the 17th century, as they wore "stunning" clothes back then. In addition to her clothes, Amy Lee also surprises with her face, or rather, what she did with it: she dyed her beautiful red hair black, wears blue eye lenses (her natural color is gray-green). Despite the fact that Amy's height is only 163 cm, she is categorically against wearing heels, but at concerts she has to wear shoes with heels.

Despite her love for mourning flowers and everything not very cheerful, Amy Lee, oddly enough, loves animals, and loves them so much that she donated 100 thousand dollars to a shelter for homeless animals. Many explain this adoration by the fact that Amy Lee had a tragedy as a child: her beloved hamster, Gracie, died in front of Amy, stuck in the air conditioner vent.

Where was Amy Lee? I enjoyed life with my husband, friends, cooked, learned to play the harp, and found time for myself. Behind the stereotype, the icon of rock music, the heroine of the gothic image, there is a vulnerable, a little strange, but clever woman who made a fortune out of her talent. At the same time, Amy does not fall into commercialism. After all, her priority is music, which has meaning...

“Music is one of the most important things in my life. I firmly believe that creative activities are the best therapy for your soul...”

Amy cannot boast of a cloudless, happy childhood. Constant moving, early death her sisters Bonnie... All this, one way or another, later affected Amy’s work.

“I've always been a drama queen. I remember that as a child I often pretended to be dead and wanted my mother to believe it and call the police. But she never believed, and I was very upset and cried."

“I cry a lot. I don't know how, but it helps me. I cry for bad things and for good things. Sometimes sadness can be beautiful..."

But her musical family helped her realize all her talents since early childhood. Already at the age of three she began learning to play the piano and did this for nine years. At the same time, her father taught her to play the guitar. Eventually, the Lee family settled in their native Little Rock, where the band Evanescence was founded.

At one time she dreamed of being classical composer. But over time, having met like-minded people in the future group, she felt a craving for heavier music.

“If we sang about how happy we are, we would just be fooling ourselves. People try to escape from problems by taking drugs, getting drunk, going to parties and discos. What really helps me is to sit down and think about everything, face the fact, that’s the only way you can solve your problems and be happy.”

“A lot of fans often tell me, ‘This song changed my life. What made you write it? or “This song saved me from divorce.” Such words cannot but rejoice!

Amy Lee is still active in the band Evanescence. But the relationship with Ben Moody, with whom they started together, did not work out. The reasons for this are different - from personal differences to creative ones. Perhaps it was just jealousy...

“Our former guitarist Ben Moody was always offended that people paid more attention to me than to him. They even threw more bras at me at the concert!”

Lee makes most of his concert costumes himself. She usually wears corsets, nets, long skirts and leather boots. Although sometimes you might think that Amy has no sense of style. But she did have a certain image.

“People tell me I can't dress like a fairy. And I usually say, I’m in a rock band, I can do whatever I want!”

“In my clothes, I like to mix several styles: something from rock, for example, chains, metal, etc., and things from Victorian era and fairy tales. I'm just using my imagination"

Creative individuals can be very far from such things as fashion, style, and general beauty standards. It’s rare for anyone to say about Amy herself that she’s beautiful. And you can’t call her slim either. But Amy hardly cares.

“I don’t see anything sexy in people who are all skin and bones. They better not wear tight clothes."

Brian Molko and Amy:

Vanessa Hudgens and Amy Lee:

Another unexpected photo - Justin Timberlake and Amy Lee:

Amy and Kelly Osbourne:

Besides music, Lee has other hobbies. For example, she is interested in painting. According to the singer, her entire house is filled with paintings in the spirit of fantasy or abstract art, but so far she has not thought of exhibiting them in public.

Now, after a long break due to her marriage (Josh Hartzler became her husband), Amy Lee has returned to work. Last fall, an album was released that Amy is very proud of.

Amy Lee wrote her first song at the age of 6 and dedicated it to little sister Boni, who died of an unknown disease at the age of three. Now Amy Lee's creativity is not limited to just writing and performing her songs. She also writes music for films and takes part in a wide variety of projects.

Amy Lynn Lee, lead singer of the group “Evanescence” (which means “disappearance” in English), was born on December 13, 1981 in the state of California, in the city of Riverside. Amy studied for about 15 years at music school. The future singer loved studying very much. At an artistic school, Amy even headed the school choir. She became a professional pianist and also mastered the skills of playing the guitar, which she acquired thanks to her father, John Lee, a famous radio DJ in Little Rock.

Since childhood, Amy Lee dreamed of becoming an actress and attended an acting club and participated in school productions. She recalls how, smeared with lipstick, she pretended to be dead, lying on the floor. But the parents just laughed. Amy attended Pulaski Academy until 2000. After graduation, she moves to Los Angeles.

Amy Lee wrote her first song at the age of 6 and dedicated it to her younger sister Bonnie, who died of an unknown illness at the age of three. Now Amy Lee's creativity is not limited to just writing and performing her songs. She also writes music for films and takes part in a wide variety of projects.

Even during her studies, the future singer was very dissatisfied with her appearance - the color of her hair, eyes, cute features of her face (dimples, chubby cheeks), so she always tried to change them: with the help white makeup, black hair dye and blue lenses. Amy Lee approaches the choice of clothes without much enthusiasm and considers it unacceptable to pay a lot of money for them. That is why most of the things in her wardrobe were purchased at second-hand stores. But Amy gives each item its own uniqueness with the help of pins, scissors and other auxiliary items. However, for music videos, the singer most often purchases custom-made clothes, which, after all, affects her budget.

Concerning personal life Amy Lee, then we can say that the imprint of the singer’s creativity can be traced in her. One of her novels began precisely thanks to her talent as a pianist. IN adolescence Amy met a guy named Ben Moody, who was amazed by her piano playing. Their subsequent romance turned into creative union. In 2003, Amy met Seether member Sean Morgan, with whom she sang “Broken.” Their romance lasted two years.

On January 5, 2005, after a concert in Washington, singer Amy Lee attempted suicide by taking a large dose of sleeping pills. But she was saved. She never explained the reason for her action. Amy Lynn Lee is a talented singer with her own weaknesses, preferences, likes and dislikes. She loves chocolate with coconut, driving, old movies; can't stand fast food, politics, and especially pop music. The singer’s life motto is “Expect the unexpected!”, and life philosophy- “Love yourself.”

It is difficult to find a person who has never heard of the group Evanescence, which has existed for more than 20 years. The team performs songs in different genres, one way or another related to rock. But there is something about this group that fascinates, forcing you to listen to their songs again and again. It is unique, powerful and indescribable beautiful voice soloist Amy Lee. Who is this mysterious girl?

Biography

Amy Lynn Hartzler was born on December 13, 1981 in Riverside, California, America. The girl grew up in musical family. Constantly moving with her parents, Amy visited Florida and Illinois, and then stayed in Arkansas. Here, in the town of Little Rock, Amy spent her childhood and youth.

John Lee, the girl's father, worked as a radio DJ. Amy Lee's biography also states that she had a brother and two sisters. One of them died at the age of three due to an unknown disease. Fans have probably heard the poignant song Hello, which seems to tear your soul apart, and Like You. Amy dedicated these texts to her sister. In general, the sadness of loss is felt in many of the singer’s tracks. But she never sings Hello at concerts.

Amy is a professional pianist and has also been playing guitar since she was 9 years old. She studied at a Baptist school at a monastery, where she studied art, kept diaries and served as a choir director. As a child I was strange child and even somewhat frightened her parents: she did not like happy fairy tales, she liked to act out tragic scenes more. Perhaps the death of her sister affected her this way, because the girl was very young then. The girl studied very well at school and university, especially in high school. After graduation, Amy moved to Los Angeles.

Personal life of Amy Lee

In 2007, the singer married psychotherapist Josh Hartzler and took his last name. At the end of July 2014, Amy gave birth to an heir, whom the couple named Jack Lyon.

As part of the band Evanescence

“Music is one of the most important things in my life. I firmly believe that creativity is the best therapy for your soul, which is why I encourage my fans to engage in creation. When you create something, that's what it is. authentic life. And when you create something as real as music, you feel worthy, fulfilled,” says Amy.

Lee met Ben Moody at a children's summer camp in 1994. Then the guy was literally delighted with the way the girl played the piano. They met, even dated for some time, but later this relationship turned exclusively into a creative framework.

As Amy herself admits, she initially wanted to become a classical composer. Everything changed when she met Ben, her like-minded person. At that moment she felt the desire to have direct relation to heavy music, to practice it.

Ben said: “She shocked me even more with the song she wrote. I felt like I was in heaven when she sang..."

In 1995, the group's first tracks were recorded. By the way, young people called it Evanescence. Amy Lee and Ben Moody released their first mini-album already in 1998, some songs hit the radio, which ensured their popularity long before concert activities. The first songs were much “lighter” than the subsequent ones, they showed gothic elements. IN next year They are joined by David Hodges, a backing vocalist and keyboard player, with whom the guys released their first full-length album in 2000, which was later recognized as a rare edition.

Later, several more members joined the group - a guitarist, a bass player and a drummer. The band was even popular for some time in the “Christian rock” market. Later, Hodges, who supported the religious concept, completely refused to participate in the group and left it. Moody, in turn, categorically rejected the label of religious music.

Included Evanescence Amy Lee and Ben Moody released the album Fallen, which included the group's first hit Bring Me to Life, as well as the piano game My Immortal and other popular songs of the time. Released in 2003, Fallen spent 100 weeks in the top ten. American chart and 60 - British, reaching first place. By the end of the same year, the album became triple platinum.

In the same year, the group, together with 12Stones, toured the United States, visiting many prestigious festivals, and at the very end of 2003 they came to Europe. During the tour, one of its founders, Ben, disappeared from Evanescence. As Moody later commented on his departure, he left the group due to internal disagreements. His place was soon taken and the guy himself continued solo career. Ben can be heard on recordings by Avril Lavigne and Anastacia.

As part of the group singer Amy Lee released the albums Anywhere but Home, The Open Door and many other compilations that are still popular today. Evanescence shot many videos, their tracks often became the soundtrack of various films.

Solo albums

In 2014 and 2016 Amy has released several collections. Her first “solo album” was created with the participation of Dave Eggar and was called Aftermath. The other two are Recover, Vol. 1 and Dream Too Much - she released in 2016.

Amy Lee - most talented singer, songwriter, pianist and composer, who is active in the field of music and cinema - she writes soundtracks for films. Her voice is characterized as mezzo-soprano. Amy is fluent in piano, harp, organ and guitar. Prefers to perform in the style of rock, alternative rock and metal, gothic rock.

Collaboration with other artists

With the aforementioned David Hodges in 2000, Amy recorded the songs Breathe and Fall Into You. In 2003, together with Big Dismal - the track Missing You. The song "Broken" was recorded in 2004 with Seether, and "Freak on a Leash" was recorded in 2007 with Korn.

Amy Lynn Hartzler - a unique person with a unique voice

In addition to her fantastic vocals, the girl’s fans highlight such features in her as the lack of “stardom”. Amy, unlike many other stars, leads a kind of “private” life and does not flaunt what should be private, as most do. She sincerely believes that a singer should only have his soul naked. Behind the standard of rock music, the gothic image and the goddess of vocals lies a smart, gentle, good-natured, sympathetic and extremely talented woman.

Amy's brother suffers from epilepsy, and her sister created a fund to support people suffering from this disease. A person with a big heart, she sponsors this foundation and devotes her attention to this problem Special attention. Amy believes that seizures can be treated with Mozart's music. Of course, it has not been proven that this can lead to a complete cure, but significant improvements have been noted, and this is a good result.

From the very beginning, rock music was an exclusively male affair and women were not allowed into it. But over time, this trend “lost ground” and now we can enjoy the music of many rock bands from the most different directions, whose soloists are fragile and charming girls.

One of these groups is the famous American rock band Evanescence, founded in 1995 by vocalist Amy Lee and guitarist Ben Moody, which achieved great popularity in early 2003 with the release of the album Fallen, which sold about 15 million copies and brought the band two Grammy Awards.

Amy Lynn Hartzler (nee Lee), better known as Amy Lee, was born on December 13, 1981 in Riverside, California, USA.

Amy is the most eldest daughter in the family of John Patrick Lee and Sarah (Cargill) Lee. Amy has two sisters named Carrie and Laurie, and a younger brother, Robbie. Amy also had another sister, who died in 1987 at the age of three from an unspecified illness, which, according to Amy herself, greatly influenced her work. In particular, songs such as “Hello” and “Like You” are dedicated specifically to this tragic event in the life of her family, which is why Amy never performs them at her concerts.

The music was always playing special role in the Lee family. Amy got her name from a popular song from the 70s. "Amie" John Lee played in the local The group Hard Luck Band, who performed cover songs, is now better known as a DJ on local radio K106.3 in Little Rock. He passed on his love for playing music to his children, each of whom sings and plays different musical instruments. Amy herself began learning to play the guitar at the age of 9, and then devoted about 15 years to studying at a music school. She studied at Pulaski Academy until 2000, where she directed the choir during her studies.

After graduating from the Academy, Amy entered Middle Tennessee State University, where she planned to study music theory and composition. However, Amy dropped out of university to focus on the band, and never regretted it.

Since childhood, Amy has been accustomed to moving. The Lee family moved several times, first from Riverside to West Palm Beach (Florida, USA), then to Rockford (Illinois, USA) and finally the Lees settled in Little Rock (Arkansas, USA) .

It was here, in a small town, under the shadow of which the hardcore scene blossomed, that fateful meeting two young people, Amy Lee and Ben Moody, which grew into friendship, love, and then into joint creativity. The first songs Amy wrote for Evanescence were joint project guys – there were “Solitude” and “Give Unto Me”. Ben is the author of such super-hits of the group as "My Immortal" and "Haunted".

In the subsequent work of Evanescence, including the recording of the album Fallen, Amy Lee and Ben Moody took equal part. But after the enormous success of the album Fallen, its sales of millions of copies and two Grammy awards, Ben and Amy's long and fruitful friendship came to an abrupt end.

On October 22, 2003, Ben Moody left his brainchild, which became, without exaggeration, turning point not only in the life of the group, but also in the life of Amy Lee. So, Ben left further development creative process for Evanescence, and gave Amy complete freedom.

Despite the fact that the group was left without a co-founder and guitarist, the band continued to exist. The vacant guitarist's spot was filled by Terry Balsamo, who helped bring the Fallen tour to a successful conclusion.

The second one was released in 2006 studio album group - "The Open Door", which was the result of a collaboration between Amy, Terry, John LeCompte and Rocky Gray. Amy created most of the music and all the lyrics, fueled by encouragement and creative ideas Terry, as well as events in his personal life.

The release of the album was accompanied by a full-scale tour, the release of singles and videos. The album was received warmly and still enjoys considerable commercial success.

As for Amy Lee's personal life, the singer has never hidden the fact that most of her songs are written about personal experiences.

"I'm an artist, so I'm energetic, focused on my feelings. When I write songs, I get everything out that I need to get off my chest. [It's] part of what helps me be happy man, because this way I can free myself."

Since 2007 Amy has lived in happy marriage with psychotherapist Josh Hartzler. Josh - old friend Amy. It was his personality, according to Lee, that became the inspiration for the group's most famous song -"Bring Me To Life" . Also, a song is dedicated to Josh"Good Enough" from the album "The Open Door".