June 2, 2015 Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale – Sexy That is More Than Skin Deep
Since the dawn of Rock-n-Roll, sex appeal has always been emphasized as the strongest selling point for a musician. Male or female, in popular culture, every generation has their posterized Rock sex symbols. From Elvis Presley to Stevie Nicks, Robert Plant to Madonna, sex sells, and everyone is buying. While this statement may be true, it seems, historically, female Rockstars have been judged most by their sex appeal. An unfortunate consensus of popular culture, sometimes a woman’s actual talent is overlooked as a result. For Grammy winning American Hard Rock band Halestorm, frontwoman Lzzy Hale being judged by such never concerned her much in her rise to stardom.
Catching the Rock-n-Roll fever at an early age, Red Lion, PA’s Lzzy began writing and recording songs while still a teenager. Picking up a guitar and finding her voice, she would be joined by her brother Arejay who picked up drum skills and learned the trade. The two would go on to begin Halestorm with their father Roger Hale on bass in the early days. Spending years crafting their sound and adding key pieces to the lineup of the band; lead guitarist Joe Hottinger in 2003 along with bassist Josh Smith 2004, Halestorm soon took shape. Catching the eye of Atlantic Records, the band signed a major label deal in the Summer of 2005 and unconventionally released a live EP titled One and Done in 2006 as their introduction to the mainstream. It was not until three years later their debut full-length self-titled album would be released, and their lead single “I Get Off” would garnish the band massive airplay on Rock stations around the country. Quickly becoming one of the most talked about Hard Rock bands on the scene, at the forefront was the confident, strong, and talented singer in Lzzy. Not Bashful or fearful, it was in December of 2009 when Lzzy would be featured in Revolver Magazine’s “Hottest Chicks in Metal” issue. Labeled such numerous times since by the magazine, for Lzzy, the title does not define her as a person or musician. She has stated, “I know girls who really do enjoy taking all their clothes off, and that is what gets them off, and makes them feel like Rockstars. You do need to find your own balance. For me personally, the bottom line has always been you have to have something to back it up.”
Revolver Magazine
Revolver Magazine
Honest and sincere, Lzzy does not condemn a provocative image of women on stage, but keeps a clear, balanced mindset. Understanding of the pressures young women have on them in modern culture to look a certain way, Lzzy keeps a positive outlook undoubtedly shaped by a strong family core starting with her mom and dad, as well as brother Arejay. She went on to say, ” If you want to wear short skirts, high heels, and be on the cover of magazines as Hottest Chicks in Hard Rock, that is awesome, but do not have your identity and talent start and stop with that. I work extremely hard to make sure I am growing as a musician, that I can play, and bring it every night. Regardless of what you’re wearing, what you are playing is what is sexy, no matter who you are.” Lzzy has a clear sense of what it takes to have longevity in Rock-n-Roll, and her mix of mature, but free-loving attitude certainly continued to shine when Halestorm unleashed their sophomore album The Strange Case Of…in April of 2012. Filled with tracks like “Mz. Hyde,” written by Lzzy to capture her on stage and off stage persona, and the Grammy winning “Love Bites (So Do I),” Halestorm quickly rose to the next level in Rock’s rankings.
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Unwilling to let her looks sell her and the band, Lzzy continued to grow as a vocalist and guitarist, showing she is more a student of Rock-n-Roll, than just a frontwoman. Lzzy stated, “Throughout history, our mothers of Rock; Janis Joplin, Ann Wilson, Pat Benatar, no matter where you are on the spectrum of sex symbol, what boils it down was these women were strong and they had a presence. There is something regal about them and a power behind it, that is where the sexiness comes from.” Channeling that ideology into her own Rock personality, Lzzy and Halestorm went into the studio to work on their third album, determined to raise the stakes even higher and conjure up songs that would spin fans’ heads. Bouncing ideas off one another, Lzzy and her bandmates shaved the album down to thirteen tracks and finally released Into the Wild Life on April 14th in North America. Featuring some of Lzzy’s most dynamic vocals to date, the album shatters any preconceived notions Rock listeners have of the singer and Halestorm as a band overall. Proving they can craft tracks that do not just need a distortion pedal, Into the Wild Life shows Halestorm are not a one trick pony; here today, and gone tomorrow. With cuts like “I Am The Fire,” “Dear Daughter,” and “What Sober Couldn’t Say,” among others, Lzzy, along with her bandmates’ true potential reaches new heights as songwriters.
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Lzzy is aware that it would be easy to go out and flaunt her good looks night in and night out, but as a prideful musician, she has always wanted more. Many could even look at her as the poster child for the modern female rocker, above just a “sex symbol” of the genre. Leading by example, Lzzy marries a vibrant style with a strong stage presence that she believes in. She shows a woman should be proud to be a woman, but also respect themselves in the process. Lzzy went on to provide this advice for any young woman, or even man, with Rock aspirations, “No matter what size you are, if you can walk into a room and own it, no matter what you are dressed up as, no matter what shape or size, and hold your head up high, that is where sexiness comes.” Wise words from a person who has been through the fire to follow their dreams and lead one of the most respected modern Rock bands on the globe.
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