EVANESCENCE’s AMY LEE On Political Polarization In America: ‘We Have To Be Able To Have A Conversation Still’

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EVANESCENCE singer Amy Lee has lamented the partisan split in America, with people on opposite political sides unable to talk — and listen — to one another as polarization continues to increase. "We have to be able to have a conversation still," Amy told Marci Wiser of the 95.5 KLOS radio station (hear audio below). "Things haven't always been this way, where we couldn't have a conversation. It's either that you believe like me or I don't talk to you and I don't agree with you and I'm not listening to you, and, in fact, I'm plugging my ears and running in the other direction. That isn't how this works. That's not how any relationship works." She continued: "We are a country together, and we have to work together. And we all believe different things and we all have been through different things, we all have different perspectives, and that's good — that's part of what makes it awesome. And it's made up of a whole bunch of different people, and we have to find a way to work together. And we're not always gonna agree, but that's always been the case. We have to be able to move forward with respect and honor, and speak to each other like family, because we need to function like a functional family." Last May, Lee said that she was " angry, horrified" and "ashamed" over the murder of George Floyd in police custody as well as President Donald Trump's response to the subsequent protests and riots. Just three months earlier, Lee opened up about her political views for the first time, explaining that she couldn't "stand by" and keep her mouth shut while her "country's freedom is taken away." He decision to speak out was apparently prompted by the GOP-controlled Senate's vote to acquit Trump on both articles of impeachment without calling witnesses. She wrote at the time: "I do not accept lying, cheating or bullying from my government… Accepting this abuse says it's okay for our leaders to lie to us, cheat on us, make decisions without our input, and silence us when we try to speak up. This isn't about your policies or beliefs, it's about our freedom." Lee added: "I will never bow down to a dictator." In August, EVANESCENCE released a new single, "Use My Voice", which was written to celebrate the power of speaking out in order to promote more justice in the world. The track, featuring contributions from THE PRETTY RECKLESS's Taylor Momsen and HALESTORM's Lzzy Hale, was chosen by HeadCount in the USA to encourage voters to register, check their registration, or find out about their remote voting options amid the COVID-19 pandemic at UseMyVoice.org. EVANESCENCE's long-awaited new album, "The Bitter Truth", will arrive either later this year or in early 2021. The band's new music is being produced by Nick Raskulinecz, who also worked on 2011's self-titled LP. EVANESCENCE spent much of the last two years recording and touring in support of 2017's "Synthesis", which contained some of the band's best-loved songs — as well as a couple of new ones — reinvented with full orchestra over a deep electronic landscape.