You guest on a new version of Seether’s ‘Broken’.  Is it true you agreed to sing on this a long time ago but it’s only just come about?

(beams) Yeah!  I wrote the part two and half years ago – we hadn’t even done Fallen. Seether were in the studio doing their album and they were my favourite Wind-up band.  The A&R guy from the label said “Hey, they’re looking for a female vocalist for ‘Broken’” and I was really excited that I wrote the part and waited for the call but I never got it, so I called the A&R guy and he was like “Oh yeah, we don’t really need you to do that any more”.  I was so hurt, I was like “Nooooo!”  I wanted to do this!  I forgot about it and a year later I met them and said “OK!  I was supposed to sing on your song a year ago but then they never called me back.”  Shaun was like “You’ve got to be kidding me!  They said they couldn’t find anyone”.  It was like a big misunderstanding.  I hope it was a big misunderstanding – that’s what he tells me! 

When did you hook up with Shaun and how do you balance your personal and working relationship?

Well it’s funny because we never had a working relationship until this collaboration and it is our first time touring together, so I’m just learning about the working side.  We hooked up May of last year.  We were both on the same bill at a couple of different festivals and I just went over to the bus to say hi.  It was no big deal.  We connected because I didn’t know anyone really other than my band and all these stupid groupies at the parties afterwards and he was the same way too, so we started talking.  We have a mutual hate for groupies!

Do you get quite a lot?

Not necessarily trying to be with me – they’re just horribly mean and beautiful, sometimes ugly.  Competitive girls.  I think they’re ugly but they’re all tall, super trendy and blonde, obviously trying to get into anybody’s pants and it’s just gross to me!  Bleuuch!  Groupies, get away, eeeow! 

So you’re not the new Sonny and Cher?

Eeeow!  Yeeeuch!  It’s weird.  I’ve got hit on by groupies before like girls and it’s the creepiest, strangest thing ‘cos I don’t even understand it.  How does a girl hit on a straight girl?  Is that really what they’re doing?  Is that what’s really happening?  (laughs)  Generally we never see them because they’re all backstage.  Everybody in the band is pretty monogamous: Rocky and John are married, Will’s got a fiancée, Terry’s got a girlfriend and I’m with Shaun so there aren’t any groupies backstage unless we’re playing at festivals where we’re not in charge! 

Have you heard of The Rasmus?

I have.  I just saw their video yesterday.

They’ve been compared to you – I don’t know how.  Do you have any idea?

Um, you know what?  When people see images, they draw a lot of links to them, sometimes even more so than what they’re actually hearing.  I don’t really think they sound dark at all but they have a dark image, so sometimes people see a dark image and actually associate that with the sound, which is really funny because listen to the song (I think it’s a really good song, it’s pop though), it would be just as acceptable if the video had a bunch of guys on a beach. (laughs)

Can you straighten out the whole Christian thing once and for all?

Once and for all – I don’t think there is a “once and for all”!  If I got a nickel for every time someone said that to me, I’d be rich!  There is no Christian issue, that’s all I can say.  It was a misconception in our label and in the media in which we had zero control over.  It’s weird when you feel like you’re blamed for something that isn’t wrong any way.  We aren’t a Christian band and we never have been – period. 

Broken  Everybody's Fool  Fallen 

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