[xiaou-xijiang]

Originally Posted by Yahoo!News

Amy Lee's growing pains

10/12/2006 4:26 PM, AP


Every girl goes through it — the messy task of emerging from her awkward teen years and navigating the complex waters of romance while figuring out what to be when she grows up.

But very few do it as publicly as Amy Lee, lead singer of the goth-rock band Evanescence.

Lee was just 19 when she signed her first record contract, and barely 21 when the band's major-label debut, "Fallen," flew up the charts in 2003. The album, co-written by Lee and (now ex-boyfriend) Ben Moody, connected with fans across the globe and netted the band two Grammy awards, including best new artist.

Its hard-driving mix of brooding, spiritually-tinged darkness and dramatic classical orchestration offered fans a window into Lee's psyche. Or so many of them thought.

"Everyone knows a lot about me without actually knowing me at all," says Lee, now 24.

Her celebrity status as a singer of edgy songs left her surrounded by teenage fans in search of a role model.

It takes only a few minutes in Lee's presence to see what drew them: Her porcelain skin and shimmering, pale blue eyes are set off by a mane of black hair, and she seems to embody both confident strength and a delicate femininity.

Think Angelina Jolie with extra eyeliner.

But despite the image of hard-rocking power that Lee projected during her first years in the spotlight, she was struggling with unhealthy relationships and the overwhelming experience of success. And she was still practically a teenager herself.

Then things went from complicated to just plain ugly: within months, Moody abruptly quit the band while on tour. The two have barely spoken since. There were other troubles to deal with as well: Last year, she sued her former manager, accusing him of charges ranging from sexual battery to misusing her money; he has denied the charges.

It's part of the reason why Lee decided rather than rush out another album to preserve her fledgling stardom to take a break: "I just cut myself off from the world a little bit. Unplugged all the phones."

(She also declines to talk about Moody or the lawsuit in an interview, worried that she that it has made her dark image even darker: "The things that are out there are almost all things I've shared. But I realize by reading interviews that it sounds a lot more negative than it is. So much drama.")

Lee eventually began working with a new writing partner, guitarist Terry Balsamo (formerly of Cold and Limp Bizkit), who had joined Evanescence. But there were more roadblocks ahead: Before a sophomore album could be finished, Balsamo suffered a stroke in 2005. He's now nearly recovered, but the experience was life-changing for them both.

It strengthened Lee, she says, making her music even more intimate and confessional: "It really made the album more meaningful. You totally get a new perspective."

Balsamo says writing with Lee was a more rewarding experience than his collaborations with his other bands because "she was willing to try new things and not do the same old (stuff), and that's something I'm really a big fan of."

Last week, "The Open Door" finally hit stores, and this week, it debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard album charts, selling almost 450,000 copies in its first week. "The Open Door" offers vulnerability from Lee, and even a healthy dose of hope.

"I'm at the best place I've been," she says, smiling. "Not that I think all the songs from now on are going to be happy and cheery, of course."

Evanescence fans will be glad to hear that. Although the band's lineup has changed considerably since "Fallen," (bassist Will Boyd quit earlier this year), the music remains consistent.

"It's still, first and foremost, coming from my heart," Lee says. "But you can definitely say it's feeling different since Ben's leaving. The guitars are a completely new style. Terry rocks. It's innovative, but not so out there that you can't relate."

Many tracks on "The Open Door" explore the process of learning not to sacrifice yourself for the sake of love, something Lee says she's learned about in recent years. She doesn't regret sharing that experience with strangers, though it's odd to be looked to for advice at an age when most women are seeking mentors of their own.

"It's really wild. I never went into this thinking, 'I'm gonna set a good example,'" she says. "I started creating art because I was searching for answers, and it was that searching that led to my music. From a lot of my lyrics, I feel like I don't understand how people are really looking up to me. Because it's all questions.

"But I do encourage people to care. There's a lot of apathy in our youth. A lot of people living with situations they're in without doing anything about it. In the new album, I go for, 'What's the solution? How do I get out of this?' I'm hearing myself grow within the music and also personally grow."

Lee says she's always been an adviser of sorts.

"I think part of my job probably is counseling. I don't want to say more than I should. I mean, I don't have a medical degree. But I'm sort of a friend, like an advice columnist," she says. "In high school, I was the person a lot of people would come to, even people who didn't know me that well. They wanted to spend the night at my house and talk."

Despite that experience, it can be jarring to hear that her music has helped fans through their darkest times, even saving some from considering suicide. But Lee is glad to be there for them.

"It's important to let out what you're feeling, to tell somebody or write a song or write a poem, and read it to your class. Better to do that, rather than pretending it's fine and kicking yourself later," Lee says. "React to the world. The world is a scary place.

____

Question #1: Since when was Ben Amy's boyfriend? O.o

EDIT

Originally Posted by E!Online

Chasing Amy: Evanescence Caps Killers

10/12/2006 12:44 PM, E! Online
David Jenison

Evanescence is the Little Rock band with a big rock debut.

Despite a revamped lineup, the Amy Lee-led band still knows how to make an entrance as its sophomore album, The Open Door, shut on the Killers and topped the album charts.

The Arkansas-bred band's major-label debut, Fallen, sold nearly 14 million copies worldwide and became one of only eight albums ever to spend a full year in the Top 50 of the Billboard 200. Still, The Open Door, which features guitarist Terry Balsamo taking over for band cofounder Ben Moody, is the band's first chart-topper, selling 447,000 copies for the week ended Sunday, per Nielsen SoundScan numbers, outselling the Killers' sophomore release, Sam's Town.

With the new single, "Call Me When You're Sober," performing strongly on radio, The Open Door also went number one in Australia, Germany, Greece, Japan and Switzerland and Top 5 in over a dozen other countries. The disc opened at number two in the U.K., behind the Killers.

Powered by "When We Were Young," the first Killers track to top the Alternative/Modern Rock chart, Sam's Town finished second in U.S. sales with 315,000 copies. The follow-up to the 5 million-selling debut Hot Fuss was shepherded by legendary producers Flood and Alan Moulder and recorded at the Palms Hotel & Casino, making the Killers the first group to cut an album at the Sin City resort's new recording studio.

With Evanescence and the Killers debuting atop the album chart, and five newcomers in the Top 10, last week's 1-2 punch took a slide. Ludacris' Release Therapy fell five spots to number six, while Janet Jackson's 20 Y.O. dropped seven spots to nine.

George Strait's It Just Comes Natural opened at number three on 232,000 copies sold. The country music legend debuted at number one last year with Somewhere Down in Texas. Meanwhile, Beck's The Information moved nearly 100,000 copies to debut at number seven, while Monica opened at eight, selling 93,000 copies of Makings of Me.

The remaining Top 10 albums, all holdovers, included Tony Bennett's Duets: An American Classic at four, Justin Timberlake's FutureSex/LoveSounds at five and Hinder's Extreme Behavior in the 10 spot.

Just outside the Top 10, Aussie rockers Jet landed at 16, selling 51,000 copies of Shine On. The new disc is dedicated to the recently deceased father of band members Nic and Chris Cester.

Chris Young, the 21-year-old winner of USA's Nashville Star competition, sold 36,000 of his self-titled bow to open at 22, just a few copies more of the posthumous Ray Charles release, Ray Sings Basie Swings. Gospel star Fred Hammond opened at 29 with Free to Worship moving 31,000.

Finally, the Decemberists' major label debut, The Crane Wife, sold 26,000 to open at 35, marking the Portland band's best sales week and chart debut.

Other albums cracking the Billboard 200 included Wow Hits 2007 at 39, Robin Thicke's The Evolution of Robin Thicke at 45, SPM (South Park Mexican)'s When Devils Strike at 46, Big Boi cohort Sleepy Brown's Mr. Brown at 53, Skillet's Comatose at 55, Smokie Norful's Life Changing at 56, From Kumbia Kings to Kumbia All-Starz at 68, Pillar's The Reckoning at 70 and Pepper's No Shame at 96.

Meanwhile, Bruce Springsteen's We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions reentered the charts at 111 thanks to the release of the American Land Edition, which features bonus songs and videos. Likewise, with Walk the Line hitting HBO, the soundtrack reentered the charts at 123 and The Legend of Johnny Cash collection climbed 14 spots to 72 in its 50th week on the charts.

Here's a recap of last week's Top 10 albums:

1. The Open Door, Evanescence
2. Sam's Town, The Killers
3. It Just Comes Natural, George Strait
4. Duets: An American Classic, Tony Bennett
5. FutureSex/LoveSounds, Justin Timberlake
6. Release Therapy, Ludacris
7. The Information, Beck
8. Makings of Me, Monica
9. 20 Y.O., Janet Jackson
10. Extreme Behavior, Hinder