Your Iconic Image : When Women Rock : Disney to Death Metal

My name is Haydee Irizarry, lead vocalist of Carnivora, solo artist at Zahra Lux, and designer at Haus of Zahra Lux (custom leather and paintings).

Haydee Irizarry studied jazz, classical and contemporary music at Berklee College of Music where she also became lead singer of the metal band Carnivora. Irizarry composes under the name Zahra Lux, offering the listener a glimpse into her soul/R&B side.

www.haydeeirizarry.com

https://carnivora.bandcamp.com/

https://zahralux.bandcamp.com/

www.marlanasemenza.com

Audio : Ariza Music Productions

Transcription : Vision In Word

Marlana

Haydee Irizarry is a musician and artist. She studied jazz, classical and contemporary music at Berklee College of Music, where she also became the lead singer, the middle band carnivore. Welcome, Haydee!

Haydee  

Hi, thank you for having me.

Marlana

So, what brought you into music in the first place?

Haydee  

Well, when I was growing up, I went to a Lutheran grade school. And I was surrounded by music and this gorgeous piano that my teachers were using and that connection to reading hands every week and seeing that instrument, just shine, sparks something really special in me. And that's how it began as a three.

Marlana

Okay, which explains a lot knowing and seeing your range. So how did you go from church music to metal band?

Haydee  

Well, oddly enough, so yeah, starting from three, you know, for my fourth birthday, I was like, I want a piano. And I spent four years from there working on, you know, the hymns and everything. But I wrote in my journal, at eight years old, I want to be a rock and metal singer. So somewhere along the line, and I remember listening to contemporary music, and be like, what's that? That's really cool. Okay, that's the next thing I want to pursue now. So since then, I searched for avenues that would allow me to pursue contemporary music, like the School of Rock, and just listening to albums that were a little bit heavier than, you know, your average him. My favorite hands were always the one and minor anyways, the darker ones.

Marlana

So, because I've seen you literally within a fraction of a second go from singing, Disney and sounding like a Disney princess to death metal, which was amazing to me, because your range is outstanding, your talents are amazing. When you do that, do you have to shift gears in your head as well? Like, is there a process to that?

Haydee  

Absolutely! Those two different vocal tones come from different mechanisms of the voice. And it has been trained to be an immediate switch. You know, when I was starting, you're figuring out where the proper placement is. But you know, over time with the music that I've done over the years, that switch has become effortless, but it's definitely coming from a different place that needs to be supported very well. Or else it's, you know, vulgaris forever

Marlana

Did you have to? Or, what was the process to learn that, to learn where those different sounds came from, and how to make them?

Haydee  

The process began actually when I was in college at Berkeley. There are a lot of ensembles that supported metal music there. There's a heavy metal opera, metal ensembles, and that I really wanted to pursue, and I saw that as an opportunity to grow in that sound. So honestly, a lot of YouTube and trial and error. Now, the learning is everywhere. But at that time, it did seem more minimal. Like there's the Zen of screaming and YouTube video. So, it was a lot of trial and error for myself because everyone's body is different, and you literally cannot see what's going on, you can really feel it. So, it was a big learning curve. For me.

Marlana

Were there people that you in particular would try and emulate? 

Haydee  

Oh, absolutely. At the time I was, I am still a big fan of Elisa Y Plus from Arch Enemy, but she was in the Agonist, and I really loved her range as well. I was just me, how do I get that low full sound? How do I get that high kind of like screechy sound, but with it being still full. And then Tatiana from Ginger was being influenced and an Angela the original singer of Arch Enemy, or the second singer of Arch Enemy. Yeah, big fans.

Marlana

Let's say with bodybuilders, you start off and you can lift a small amount, and then as you keep going and going, you can lift more and those muscles get stronger. Is it the same with singing?

Haydee  

Oh, 100%. That's actually how I describe it all the time. But it is like, because these are muscles, and in order to grow more muscle, you need to tear and then repair it and grow upon that. So extremely Yeah, when I was first started doing that death metal style, or when anyone first started, they really should only do what I would say is the equivalent of equivalent of like a five-pound weight. And for a short amount of time, you know, just pure vowels, and then just getting the sound first. And then from there, you can do a single word, and then go from there to two words. So, it definitely is like, very similar progression to I would say, bodybuilding.

Marlana

And you mentioned in there that, you know, it's a tearing down and building up process. And I know with bodybuilding, there is that kind of ripping the muscle, so to speak which frightens me when I think about using that same analogy for muscles in your throat. But, is it the same?

Haydee  

I have to be honest, my journey with it did feel kind of similar. It wasn't structured by a professional. At the time a developing professional on I was doing a lot of trial and error, like taking my skill set from standard singing and seeing how it applied. And there are a lot of mistakes that people make along the way. But I learned from that. And with my knowledge, I understood like, oh, I made that mistake here. I'm going to pause, rest. And try it again when it's appropriate. Because you're not going to get it right the first time. So that was something that I was so passionate about doing that I was okay. Going through that trial and error, I really felt in my heart like I wanted to pursue that. And I had a lot to say with that part of me in that voice. So, to me Yeah.

Marlana  

You know, here's the interesting thing to me, because I've heard you sing Frank Sinatra. I know you do jazz. What's your favorite?

Haydee  

My favorite? Oh, honestly, right now, my favorite is blues, and jazz. I love it. And as I'm getting older, my voice is changing and becoming more mature. And I feel really good singing that style of music and growing it and get it because oddly enough, while I was at Berkeley, you know, they're very contemporary jazz school, I went the opposite route learning something really aggressive. So, I'm kind of circling back to that and finding flavanone What about a dealer? I love how vibrant it is, and colorful and the lyrics are fun. And the music is fun. I like you know, big fan hits and just being a little bit more theatrical in that way. You know, do you think

Marlana

it's important to because you kind of mentioned that your voice is changing, and your kind of leaning into that. Do you think that it's important to recognize that about ourselves? As somebody's voice changes or something to it may lend itself to a different style. Do you think it's important to kind of explore those things and lean into them?

Haydee  

Oh, absolutely. I'm doing that currently. So, over the pandemic, I close the chapter and one of the bands that grew my death metal stuff. out averse. And I created what I feel like is a stunning album with them. But I was listening to my heart, I was like, I don't feel like I need to do this particular style anymore. I need to trust myself and see where this new journey is taking me. And making that decision, even though it was bittersweet, it has only been fruitful and brought me joy. You know, the last thing I wanted was to not feel inspired with music. And that is a disservice to the folks that you're sharing those songs with. So, I would say absolutely follow that. And, you know, never burn any bridges. Just follow your heart and trust that it's going to be exactly what you want it to be.

Marlana

You know, and I think a lot of people miss that, in the sense that art in so many things is a journey. If you look at Picasso and where he began versus where he finished, two very different places. So, it's leaning into what we're inspired by and where our accounts take us. Because I know you're up in the Boston area, what's the music scene like in that area?

Haydee  

It's a very diverse, especially having a school like Berkeley around. There are venues everywhere. They're scattered about, but the music that's being performed is a high quality. And that's very special for the community of Boston to have a gift like that. There are underground punk and metal and slushy Dumi bands and all sudden, there's more posh jazz trios at the cocktail clubs there. You could just find anything if you really, really look for it. I think it's great. You know, I've been happy with it so far.

Marlana

What's been the best part of the journey and the hardest part of the journey so far for you?

Haydee  

Of being a musician? The best part of the journey I would say, have been the people that I've met. You know, I think they're also amazing and talented. Like I'm very grateful to meet so many different types of artists doing what I do. sound engineers, makeup artists, models, photographers, videographers, painters, seamstresses, you know, everything that involves the visual arts that all of it I need in my life, you know, so these folks come into my life and they're just so inspiring. So that has been a blessing. The hardest part is always just keeping the faith knowing that you are doing something beautiful and meaningful. In times of these my cat. 

Marlana

I heard those little feet Coco cute!

Haydee  

She wants to be in the hardest part. What is the hardest part just for her? It's me being away. But the hardest part is Yeah, keeping them safe and knowing that what you're doing is meaningful and contributing to society and not letting anything get you down. You know, those instances happen in their own ways. But they get easier and easier to just dodge. They really do. When you love something so much, it's just like, oh, it's past. You know? That's my answer.

Marlana

So, when you create a song or anything, even a piece of art, do you create it for you or do you create it for potential commercial gain?

Haydee  

Well, I'd definitely start with something that I'm feeling internally even though you know, in school, I studied oh, we need to make Commercial Music for this cat food company. There is that mindset of it, but my songs have always just been about feel and how I feel in the moment and what the song is telling me. And what I like to hear. So that probably leads into the commercial aspect. Like, I listen to what's going on. And I think what I want to hear this is this a melody that, you know, makes me happy perform that someone will be excited about. But as you know, with carnivora my ban now, I am starting to think about that accessibility, but not in an overly I don't know, commercial business. Just this catchiness, you know, fun, what's going to be a hook that's going to make us all excited. And make the listener be like, I love that part of the song. I want to have it in my kitchen while I'm doing the dishes, you know, getting better with that.

Marlana

How do you get eyes on you? How do you promote yourself?

Haydee  

As an artist? 

Marlana

Yeah w

Haydee

Well, there's so many different avenues and you know, I have my online presence, which is a really big factor for a lot of artists, you know, making video clips, reels, you know, cover videos on YouTube, any way to get your stuff out there. Visually, online has been a big thing for me signing up for opportunities, like modeling for club, my friends clothing company, or, you know, helping out here and there. And playing shows, obviously, you know, really getting out there is the most important part, booking gigs, showing up to support other artists see what's going on is really important. And most recently, I got a job in the Boston Arts community. So that has been huge for me to need a more artists and just being around seeing what's going on. There's so many different ways to approach it, and everyone is different. So, whatever makes you feel the most comfortable, but yourself. Yeah, I would say is how you get yourself out there. Just always create and always be a supporter of the creative arts. 

Marlana

I don't think a lot of people get that aspect of it also, because so many people look at things where it's a sense of competition, or a scarcity mentality that if somebody is doing something or even from a sense of comparison, I'm going to compare myself to this one or compare myself to that one, but there's so much to be gained by seeing what other people are doing and supporting other people in what they're doing.

Haydee  

Absolutely! Yeah. That was a big lesson for me at Berkeley because there was this overflow kind of, in a way kind of too much. Stimulation overload. There's so many opportunities to support everyone. It was kind of a balance, figuring out that balance for you. But that it's yes, it's  extremely important to just show up and not see it as a competition because that's not what it's about, you know, music. That's not what it's about. It's about it in being inclusive. And I think about that very often. Now, how I can be more involved in the in supporting others Yeah,

Haydee  

do you believe in the together we rise mentality? That you know, if the community helps one another? 

Haydee  

Yeah, of course, especially being a woman, metal, and rock, we're rising. Everything I see there's just another badass woman coming out of nowhere and I'm like, Yes, that's great. Wow, that's amazing. I love it, I love to see it. I love to see what they're wearing, you know, like, Oh, that's a great outfit, I love to see, you know, what their voice, their messages, and what they're trying to do with their artistry. I think it's amazing. And I do. Yeah. I love that.

Marlana

Because I feel like the presence of women in rock overall has been minimal, and over the years it's seeming to be shifting. Do you think that was for lack of interest in it by women? Or do you think it was lack of opportunity?

Haydee  

I would say definitely not lack of interest. Because women have been doing this for a long time, I would say, you know, lack of opportunity and a way to see for people to see it, you know, in the mainstream and regularly. Because I feel like a lot of new women were underground and trying to find a way to get seen. You know, when people talk to me about being a metal vocalist, they're like, I just haven't seen any of this. And it's because it's not really in the forefront. You know, you have to do a lot of digging, or be at that place at the right time. Which, you know, goes back to showing up. Yeah. Who's on this bill tonight at the bar across the street? You know?

Marlana

Yeah. Nice! I know that you work both with the band, but you also do a lot of solo work. How is it different? What do you gain from one versus the other?

Haydee  

So, the band fulfills that dream of mine, that eight-year-old dream, I want to be a rock and metal singer, you know, surrounded by distorted guitars and just delays and grooving drums and you know, low end. I love that. Because that's not something that I'm going to create on my own. I need that community of my guys to combine all of our different influences into something that's unique to us, but in a genre that we all love, extremely. So that is different and unique in itself. And I'm like, extremely blessed to be in that setting. But the solo stuff, is everything around that dream. It's another part. It's the classical music that I grew up loving. It's the jazz music. It's the blues music that I grew up listening to with my mom. It's those inspirations and those dreams that I also want to happen, why to nourish, but are more way more personal. And I believe limitless. So, I'm excited to have created a name called Zahra Lux, which is what I put my solo stuff on her to be that creative person and see where I can go with it. So, it's anything and everything I want.

Marlana

So as a musician, what would you like to be known for other than I have to say, if you ever watch honey perform live any kind of rock or metal or whatever, her hair is a whole thing. She really needs a t shirt that says, you know, stand back six feet or what because it's a weapon.

Haydee  

That's...