New Blood, Pure Steel: Why Fae Fatale Should Have Your Eyes & Ears
Song Review + New Artist Interview
We’re always here for fierce female vocalists — especially when their unclean vocals hit as hard as Fae Fatale’s. Known for nu-metal tracks like Lobotomy and Raw Meat, Fae is coming in hot with her latest track, Grim Reaper, paired with a haunting, cinematic music video. I first met Miss Fae Fatale on the set of House of Protection’s 'Fuse' music video, and from the moment we met, I knew she was the real deal — pure energy, charisma, and power. Lucky for me, she agreed to an interview, and here’s a glimpse into the mind behind Grim Reaper… helpful hint: the best way to read this is while listening to her music!
"In what ways did music shape you during your early years, and how has that journey brought you to where you are now?"
Music has always been a huge part of my life. I was born into a very talented family of musicians; with my dad and brother both being incredible in their own rights. Some of my earliest memories are of me falling to sleep while my dad played guitar. One of my favorite parts of visiting my parents' home to this day is listening to my dad downstairs playing guitar in another room as I fall asleep in my bedroom upstairs. I have always been a singer, songwriter, and I played the cello for a while when I was younger. Unfortunately, being a teenager and the pressure to feel accepted by kids in my schools pushed me away from my creative passions. I ended up taking a pretty long hiatus away from singing and performing; but you can’t fight what you truly love, and the calling was still there. In the last couple years I came back to it stronger than ever and took the steps to make it my career full time. It was actually after doing deep healing of my inner child that I decided to take this project to the next level. I do a lot of this for the dreams I had as a little girl and for anyone who needs the encouragement to follow their own dreams. I was bullied pretty badly throughout my life, and I really suppressed my creativity for a long time. Now, I’ve allowed myself to create freely and make the art I’ve always wanted to, and I couldn’t be happier. So much of this is for the little girl who thought she had to give up on her dreams and conform to a life she wasn’t happy living.
Photo By: Wayde Crawford IG: @waydecrawford
"Are there any role models or inspirations that have shaped you as a person or your art?"
I think they’re always changing but some of my biggest inspirations for this project have been Marilyn Manson, Alexander McQueen, and David Bowie. I draw a lot of inspiration from cinema and fashion and find so much of my creativity is rooted in old fashion shows I saw and horror movies I became enthralled with, like the 2018 remake of Suspiria directed by Luca Guadagnino. I didn’t realize until fully immersing myself into my artist career how much Lady Gaga had inspired me growing up and how deeply that impacted the art I make.
“Let’s get into the name Fae Fatale — what’s the story behind that choice?”
I always knew I wanted to create a world around my music and build a project I could perform with. I knew I didn’t want to go by my name everyone knew me as, and it took me years to decide on my stage name. Finally, I was inspired to use Fatale after stumbling upon the ballad, La Belle Dame Sans Merci, which translates to, “The Beautiful Lady Without Mercy.” It’s a Femme Fatale about a woman who lures men into the woods, seduces them, then tortures and kills them. It was instrumental in inspiring my name because the woman is considered to be “faery like” and “otherworldly.” This poem felt aligned with the world I wanted to build. It has featured many of the same themes I channel for my project including empowerment and duality. I lean heavily into my love for cinematic horror, writing with darker themes, and the idea that each of my songs are their own dark fairytales. Fae came from my middle name, which I dropped the consonants out of. I wanted to feel connected to my ancestors, divine feminine power, and my middle name happens to be my great grandmother’s. I had the name Fae planned out for years and was searching for the perfect secondary name to go with it. When I discovered La Belle Dame Sans Merci, Fae Fatale felt so aligned for what I wanted to create.
"Where does the drive you have now stem from, and how does it play into your music?"
Being the woman and artist that the younger me looked up to so I can be that inspiration, empowerment, and role model for someone else. I had a really hard time as a kid. I struggled immensely in elementary and middle school and was really badly bullied. I really looked up to my favorite artists and was incredibly empowered by them. Music was my escape and those artists provided me a world to immerse myself in. I hope by following my dreams and healing my inner child I can provide that for others too.
Photo by: Quinlyn Tosh IG: @quinlyntoshphoto
“We all hear the end product, but what does your creative process look like?”
It's a little bit different for each song and creative project, but I usually get my best ideas for a song while I’m out for a walk or on a nature drive. I try to do a long walk once a day and that’s usually where I get my first bits of a lyric or melody idea. From that idea I’ll try to see how much I can creatively get in the moment and record those all into voice memos. I think I have close to 1,000 voice memos at this point, all unnamed chaos really. I’ll go home and try to flesh out a whole song from the ideas I like the most. Then, I’ll bring the idea to my producer, Ryan Davis, and we’ll start the instrumental around it and rewrite and rework things together to bring it to life.
"How would you describe your music?"
I’d say my music is dark, cinematic, and empowering. I blend different genres of metal, industrial, and cinematic elements into a sound that’s both aggressive and haunting. It’s a journey for the listener.
Photo By: Wayde Crawford IG: @waydecrawford
"Right now, what’s the most important thing for you when it comes to your music?"
Having fun with my songs and allowing myself to just create freely. I don’t want to be boxed into a genre or only known as a metal artist. I write a lot of different genres and I want to explore everything, blend genres, write what I like, and make sick music with my friends. The most important thing for me right now is making sure I’m having fun with making the music, not overthinking creative decisions, and not getting in my own way because of over analyzing parts of the song.
"Beyond music, what else lights you up or keeps you inspired?"
I love cinema. I am so deeply inspired by different films for my art and I really want to one day screen-write, direct, possibly star in, and definitely score my own films. I really love working on sets. I love the process. From starting a teeny tiny idea, writing the whole thing out, creating the vision, building the props or bringing on friends to design the costumes with, to directing behind the camera, and then performing in front of it. There's something so exhilarating about bringing projects to life like that. I also have dreams of launching my own clothing line and curating my own runway shows. I used to be a stylist and work in fashion before shifting all of my focus to my music. I want to do it all honestly though. I love the arts and I love creative directing.
Fae Fatale is a busy woman — and it’s obvious from a mile away. I was beyond thrilled when she invited me to be part of her newest video, Grim Reaper — a dramatic, masquerade-themed haunt that brought together an incredible group of friends and creative talents. The energy in those halls was electric, with so many different backgrounds and personalities colliding in the best way. Watching Fae Fatale in action was jaw-dropping — she moved from corner to corner, making sure every detail was perfect and, most importantly, that everyone was having a great time. Her genuine spirit combined with her insane work ethic made this video shoot one of my all-time favorite experiences. Here’s a deeper dive into the track:
Photo by: Maya Holt IG: @mayapologies
“Of course, we have to start here — what was the story or feeling that sparked this new release?”
My own personal struggles with suicide and depression. I've honestly struggled with my mental health for as long as I can remember. Grim Reaper allowed me to be vulnerable with my depression and suicidal thoughts in a way I hadn’t before. It came from a really dark place and it turned out to be something beautiful. I hope others who are struggling can find comfort in the song and know they’re not alone.
“Does this song feel like a natural extension of your previous work, or did you decide to try something different this time?”
I actually wrote Grim Reaper before all of my previous songs that are out. I think thematically it feels aligned with my previous work but Ryan Davis and I restructured it to be more aligned with the current style of the music I have out now. It kind of lives in its own world and isn’t really similar to anything we have coming up.
“Could you walk us through the process of creating this song and give a shoutout to anyone who worked on it with you?”
This was the first song I’ve released with bringing in our friend Aaron Stechauner to play drums on it. Aaron’s an incredible drummer and having him play on the track was sick. I think having recorded drums mixed in with some programmed ones makes such a big difference for a song. I think we started recording him at 11 pm in his lockout studio. We all shot the sh--, talked about how we wanted the sections to feel, he played tons of cool sections for us all to choose from, and it was just such a fun process. We’re working with Aaron on more songs too so stay tuned for those! Aside from creating the song itself, the music video was its own magical process. Elena Lark designed and handmade a custom ballgown for me based on my concept, Sarah from Labyrinth at the masquerade ball meets the gothic Victorian of Nosferatu. We spent one morning in the garment district of downtown Los Angeles, selecting each and every fabric and trim for the gown. In just 36 hours, Elena hand-sewed the entire dress. The night before the shoot, she came over for the final fitting in my apartment. Elena is incredibly talented, and the intricacies of the dress are absolutely breathtaking. Seeing it on for the first time left me speechless. It was a truly magical experience, and I’m so grateful I got to work with her on this project.
Designer: Elena Lark
“For you personally, what is your favorite part of the song or favorite section to create?”
My favorite part is actually the little vocal melody that repeats throughout the song that is the “ah” version of the line “I’ve got a crush on the grim reaper.” I was lying on Ryan’s couch with the mic cabled all the way over from his desk to me to track the demo vocals. I recorded the vocal melody as a happy accident and we ended up keeping that original take in the final song.
“"We all get to hear the finished version of Grim Reaper, but what was it like getting there? Any struggles while making the song?”
I think the biggest struggle was reworking parts of the song and structure to align with Ryan’s and I style for my current sound now. We both have evolved so much as artists and our tastes have changed as we’ve progressed with our craft. I’m a much stronger vocalist and writer now than when I wrote Grim Reaper, so it was a challenge figuring out how to restructure and rewrite some things to make sure I upheld the integrity of the song but also brought it to the level I hold my newer work to.
BTS Photo by: Maya Holt IG: @mayapologies
Fae Fatale’s growth is undeniable, and we’re lucky enough to catch her in these early stages. Grim Reaper has been on absolute repeat for me, comfortably nestled between Sleep Theory and Holywtr in my "On Repeat" playlist on Spotify. While Raw Meat is my go-to track when I’m ready to get amped up, Grim Reaper has quietly become a daily ritual. Fae Fatale’s ethereal voice paired with the catchy melody will have you humming it all day long. In fact, that’s exactly what happened during the shoot — during quiet moments, at least two people were humming or singing the song. "It’s SO good" became one of the most frequently heard phrases that day.
To wrap things up, I wanted to ask Fae Fatale about the future — because we’re all curious about what’s coming next after this track. Here’s a glimpse into what we can look forward to:
"What’s next for you? Any big surprises coming down the pipeline?"
I have some really fun songs we have planned to release that are unannounced still. I am in the works of getting things in order to release my first merchandise line that I worked with my graphic designer, Nicolas, to get ready to put out into the world. I also have some exciting creative collaborations I am about to unveil too!
"What’s the next milestone you’re aiming for in your journey?"
My next goal is to start doing live shows and eventually touring. I have a lot of songs written that we are finishing up and I am dying to start performing them all. One of my biggest main goals for my career is to tour, headlining my own shows, and headlining festivals one day.
"Do you feel like there’s a final goal to reach, or do you see this as a forever dream with no real end?"
This is absolutely a forever dream. Even though I’ve been working behind the scenes for years on my voice, my songwriting, this project and spent my whole childhood singing; I’m really only just getting started. I only released Lobotomy August 2024; so it hasn’t even been a year since launching this project. I love music, I love writing, I love singing, I love performing, I love directing, and really anything creative. As long as I can keep making the music I love and the art that makes me feel alive; I’ll do this until the day I die.
“Any final words for your day-one fans?”
Growing a fan base has been so surreal. I feel like the luckiest person in the world. I have the most incredible, supportive, and loving fans. I honestly can’t thank them enough. They inspire me in a lot of ways and I’ve made some incredible friends along the way. I have so much I have been working on that I am so excited to share with them!
The way Fae Fatale opened up during this interview only heightened my excitement for what’s to come. Like you, I learned so much about Fae — both as a person and an artist. Be part of her rise to success by streaming her latest release, Grim Reaper, now available on all platforms — and don’t miss the hauntingly beautiful video HERE on YouTube!