WOMEN OF COLOUR IN METAL MUSIC: A VERY NECESSARY THREAD
Greetings, metalheads! Despite rock's distinctive black roots, metal is sadly mostly remembered for white guys. But they ain't the only ones in the scene so I shall show you some WOC kicking ass! Hop on this ride with me
So yeah guys. Gonna start bringing my Twitter magnum opus here, considering I might delete if they go through no longer allowing us to opt out of having out tweets scraped to train Aye Eye. This will take a while, but I think it will be worth it to have this content elsewhere in the internet.
Some disclaimers:
-Neither the pic nor the thread aim to be exhaustive, but I'll try to include as many as I know & find! So suggestions are more than welcome!
-I'll include white-skinned latinas, because they're not considered lily white by North Americans & Europeans.
Also: please don't say "why does it matter that they're WOC, what matters is the music!". Unless you actively seek marginalized musicians, what comes to you is inevitably mostly white, so it does matter. If you dislike the focus, see this just as any recs to check out! Let's go!
For starters, the one whose brand new album inspired me to start this thread!
Name: Cammie Gilbert
Race: African-American
Instrument: vocals
Acts: Oceans Of Slumber
Genres: doom, gothic
Check if you like: Paradise Lost, Moonspell, early Anathema, Katatonia
This is a single from their awesome just-released self-titled album, in which like other albums since she joined the band she's a main composer! It's available on Spotify! Please stream!
OCEANS OF SLUMBER - A Return To The Earth Below
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eR5x8NNHy4o&feature=youtu.be
I'll prioritize original music here, but this is one of the most haunting covers I've ever heard & I do feel the need to share it. And in this political climate? Shivers all over. Sad it isn't included in the new album.
OCEANS OF SLUMBER - Strange Fruit
Oh almost forgot: this thread is also available as playlists in order to facilitate your life!
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLI686C4CezE9TlpQFq_P_Cu-jeD38CBnC
Now girls bringing to the same concert middle aged metalhead men & teen girl pop fans
Names: Yui Mizuno, Suzuka Nakamoto, Moa Kikuchi
Ethnicity: East Asian (Japanese)
Act: Babymetal
Instrument: vocals
Genre: power, kawaii (yes)
Check if you like: Stratovarius, Dragonforce, kpop (yes)
For those wondering, the girls are now 25-27, but Babymetal began in 2010! It's a deliberate fusion of metal & Japanese idol music. None were familiar with metal before, so much that when they were asked once to '
In October 2018, Yui had to leave the band due to health reasons. In April 2023, Momoko Okazaki (a back-up dancer), joined the band as the third core member, under the stage name Momometal.
I feel sorry for every dudebro refusing to give them a shot. Just watch this. They don't do playbacks (Asian idols usually don't, their training is surreal, look it up) & their accompanying band SLAPS
BABYMETAL - Road Of Resistance (live In Japan)
Found this gem these days. Give her all the streams, she deserves it.
Name: RISH
Ethnicity: Black African (Kenya)
Act: solo
Instruments: vocal, guitar
Genre: errr it's rock/metal with some jazz & soul & pop to it? Hard to pin down
Check if you like: female fronted symphonic, indie
This doesn't have guitars and bass and all that metal, but it's my favourite by her & it has some melodic elements familiar to symphonic metal so it's my pick. She has too few songs!! I NEED MORE!!!
Hier ist ein Song für Dich… Be Free von RISH
https://open.spotify.com/track/0wAHDS12zTMjirPlhezemk?si=9qqcWDqwTp2RYCbmqbf4lg
This one is a big crush of mine ngl and her vocals /deliver/. I mean, she has a bachelor degree in opera singing!!!
Name: Mizuho Lin
Ethnicity: Asian-Brazilian
Act: Semblant
Instrument: vocals
Genre: gothic, melodic death, power
Check if you like: Moonspell, Draconian, Delain
I gotta make a disclaimer though. This thread started in 2020, and, when bolsonaristas rioted in the Brazilian Congress and Supreme Court in January 8th 2023, Mizuho Lin turned out to defend them. She was later fired from the band.
I'll keep her in the thread and playlists because Semblant's music doesn't reflect her anti-democratic views, but I thought y'all might be interested in knowing that unfortunate information.
I SAW HER LIVE WITH KAMELOT!!!
Name: Melissa Bonny
Ethnicity: Afro-Swiss
Instrument: vocals, growls
Acts: Ad Infinitum, MalefistuM, Evenmore, Rage Of Light, The Dark Side Of The Moon
Genres: symphonic, folk, power
Check if you like: Kamelot, Eluveitie, Within Temptation, Amaranthe
Melissa Bonny has been singing since she could walk or smth but her first band was Evenmore, joined in 2012. Folk metal af.
EVENMORE - The Ride Begins
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WA2sQdPQU-E