Otep
by Arlan Hamilton for SuicideGirls (http://suicidegirls.com/)

Discovered in 2000 by Sharon Osbourne only a few shows after forming, OTEP was asked on the spot to perform at Ozzfest. The band was unsigned during its first stint on the tour, but made such an impression that it was invited to play two more years. After releasing two strong albums on Capitol Records and enjoying cult-like fanaticism, OTEP is back with a brand new album The Ascension , a new label, and a nationwide tour.

The band’s sparkplug of a lead singer Otep Shamaya is absolutely hypnotic, intimidating and seductive on stage. She’s equal parts roaring lion and slinking sex kitten, and all parts rock. I sat down with Shamaya at a Japanese restaurant on Sunset, moments before she hit the stage at her band’s sold out show in Los Angeles. I learned that I’d want Shamaya on my side if I were ever to get caught in a bar fight, find myself at a podium opposite any Republican, or forget the lyrics to any Mos Def song...

Arlan Hamilton: How has your day been?
Otep Shamaya: Hmm, it’s been kinda crappy. Went to the doctor today and found out I have a polyp on my vocal chords. It’s the first time it’s ever happened to me. I feel like superman just found out, ya know…
AH: Whoa, what are they going to do? Or what are you going to do?
OS: They want me to drop off the tour, but I can’t do that cause the record just came out. So, I don’t know. I think I’m going to maybe cancel one show after tonight [Ventura] and I got a shot of Cortisone which is making me feel loopy right now. And then tomorrow I have to go back and get another shot.
AH: Was that their only option for you, to quit the tour?
OS: Well yeah, that’s what the doctor wants me to do. But I can’t. So I just have to get some rest. And [the doctor] said for me to be kind to myself. But I’m not very kind to myself. That’s not how I think about myself. I mean art is three dimensions. It’s physical, it’s spiritual, and it’s mental. So it has to be all three things to me otherwise it loses purpose and I don’t understand it. So he’s telling me to take it easy tonight and that’s really going to be hard. I’m trying to figure out how to not lose myself in the songs, because that’s what I do.
AH: Did it hurt to sing during rehearsals?
OS: It started hurting on the road just a little bit.
AH: So when you’re really going at it, is it bad?
OS: Yeah, it hurts a little bit sometimes. But we’re just a couple of weeks into the record release so…
AH: Oh no, I understand. I just don’t want you to keep pushing it if it’s going to create a problem that’s more permanent in the future.
OS: That’s what my doctor said.
AH: I know you don’t want to disappoint people.
OS: That’s the hardest part. Just knowing that, [pauses] we’ll see. I noticed it in the last couple of shows, there was a difference. Your body tells you when something like that’s wrong. Even though I’m not like Pavarotti by any means, I can do certain things with my voice that not many other singers can do. Like I can rip two notes at once so that it sounds like I’m harmonizing.
AH: Whoa, that gives me goose bumps.
OS: Well, I haven’t been able to sustain that during shows like I normally can. And that’s when I really realized I should get my vocal chords checked. I’ve never had them checked before.
AH: You have to take care of yourself, because the people that matter will understand.
OS: Yeah but I don’t want to drop off the entire tour and[/] I don’t want surgery. Surgery can help, but I also know a lot of people who’ve had surgery and they can’t sing anymore at all.
AH: Well, it’s also a problem that can go away on its own, right?
OS: Yes! And that’s what [my doctor’s] hoping for. Just take a rest, and not talk unless I need to. Things like that. I’m quite loquacious so that’s going to be hard.
AH: You could put tape across your mouth and it could be a statement.
OS: Very good! I did that at a radio station once cause I didn’t want to talk to the DJ.
AH: [Laughs] That’s awesome.

[Interrupted for the fifth time in 10 minutes by our waiter who’s a bit upset that we’re only going to be having green tea and diet Pepsi the whole night.]

OS: I can’t eat right before a show.
AH: I’m assuming you’re a vegetarian [because of your animal rights activism.]
OS:I wish I were a vegetarian. I’m a reluctant meat-atarian. I don’t eat red meat but I do eat chicken and fish. I’m trying to phase that out. It’s purely for a social statement. I find that the murder of animals and the way that they do it—I mean if I was in the wild and I was hungry, I’m going for it. But there’s also the natural part of that hunt where [the animal] could get away or it could hurt me, so then it’s kinda fair. But these slaughter houses…
AH: I completely understand. You know this is kind of difficult because I have SO many questions I want to ask you, but I’m not sure what you’d be comfortable talking about.
OS: Do you mean about my sexual orientation? Cause I’m out.
AH: Oh, I know. I’d love to ask you things about that. I don’t think I’ve made it a secret that I [dig you.] I think my exact words on my website were, “I want to have sex with Otep Shamaya.”
OS: [Laughs] Yeah, I did see that, yes. It’s very flattering.
AH: Well, let me ask you some things that are more… appropriate.
OS: Ha, sure thing.
AH: Your band got started in 2000, right?
OS: Yeah, we were just a local band in the scene. Four or five shows into it, we got discovered right over there at the Roxy. Then we got signed.
AH: Wow. What were you doing before the band?
OS: I was almost homeless, just trying to find myself. Getting into trouble. Got kicked out of college. I was just trying to find my place in the world. I don’t know. I was trying to really discover what my purpose was and I didn’t know if it was going to be writing, or prison, or the army [laughs], or if I was going to become a political dissident…or an artist. I really wanted to be a writer. I wrote all the time, I drew all the time. Books and books of stuff. I still have them somewhere. They were these long diatribes about politics and some poetry. Some of it was shit[i/]. [Laughs] It was just my journey to self-discovery. The difference between then and now is that I edit myself a lot now because of course I’m conscious that people read and pry and note… and that’s hard because I’m a really private person.
AH: Yeah, I definitely get that about you.
OS: Yeah, ya know, and then we did Ozzfest in 2001. We didn’t even have a record out yet. I think we made a big impression on Ozzfest, but most of our fans I think have come from when we started touring around the country and from finding us online or through a lot of the things that I’m outspoken about. We share a lot with our fans. I try to include them in as much of the art as possible and try to promote creativity. I wasn’t around a lot of creativity when I was younger. So that was important to me. During that time when I was searching and alone I would have wanted to be a part of something creative. Even if it’s just anonymous on the Internet, I would have wanted to be part of something powerful and creative that would have made me feel unique. And that’s what we’re trying to do for people now.
AH: That’s really wonderful. And do you have lots of friends that are in the industry right now?
OS: Sometimes women get territorial which is always weird to me. I’ve met only a few [in the industry] who aren’t[/] like that. It’s funny because men try to hit on me, and some women are competitive with me. I definitely have friends in other bands. A lot of my friends are in separate areas of art.
AH: What do you think of other female fronted bands in your genre?
OS:You know, I wish them all well. I give them respect because I know what it’s like. I hope one day we’re all judged by the merit of our performance, and not necessarily on our biology.
AH: I was reading that your album was supposed to come out last March. What happened to have it pushed back for six months?
OS: We were on Capitol for two records. Then their parent company decided to shake the tree a little bit and they fired everyone. When the new people came in I said I didn’t want to work with them because they were inheriting our work and not passionate about it. Sometimes change is good. We found a new label now that’s an indie label called Koch, which I’m crazy about because they’re not caught up in all the major-label bullshit. The delay was due to all the executive negotiations that go on between lawyers and that takes a long time.
AH: Does Sharon Osbourne still support you and everything?
OS: I haven’t spoken to her for a while, but every time I’ve ever seen Sharon out we’ve always been on great terms. She’s done a lot of great things for music, and I’m friends with Jack and Kelly. So that’s cool.
AH: That’s awesome. You know, I was just thinking about your appearance on Def Poetry Jam and how incredible and intense that was. How was that experience for you?
OS: It was a much different animal than performing in a rock concert. When I walked out I’m tattooed and people were like, “What is she gonna do??” And you know hip-hop is my first love, so I’m like loving being around Russell Simmons, and Mos Def is one of my favorite MCs of all time. And I was gushing over him. But I felt a little alone. The other poets really didn’t include me. They did a prayer and didn’t invite me into it, ya know.
AH: That’s not very God-like.
OS: It’s not, and it’s not very poet-like either, you know? I thought we were an inclusive group but they kept going like, “Who are you? We’ve never seen you on the circuit.” And I kept telling them I was a singer in a rock band, you know. And at first they were like, “Well good luck with that.” So I walk out there and I do my rhyme and then there were people who were really impressed. And when Mos Def came out after me, he had a tear in his eye and he held onto my hand and he wouldn’t let it go. I walked backstage and all the poets were applauding.
AH: Wow, that’s nice.
OS: Yeah I felt really good about that. My old label didn’t really promote the appearance and so the only people who saw it were HBO viewers. I won that episode by about 70% of the votes. So it definitely ended in a positive way. I love the venue. It was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. I’d love to do it again.
AH: Yeah, when I put the clip of it on my site, I told my readers that even if they couldn’t for some reason get down with your music, they were going to be blown away by the spoken word that you do.
OS: That’s the next thing I wanna do. One of the good things about signing with Koch is that they’ve given me a side project that’s going to involve poetry and hip-hop. I really enjoy doing what I’m doing with the band, but there’s a whole other part of me that’s hungry that needs to be fed.
AH: You paint, you’re a writer, you perform. Do you feel like you’re jonesin’ if you can’t express yourself through art?
OS:Yes! And people don’t necessarily understand that about me. I should always be doing something purposeful, or it’s a waste of time. I could be doing something completely meaningless and just filling my cup with treasures and waiting for my last breath, or I could be out there doing something meaningful with life. I try to make sure that art always has a very strong place in my life and that I serve it as piously as possible through writing, recording, singing, performing, painting, whatever.
AH: Have you tried acting?
OS: I’ve done a little bit of acting. I enjoyed exploring acting very much. It’s a really interesting creative process to be able to pretend you’re someone else completely. I would love to do it again if I ever have the opportunity.
AH:After a show, are you completely drained or are you refueled by it?
OS:Depends on the show. Usually we end with the song “Warhead” which is a really loud angry political song against the Bush administration. So when I go off stage [after that it’s just best not to talk to me, because I’m still—it’s like I’m leaving a trail of fire behind me. It takes a minute to get those emotions out of my system.

UPDATE: Shamaya returned to her doctor a few days ago and was told that her polyp has shrunk drastically and she’s looking healthy and able to finish out the rest of her tour.

Visit the band at www.myspace.com/otep

web address: http://suicidegirls.com/interviews/Otep/