How do you make someone like RØRY? Inspiration from goth-rock icons, songwriting geniuses and untethered creatives is a good start…
By now, everyone should be well aware of the inspirational story of British alt. star RØRY, and everything she’s done to get to this point. But who are the bands and artists that have shaped not only her sound, but how she approaches art, music and performing as a whole? Let’s find out…
“Evanescence were one of the first bands I ever saw live – [2003 debut] Fallen had just come out and they were playing in Wolverhampton. I had a friend on an internet forum who I went with; it was actually a dance forum but me and him were the secret emos, so we decided to go together! Looking back I had no idea that I would end up being a musician, but even then I still wanted to be Amy Lee – I stood there going, ‘Wow, this is both beautiful and heavy, and it makes me want to cry.’ They’re a huge musical influence and a reference that we use in the studio, and I’m 100 per cent going to see them again when they tour this year!”
“He’s a songwriting god! Something Corporate were my absolute favourite band, and they always felt like the best-kept secret in music. They didn’t quite achieve the same fame as other artists, but for me nothing hit harder than [2002 album] Leaving Through The Window. Andrew was so honest and clever in his songwriting, and he was a genius in his ability to tell the truth. I was a fan before I ever saw myself as a musician – I was a struggling teenager who really found something magic in his melodies and lyrics. Nowadays, even though I’m writing rock, it’s very lyrics-driven and I do try to draw from that place of brutal vulnerability, and so I hope that that’s a tiny little sprinkling of Andrew McMahon in there.”
“I remember an interview where she’s talking about her alter-ego and why she became Halsey, and she said it was because she didn’t think Ashley [Frangipane, her real name] deserved to be famous. It’s not the most healthy advice (laughs), but I had the same thing: I thought, ‘Roxanne doesn’t deserve to be famous, and I need to become somebody else.’ I saw this person who spoke a language that I understood from this place of self-hatred, and you create a person that you don’t hate, and who might be able to carry your dreams into fruition. And I’m very glad I have an alter-ego, because I need it to step onstage – otherwise it’s petrifying! I’m glad I’ve had that kind of psychological tool and dreamt up a character who was cool and talented, and felt really good when they dressed up. There was a huge gap between me in my day-to-day and this RØRY character, but as the years have gone by, that gap has gotten a lot smaller.”
“I love her, because she’s given people permission to change lanes. I was aware of her in the zeitgeist when it was more of an internet thing, but then she released a metal album and I was like, ‘Whoa!’ I was so enamoured by it and I just didn’t expect it. Since then she’s grown and grown, and become an icon in the heavy music scene – she’s gone from making these YouTube videos to being an actual rock star, and it’s that permission to be both things. And then, on another level, I’ve loved watching her develop her screaming. It made me believe that I could do that too, so I’ve been taking screaming lessons with Cornelia from VOCALS ROCK for the past six months. Poppy’s just freaking amazing, and seeing her onstage with Linkin Park blew my mind as to what someone can achieve – she’s opened a lot of doors, and it’s very inspiring.”
“My bassist Pete Daynes also works with Architects – he was talking about them and I thought, ‘Oh wow, their world sounds really fucking cool.’ I went back and listened to [2021 album] For Those That Wish To Exist and then went even further back, and something just clicked. I thought, ‘This is fucking amazing, and this guy’s unreal.’ It was like my entire world shifted from coming from a place of pure melody and emo to hearing how you can access this anger and rage, and the depth of pain that you can’t access through just singing. And also Sam who is this rock star, this incredible heavy metal guy, he’s the most human, nicest, down-to-earth person. I lost my voice at the start of my tour and Pete texted Sam about it, and he sent back the nicest message you could ever imagine. I was like, ‘Sam Carter knows who I am, and is giving me vocal advice?!’ He’s the nicest guy ever.”
This interview originally appeared in the spring 2026 issue. RØRY appears at Download Festival next month.
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