Evanescence went from being a little-known Little Rock, Arkansas act to one of the biggest rock bands in the world in 2003.

Then, in the midst of their growing popularity, guitarist Ben Moody quit, almost a decade after he and Lee started the band. Bassist William Boyd departed this summer.

“I kind of started over,” Amy Lee, the lead singer of Evanescence, told andPOP at the MuchMusic Video Awards this summer. “I feel really good and purified right now.”

With the lineup change came a new method of writing as well, as Lee and Moody used to co-write. On “Anywhere But Home,” the band’s second album, due out in October, Lee was on her own.

“I’ve gained a lot of confidence from when we were writing the first album. I listen back and I hear vulnerability and I hear me as a kid, like ‘everything’s wrong and I’m not going to do anything about it.’ And now I kind of am coming from this perspective of, yes, these are the things that are bothering me and I’m writing about them, but I’m looking for a solution and trying to fix it instead of whining about it.”

Like any artist releasing a debut album, Lee had no idea what was in store for her when “Fallen” was released in March of 2003. As it turned out, the album sold over 14 million copies worldwide and earned the band two Grammy awards. And while some artists may let the success get to their heads, Lee appears more confident and more humble.

“It’s really important not to base success on album sales and money,” she said. “I love what I do and I love my record and I love my first record and that’s what matters.”






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