We had the pleasure to interview Madame Mayhem, a New York Rock icon who will be appearing in the second edition of Online Female Fest will take place on the 13th of May.

You can find below the poster of this year’s festival, announcing the performers who include, in addition to Madame Mayhem, Viktorie Surmova (Surma), whom we previously interviewed as well.

As for now, please enjoy this interview with the wonderful Madame Mayhem!


Interview

Hello Madame Mayhem. How have you been doing lately?
Hi! Fortunately I have been good, all things considered, thanks! 
It has been almost a decade since you released your debut record, ‘White Noise’. What would you say has changed in these 10 years about the Rock industry and the music industry in general?
I think this industry is constantly evolving with the times, as am I with my music. A lot has changed over the years and I am proud of the evolution my music has taken. 
You recently released a new single ‘Cruel Heart’. Are you planning for a bigger release, like an album or EP anytime soon?
Yes! “Cruel Heart” is out now! I hope everyone has a chance to listen and rock out to it! Planning to release a few more singles and then an EP or Full length album in the near future. 
Great!
You have been announced as one of the performers in the second edition of Online Female Fest. In your opinion, how important are these online events to keep the music industry going during these hard times?
I am very excited to be part of the second edition of Online Female fest! I think it’s important to give both music fans and artists something to look forward to, and enjoy. It’s a chance for performance and some sort of interaction and connection even if it is virtual. 
Do you think it’s important to have these establishments such as us, FemMetal or Online Female Festival that are dedicated just for women in the industry?
I think it’s wonderful and important. Having a voice for and spotlight on women in the music industry means a lot, because though over the years progress has been made, there’s still so much to do in not having the double standards that exist with men and women in this industry. So thank you for doing what you do! 
To get to know you from a different point of view, how about we play some nerdy game! I will ask you to imagine yourself in an alternate universe with certain differences from ours and see how you’d react. Ready?
Let’s do it! 
In a universe where you find a zombie apocalypse is taking place, would you be hiding in a safe house, out fighting the zombies, or already a zombie?
Assuming I missed the news that day and went out for snacks, paying more attention to the candy isle then my surroundings…. I would for sure be one of the early Zombies. 
In a universe where an evil dark lord with an army of goblins has invaded Earth and it was found that the goblins’ weakness is hearing heavy music, which Madame Mayhem song would you lead the charge against the evil forces with?
Awesome question! Definitely a mashup of “Something Better (Now You Know)” and “Stand up” 
Great songs!
In a universe where the senses of taste and hearing are mixed up, what food would Madame Mayhem’s music taste like?
A Sour Patch kid, where they are a kick in the teeth, but then sweet. Like the high energy and hard rock instrumentals of my music with the sweet melodies and harmonies incorporated in my songs. 
Nice!
In a universe where you pay for things by telling funny jokes, how rich would you be considered?
However much I could get for the perfect combo of sarcasm and dad jokes.
In a universe where time travel is possible, what time or era would you like to visit?
The height of the grunge to see Nirvana, Alice and Chains, and Soundgarden live right at their peak. 
Awesome days.
Thank you for playing! Hope you had fun.
That was fun! 
Have you ever faced some kind of sexism or discrimination? How did you deal with it? What advice would you give young people who face any kind of discrimination?  
Yes I have. Unfortunately I think it’s hard not to especially in this industry. People have said things like not accepting us to a festival because they already had like 2 female fronted acts, and it’s crazy because that festival also already has like 20 male fronted acts. Also, people assume all female fronted bands sound the same and try to clump us all into one genre. We all have different sounds and not all of us are in the same genre. And then there are even more uncomfortable situations. It’s hard to deal with and I think slowly but surely things are changing, but it’s important to stand up for yourself and try to change the narrative whenever possible. My advice is to remember that we are all stronger than we know and not to let things like that get you down and make you lose confidence. Make sure to never give up! 
Thanks for sharing this and thank you for the interview! It was a pleasure! 
Thanks for having me! Rock on! 

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Mirk Wood

I love good music and write about it sometimes.