In a detailed BuzzFeed interview, Amy Lee said Evanescence’s new album Sanctuary feels like a full-circle moment for the band. The record, which she said was written with fans in mind, nods back to the production style of Fallen and the sweeping strings of The Open Door, while still pushing the band into a new era. The album is built around a theme of hope across its 12 tracks.
Lee said the title track and the closing song “Wide Open Heart” both carry that hopeful message. “Sanctuary” reassures listeners that she is “with [us] all the way down,” while “Wide Open Heart” is framed around “facing the weight of the world” with an open heart. Her main idea is simple: keep moving, keep feeling, and do not let life harden you beyond repair.
The interview spent a lot of time on the band’s music video for “Who Will You Follow,” which Lee said made her happy because it was created with care. She described the project as a deep collaboration with director Jensen Noen and his team, and said the whole thing involved a huge crew, actors, and even rats. She called it, in her words, the band’s “best video yet.”
The rats became one of the video’s funniest behind-the-scenes details. Lee said they were added at the last minute because of a lyric in the song, but the idea expanded far beyond what anyone originally planned. She also said the set was especially memorable because live animals always make a shoot more chaotic and more fun.
Lee then broke down two of the album’s most personal songs. She said “Wide Open Heart” began in the spring of 2025 with Jordan Fish, Zakk Cervini, Troy McLawhorn, and herself, and that the song is about maintaining your identity and light while moving through the world’s hardships. She also said “Calm Down” is a “bitchy as hell” feminist anthem that she cannot wait to play live.
Part of what made the album click, Lee said, was working with younger collaborators who helped her hear the old music differently. She said Jordan and Zakk unlocked something in her and made her fall in love with Evanescence’s early sound again. That perspective made her feel that Sanctuary was not just a new album but a reminder of what the band has meant to fans for more than two decades.
She also reflected on the massive streaming milestone for “Bring Me To Life,” which has crossed 2 billion plays on Spotify. Lee called that achievement amazing and said it means a lot that people still connect with the songs she made as a young artist. She added that hearing new songs like “Who Will You Follow” encourages people to go back and revisit the early work, which makes her proud.
The conversation closed with Lee looking at the band’s history in a bigger way. She said Sanctuary is bigger than her alone and bigger than any one album cycle, because it is part of a long relationship between the band and the fans. Evanescence, she said, has become part of other people’s stories, and that is something she deeply values. The band’s upcoming tour begins June 11, giving all of that new material a live stage almost immediately.
