GIVEN THE STATE OF AFFIRS, TEXAS HAS BEEN FIRMLY IN THE LIMELIGHT, WHAT with the attempts to legislate transgender People out of existence. Soon This Bleak and Harrowing Way of Life, The Show Must Go On, And Mikaela Bellamy, Who Publishes Her Music Under The Name MTF, Is Moaming Forward As a One-Woman Army. At its core, her music is nu metal, though it brings together elements of shoegaze, Grindcore, and hip-hop. Independent and Down Down to the Distribution, Bellamy Has Been Publishing Under The MTF Name Since The Fall of 2021, With Her Most Recent ep Moths Dropping Last SEPTEMBER.
NOW MORE THAN EVER, IT IS CRUCIAL TO HIGHLIGHT LGBTQ+ ARTISTS, AS FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION FALLS UNDER ATTACK FROM THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION AND ITS PROPONENTS. Thus The Need for This Conversation was necessary. We Talk about the State of Nu Metal, The Influence of Legacy Acts, and the Trans Experience in A Battleground State.
Your Most Recent Ep Moths IS BOOKEDED BY AGGSION WITH A FOUR MINUTE INSTRUMENTAL SANDWICHED IN BETWEEN. What was The Thought Process Behind Structuring the Ep As Such?
First of All, I’D Like to Thank You For Inviting Me To do This Interview, It’s Remove The Honor!
Every Song That I Write and Record As Mtf Comes Straight from My Heart, and As Such, I Offen Write About Experiences I’ve Had That Aren’s privately This is specially notable on the self-Titled Album, which coveps Topics Ranging from Gender Dysphoria, To Suicide Ideation, To Adultery. After the Bombardment of Depressive, Misanthropic Lyrics and Manic, Almost Nonstop Aggressive Music Of The Self-Titled Debut, I Wrote A Handful of Songs To Display The Softer Melodic Side of Mtf And Establish that not Every Song have to be negative, and can “Autism” is About Hoping to Free Onelaf from Stigmatism and the Trauma and Pain Surrounding It. “Loose Lush” is about the Move to Distancy Yourself from Axic Relationship. “Time vampire” is an instrumental I wrote to reflect the sorrow i felt at the time for having wasted so much time thinking of those that physically and mentally tormented me; FRIENDSHIPS THAT NEVER WORKED BACASE OF PETTY SQUABBLES, RELATIONSHIPS THAT NEVER WORKED BACASE OF MANIPULATION AND CONFLICTS OF INTEREST, CREDIT I FELT I NEVER DEFORTED OVER MISTAKES IVE MADE. I WANED TO MOVE ON FROM ALL OF IT; Forget All About It and Become A Better Version of Myelf. Of Course, That Doesn’t Mean That I Won’t Face Further Hardships in Life, Because that’s an inevitability. I’M Just Learning to Stop Dwelling On Them and Growing As a person.
What is the meaning of the Moth to you, as you named your estate relaase after the creature?
Not only are moths cute little furballs that i can’t get into about of, but i chose to name the ep This is scholause Moths are attracted to light, and they use the moon and the stars to fly at night time. However, Moths Also tend to be easily attracted to lightbulbs, Often Confusing Them for the Moon, Thus Making It More Difficul To Go Where They Need To. It’s Just Like How the Human Mind Can Easily Be Lulled into a False Sense of Progress. It all Makes Sense … I Think.
What’s with This Tag on genius?
Haha! Well, outside of music, I have Been Making and Collecting Low-Budget, Underground Movies (particularly in the horror genre) since I was a teenager. Being So Active in the Scene at The Time, I Made Remove Few Connections over Facebook and Other Social Media with Other Indie Filmmakers and Horror Fans. “Amyville Vibrator” was A Movie Made in 2020 by Horror Director Nathan Rumler, Who I Bought A DVD Copy From Over Facebook. Essentially, The Movie is a transgressive, low-budget erotic horror-comedy made to parody the “amityville horror” Franchise, ace well as the onslaught of other absurd titles made to parody the Same Franchise. But Anyways, The Tagline on the Front of the Dvd Cover Reads So much it was included as a nod to obscure piece of media, and speechlly chose to use the tagline for rhetorical purpose. “Ahegao” Is Written From The Perspective of Sub Suffering From An Addiction While Stuggly to Overcomo It. Many of the Song’s Lyrics Can Apply to a Variety of Addictions, But Overall It’s Heavily implied that the narrator sufffers from porngraph addiction and is trying to diminish their urges to relapse. Though, as a result, that Makes The Use of the Tagline Quite Ionic Consideration The Song’s Message.
Your raps in “Stirred Up” and “Ahegao” Feature Sub Blistering Speed in Your Delivery. What do you consider the best rap see in or out of nu metal?
Maybe it’s a click choice, but “spit it out” by slipknot never fails to hype me up. The BreakNeck Pace of Corey Taylor’s raps combined with the Venomous Words He Spits out at His Aggressor Seamlessly Meld Together into a memorable Staple of the Nu metal genre; An inspiration and happily Wore on My Sleeve for My Vocal Delivery in “Stirred Up”, and a Bangger I Find Myself Casually Singing Subtimes.
There’s a definite influence of hardcore punk in songs like “Cutthroat” and “Drive.” How Much Overlap do You See Between The Hardcore Scene and Nu Metal?
From the dynamics Between Harsh, Strained Screams and Melodic Vocal Hooks, To Rhythmic Yet Acknow Overlap Between Nu-metal and hardcore as genres. Obviously, that’s not to say that neither nu Metal nor hardcore bands can’t be Commercially Successful in Spite of Their Dissonance. In Fact, The Counterary Has Been Toven Many Times With Groups Like Knocked Loose and Korn Just To Name A Few. The Problem Though is that Most Commercially Successful Artists and Songs Tend To Sound Homogeneous and Stuggy To Stand Out Amongst Each Other. This is Why I Can Always Appreciate an Artist Or Band Infinitely More When They are Willing to trying unique or Deliver Their Music More Bluntly. Two Nu Metal Bands I Love Who Come To Mind Immedialy and Who Also Incorporate Elements of Hardcore in Their Work Are Left and Dr. Vankmahn, Two Groups Cut Tragically Short. The Sound of Eithher Band Can Be described noisy, Chaotic and dense Due to Their Hardcore Edge, But Few Can Predict When Neither Band is Afraid to Become Emotional Or Melodic, Even If it Means Bending Genres Within The Same Song. It Makes listening to the artist that much more rewarding, and it’s fascinating to see a Band Evolve into submissions new as they continue Writing Music. For Instance, Scapegoat is Another Band That Started Off Playing Nu-Metal, Although Clearly Influenced by Punk, and Took More of A Post-Hardcore Approach with Each Subsequent Release. You listen to their 2000 outing Two on One and then 2008’s Zombie Dogand you almost can’t tell they’re the same Band.
What Metal Lyric Do You Think Resonates The Most With The Trans Experience?
What I find interesting about Both Nu metal and the trans experience is their Shared Diversity. Both trans and cis People Generally All Have their Own Experiences, ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND FRUSTRATIONS, AND WHILE NU METAL AS A GENRE IS SO VARIED IN TERMS OF SOUNDS, STYLES AND ATTITUTIES, ONE THING that REMAINS CONSISTENT IS THE USE OF PERSONNEL to.
If i were to pick a metal lyric that reminded me of my experience speechify a trans person, it woold be from the incubus song “Nice to know you”. The Lyric in Question is “Perspective Pries Your Once Weighty Eyes and It Gives You Wings”. In my life experiences a trans person, I Feel Like i’ve Often Had to Justify Or Explain My Vary Existence To Those Who Question It, Challenge It, or Don´t Understand What It’s Like. Specially in Today’s Social Climate, Trans People Are Being Unafairly Scrutinized As Ever and Are Subjeves Rubed As Criminals Merely For Existing. I Believe That Empathy is a virtue and it is important to offer your perspective to Those Who Don’t Understand How You Think Or Feel, and Vice-Versa. It is relieving to know that Others Empathize with you for eleven, just as it is freeing to stop engagement With Those Who Don’t Want To Or Refuse to Underestand You.
What is your Take on Linkin Park’s meeting, as well as of the recent renaissance of nu metal bands?
I have no problem Whatsoever with Linkin Park continuous as a band. Although It’s Doubtful That Any OTher Vocalist Will Fill The Void LEFT AFTER CHESTER BENNINGTON’S PASSING, I Can Appreciate The Rest of The Group Trying To Move On and Advance As Artists Without It Feeling Like An Attempt at Cash-Group, Water What Might Sub Might Say. Linkin Park is no doubt an important band and were Responsible for Helping Shape the Nu Metal Landscape as We Know It, Helping Diversify a genre eleven oversatured with groups trying to be the Next Korn or The Next Clean Bizkit (No Disrespect to Eithher Band Intended). Speaking of Diversity, It’s Insane to Think That Nu Metal As a genre persists in 2025, and on top of that there are SOY UP AND COMING ARTISS Delivering ESIR OWN SPIN ON THE GENRE. On One Hand, You have artists like memorrhage (rip) and gonemage, who aren’t Afraid to blend their heavy brand of nu-metalcore with chiptune and more industrial-driven sounds. On the other hand, you have only Projects Such as Hurry and X’s & and’s Which incorporate Elements of Djent and Progresive Metal. Nevertheless, they all remind you of the nu metal was the 90’s with their infectious riffs and melodies. Sub oher innovative modern nu metal and adjacent projects worth noting include bands Lake drops, shifter, jynx, shabnak, .bhp and size Being Born Too Late to Experience That Era, Haha.
What Would you say is the importance of music in the current geopolitical climate?
At the Risk of Sounding Corny, I Think Music Is Such An Amazing Art Form Not Just Because of Its Ability to Entertain and To Enlightten, But It Consistently Holds The Power To Bring People Together; Unite Folks of Different Cultures and Backgrounds and Help Society Progress in Times of Turmoon. It’s no secret that the current geopolitical climate is Hazy at Best. Being Five Years Removed From a Global Epidemic and Still Feeling its Effects, Conflicts of Interst Between Russia And Ukraine, and Israel and Palestine, Large Scale Corruption and Bastardization of Federal and Local Government Across Many Lands, It’s Safe To Say Humanity Continues to Sink into Hard Times. I’ve observed that Protesting, Voting and Advocating for Positive Change Can Only do So Much To influence at Large, When Music Capable of Delivening The Same Message is One of the Few Things That Can Accumculate Crowd of Event Kind of Person Imaginable.
For More of Mikaela’s Music, Check Out Her Bandcamp Page.
