In this interview, Shay, the powerful female voice of Friday Dies, opens up about “I’d Rather Trust a Stranger,” sharing the personal experiences, resilience, and raw honesty behind her intense vocal performance.
1. “I’d
Rather Trust a Stranger” feels deeply personal. What was the moment you
realized this story needed to become a song rather than remain private?
My story
was always going to be told. I knew that when I was just a young teenager.
Privacy only shields the people who do harm, speaking out shakes them to their
core because as a victim I was supposed to be voiceless. By using my voice and
telling my story I strip off the victim uniform and I pack up the uniform and I
send them back to their rightful owner.
2. You’ve
described the track as confronting betrayal from institutions and family. How
did you balance emotional honesty with artistic control while writing the
lyrics?
I don't
engage in artistic control. I say what I want.
3. Your
vocal performance sounds intense but very measured. How did you approach
delivering such heavy subject matter without losing precision?
I’ve spent
my whole life speaking in measures while executing emotional tsunamis. I
honestly don't know how to do it differently, its likely some survival tactic I
picked up along the way.
4. The
line about trusting a stranger is powerful. What does that statement mean to
you today, beyond the pain that inspired it?
Strangers
have been the ones who came to stand by my side when life threw me curveballs.
People who had no reason to help me have been very often the ones who saved my
life. Humans tend to take the past and move forward with knowledge and the
knowledge I gained was there are good people in the world but they aren't
always the ones who are supposed to be. In my story those roles got flipped. I
don't trust strangers is the funny thing, I'd just rather trust a stranger.
5.
Friday Dies carries an old-school metal backbone. How did you carve out your
vocal identity within that gritty, resurrected sound?
That was
tricky...we often joked that I sounded like a princess singing about very non
princess things. My voice I think has even evolved since then, more confident,
more direct. But at recording I was still finding my footing and I’m happy it
was captured that way.
6.Did
recording at TRAX 52 influence the way you approached the performance
emotionally or technically?
Recording
at Trax 52 did influence me. I was surrounded by true professionals and it
brought about this very driven part of me to work hard. I was inspired by the
whole process and I have to attribute to them (both Friday Dies and Trax 52)
the maturing and growth I’ve experienced as a vocalist.
7. There’s
anger in the song, but also resilience. Was it important for you that listeners
hear both?
I emote
when I speak or sing. I didn't plan the emotions that came through I felt them.
8. Many
people raised in unstable systems may relate to this track. What do you hope
they feel when they hear your voice on it?
I hope they
know that someone else survived it. Survival is possible and that their life isn’t
defined by that short period of time. I hope they know someone cared enough to
reach for them, because that was my true mission, to reach for them with music.
9. As a
female vocalist in a traditionally male-dominated metal space, does bringing
this kind of vulnerability feel like a statement in itself?
Haha, yes. I’m
sure it is. I think metal is about saying what no one else is willing to. I did
that even if the delivery was very unique. I think they will have to listen to
what I’ve said not how I’ve said it. I have also been met with a lot of support
in the live scene and for that I’m thankful. Madonna once released an interview
about her song "Like a Virgin" she said it had nothing to do with
sex. It was about being new to the music scene. I can very much relate to that.
10. Now
that the song is out in the world, does performing it feel cathartic,
confronting, or something entirely different?
I just hope
someone who needs a lifeline hears it and it centers them in some way so they
can keep going. That’s all I’ll ever be doing in this world, reaching for the
ones who think no one cares and showing them someone is out there hoping
they'll be ok.
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