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I’m not going to lie, I had never heard of Otep until one of our pr reps asked if we would like to interview her. I wasn’t the one he talked to, but I got to interview her. As I did my research on Otep for the interview, I was kind of intimidated by her. She just seemed like such a strong women and her songs had so much in them. I am very glad that I ended up talking to her though. She has so many great views on life and music and what it all should mean to someone. I found myself speechless after she answered because her answers didn’t need a response. They were very intense. I strongly suggest checking out Otep and maybe when you leave after reading this interview, take some of her views on things with you.

"I think that we spend so much time obsessing over what we’re not, that we don’t really value what we are."
- Otep Shamaya – Otep

For our readers who don’t know who you are could you please introduce yourself and what you do?

Um, okay. My name is Otep Shamaya and I am the mouthpiece and brainchild of the art collective known as Otep.

What inspired you to create music?

Uh, that’s a good question. I suppose my artistic motivation sort of plateau for me at one point in my life. Because initially I was an illustrator. Sadistic scribbler. I drew all the time. And it's gotten, I don’t know, it just felt like it wasn’t doing for me what I needed, the catharsis it was generating had sort of become pale and a little flaccid so to speak. So I decided to give music and writing a try. In the form of poetry first then poetry to rhythm. And then essentially to try actual song writing. And low and behold, surprise, surprise it worked!

(Laughs)

How would you describe your music style and how do you go about writing your songs?

I think the best way to describe our music would be to call it rock-fusion, or fusion-rock. Because we do try to implement a lot of different types and styles of music into our songs. Which includes everything from Jazz to Grunge to Punk to Rock to Metal to even Folklore and Hip-hop. So I think Rock-Fusion would probably be the easiest thing to call it. Um, I am a proficient writer, all I ever do is write. So when I do sit down with either a producer or my normal writing partner, who is the Bass player Evil J, I will sort of hear the ideas I have with him on the type of song we should be writing the lyrics, the melodies, even the type of guitar tones and riffs we’re looking for. And then he will add his own ideas. Then we will put them together and I usually bring out the big board and edit any parts that don’t seem necessary and sort of empower the ones that we do feel are important. So then we take those sort of skeletons to a rehearsal format, and try to see what actually playing the song live, performing it live, what kind of energy and life that give the song. And that's very important to us because we do, we put a lot of stock in our live shows. That’s pretty much the reason I started the band was to perform music. Not necessarily to be a studio musician, but to actually perform music. In fact we were signed after only four shows in LA after only being a band for about six months, without a demo.

Oh wow! That’s awesome. Is there one specific lyric that means the most to you?

I’m not sure if there is one. I think when you just said that, I mean every song has meaning to me, but when you said that, the one idea that was prompted was the bridge in Perfectly Flawed. Which is “A disguise of self-deception. Hides my secrets perfectly. I’m rejecting my reflection. 'cos I hate the way it judges me,” and I think that this is indicative of a lot of women especially or primarily anyone with self-esteem issues. I think that we spend so much time, obsessing over what we’re not, that we don’t really value what we are.

That’s really good! I like that. What kind of message do you try to get across with your music?

I think the overall, sort of general message is that obstacles exist in life and that they should be welcomed and be expected, but so should the power to overcome them. I think that’s pretty much what’s in most of our music. We have a certain sort of outlaw vigilante message of standing up for yourself and believing in yourself and not allowing anyone to dictate who you should, or should not be. And know that there will be some twists and turns on the road of life but if you keep walking, the journey is the most important part.

How do you feel about being called "One of music's catalysts for social change," in Revolver Magazine? Do you feel like it puts pressure on you as a title you have to live up to?

What an honor. The things that I’m passionate about, I’m happy that people are able to recognize that passion whether they agree with me or not. So I was very honored to see that. I think some of the spotlight, not really pressures but it definitely motivates me to be more involved and informed. But it’s also something that I love to do. I just hope that whatever I can contribute inspires or motivates someone to stay true to themselves and get in there and make their own decisions based on their own values and what matters to them and their own families.

Do you have an ultimate goal for your music? Any things that you know you want to accomplish with it?

Well basically pretty much, if I can reiterate that last point. Which is, I believe the job of the artist is to motivate, provoke and inspire. And I think people go around asking, maybe they will go into a modern art gallery and say that a red canvas with a splotch of black and a white line, how is that art? Well I don’t know what the true definition of art is, but for me, art is anything that motivates, provokes or inspires. If it motivates you to understand more about what the emotion of this painting is, or the intention of this painting is. It provokes you to see it for something else or what real art is or if it inspires you to go out and pick up a brush yourself, or even just learn a broader appreciation of art, I think that that is what art is. And I’m hoping that our music is the same. That we motivate, provoke and inspire and if we’re doing that then we are doing our job!

Out of any song in the world, which one do you most wish you had written?

That’s a good question. Um. I dunno. The song ‘The End’ by The Doors comes to mind. I would have loved to have written that song. Also I think the song, ‘Creep,’ by Radiohead. In the type of tones and melodies that Thom chose and the type of lyrics that he chose, sort of spoke for a generation of people before and after that song was written. They needed someone to voice that very thing to them. I guess those are the two songs that come to mind.

What other artists are you inspired by? What do you take from that inspiration that applies to your music?

Well, Um…I suppose visually the usual suspects I suppose Picasso, Salvador Dali, Jason Pollock. I suppose in the Poet world, the outlaws of poetry, the B poets. Which would be Burroughs, Ginsberg and Kerouac. Or even people like Langston Hughes and Etheridge Knight. Who I noticed is not normally associated with people that like rock music, but they are very important to the human experience of being an American. In music, bands like Nirvana, Radio Head, The Doors, Rage Against The Machine to Soundgarden and even bands like System Of a Down and Slipknot. Those bands are very important to me as well. And even bands like Muse, I really enjoy that band. Even like old school bands like Slayer, those kinds of artists. I mean, any self-respecting rocker must include Slayer!

If you were in charge of the music industry what would be the first change you’d make?

I would change the structure of how artists are paid in reference to their rights with their own art. I would like to see it based more on how actors are paid. Actors aren’t paid necessarily, and it might change now, but traditionally an actor, say does one movie for one studio, but they can do movies for any studio. They can do any type of movie they want to do. He puts an interest in that one film, but he is still free to do other films. Once we create a record, we lose it to the record company. And they’re the ones in charge of promoting it, or not promoting it, in many cases. They are the ones in charge of getting it on the radio, or not getting it on the radio. And then we’re stuck with the results and usually a lot of times record companies keep their jobs, or at least the executives simply on the artists. Or they blame the community, or they blame the fans and I would rather see that changed in a better way so that artist rights are protected and that our creative freedoms are protected so that maybe we are free to do whatever we want to do without the limitations of the label looming over us. Because they haven’t really done right by artists, like let's look at where the music industry is now, and it’s a direct result of the lack of foresight. A lot of the major label record executives. The owners especially, the guys that actually set the tone. I mean like, Apple invented iTunes, not the record industry. They’re not even thinking that far ahead. Where is our industry going? So I supposed I would change primarily artists’ rights. Then the second thing would be to go after how everything else is constructed.

What fuels your passion for what you do?

Uh, gee I dunno. It’s just a very natural thing for me I suppose. You might as well ask why helium and hydrogen fuel the sun it just its nature to do so, I suppose. And it just seems like its my nature to provoke and write and create and I have a rather large competitive spirit that makes me want to be the best artist I can be. And continue to never become complacent. I don’t ever want to feel boring, I don’t ever want to be boring and I don’t ever want to write music that is boring.

So we usually try to end our interviews with some random questions just for fun, are you up for that?

(Laughs) I may not answer them, but why not!

If you could be any fictional character, who would you be and why?

Um, let me see…I don’t know. That’s a good one. Perhaps I would be…I dunno maybe Indiana Jones. In the first movie, not any of these subsequent other movies that have sort of fallen more towards special effects more than story. He is a university professor of archeology and he still gets to go out and have all these crazy adventures and gets the girl in the end. To be able to see all the wisdom of the world and still be able to go back and lead a fairly normal life as a college professor and share some of that information with your students. I dunno, it’s appealing to me right now at this moment. So, Raiders Of The Lost Arc, Indie.

If you could be any old school rock god, who would you be and why?

I would probably be Jim Morrison and I think the answers are there! I think to be one of the members of The Doors, to be one of the founding fathers of art-rock, to see what he saw and to experience what he experienced, I think would be incredible.

What is your guilty pleasure band or song?

Oh, no. I cant think of her name right off hand, let me get my iTunes! Her name is….there is an amazing singer out of England, singer/songwriter, her name is Alex Parks and she has a song called ‘Sweeter and Sweeter,’ and it’s just beautiful. It’s just a beautiful song and I believe that might be one of my guilty pleasures. I do actually like a Justin Timberlake song. I don’t know if you’re looking for any big surprises, but I did like that one, What Goes Around Comes Around. That one was kinda cool.

If you could morph into anything, what would it be?

Oh! Are you familiar with the mythological creatures, The Gryphon?

Yes.

I would be a Gryphon or a Centaur…or maybe both! Naw, maybe a Centaur!

(Laughs)

Awesome!! Well, thank you so much!

No problem, thank you!

We would like to thank Otep again for taking the time to talk to us. Check out the band at their MySpace.