Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Adrienne LaVey. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Adrienne, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
The best advice I ever followed was to make the content that I wanted to see. Very few people were talking about modern goth music, gothic literature, and no one was doing reviews of absinthe on YouTube in the format I was doing them, so I decided to make the content that I was passionate about and like-minded individuals would find their way. I was quite encouraged when one of my followers said that she was glad I started making absinthe content, because she said she felt represented. She said if I was just “another middle-aged white guy” talking about absinthe, she wouldn’t have been as interested. That told me I needed to keep going.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I do absinthe reviews and educational absinthe videos and I’ve reviewed over 50 brands of absinthe over the past 8 years. It’s amazing to be in contact with so many brand owners (including the owner of the top brand in the world, Jade Liqueurs) and to make absinthe more accessible to a new demographic. I’m an operatically trained mezzo-soprano performing around the Seattle area. My goal is to help break down the barriers that keep opera from being more accessible and enjoyable. I want to expose more people to opera, helping them realize they may actually enjoy it. I also want to show under-appreciated repertoire so that broadens the horizons of the newcomer instead of shoving Mozart and Handel down their throats till they’re sick of it. The Bel Canto movement and the Romantique movement are criminally neglected. I also want more singers to have more opportunities to perform and feel more included. Exclusivity and elitism do not belong in music.
I fused my loves of absinthe and opera by writing my song that I released last year, “Goddess in a Glass”, the first truthful song about absinthe written in the last 50 years.
I also like introducing gothic literature to my audience, including new gothic stories that deserve to be highlighted. Gothic literature isn’t just “Edgar Allan Poe, vampire stories, and Frankenstein”; there are so many different stories and piers that are tragically overlooked and I love bringing attention to those stories.
Much like with my other passions, I felt that new goth artists were being heartbreakingly neglected and overshadowed by “the same old, same old”. I delighted in giving attention to these new artists that follow in the gothic music tradition without being carbon copies of Sisters of Mercy.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Tenacity, research skills, and a thirst for knowledge. If you’re armed with these three things, you can do setting you set your mind to. Keep learning, keep engaging and keep educating.
Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
My voice teacher Dora Barnes has been an incredible part of my journey as a singer. Not only has she been a great technical educator and has completely transformed my voice, but she is very intent on bringing out the natural quality of my voice, not an overly constructed, manufactured sound that doesn’t deviate from the crowd. She has also been a huge advocate for making opera more accessible and consumable.
Contact Info:
- Website: YouTube.com/AdrienneLaVey
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adriennelavey
- Other: https://www.threads.net/@adriennelavey
