She does have range, but stilettos on a sand beach aren't practical!
I would have never guessed that they are Yanks, the music is very "Yurrropean Symphonic Metal w chick singer", which has become a popular genre all of its own. Figures that they are from LA, the US city that always tries to be more European than it actually is. But then Margarita, the singer, is Russian by birth.
Anyway, I'm curious now and ordered two CDs, thanks for the tip!
Is there a market for this type of stuff in the US? There is in Europe, it's even a little crowded by now. The music with those image-strong front women and accessible melodies has crossover appeal for female and pop audiences.
I just discovered this band on my own. Even though they are LA based, I don't much think this type of music has a market in the U.S. The singer Margarita Monet is Armenian. At some point (probably as a teenager) she moved to Moscow. She was classically trained there, moved to the U.S. and gave piano lessons here. With that money she got the band started. It was the lead guitarist who got her interested in metal. From the way she talked, it appears she doesn't think the band's first albums are any good. I've also just ordered their last two albums.
I saw her interviewed by an Australian DJ today. So I got most of my info from that. He pointed out that it's refreshing to hear someone effortlessly hit high notes, unlike some male singers who are aging and struggling. I can sympathize with that. But it's an exercise in futility to expect to compete with a chick singer like that when it comes to vocal range. However, Margarita isn't really bragging about anything. She said she started out just as a pianist. Even on their first album she said she had to continually remind herself that she was supposed to be a singer, too.
Here she is from five years ago. It's pretty good, but I think she would agree that she has evolved since then. She mentioned in the interview that her new producer is helping her tremendously in developing her vocal talent.
Note:
After looking at Wikipedia (which I should have done in the first place) I see that Margarita actually moved to Moscow at an early age. I had assumed from her interview that she spent her teenage years there. But now I'm not sure. She is fluent in Russian, but that is something common with Armenians. Also, I got confused about when she moved to the U.S. I had incorrectly assumed that it was in 2010. But that's just when she moved to Los Angeles. She did seem to talk about Russia a lot in the interview. She mentioned, for instance, that Russians take music more seriously than Americans. Also, in Russia if you aren't good enough, then don't expect anyone to give you any more chances. It's over for you. I found her blunt attitude to be amusing.