Otep Shamaya: Otep

Aggressive, poetic, fearless, and intense—those are just some words that describe Otep Shamaya, lead singer of the hardcore metal band Otep. When playing live, the band is just as no-holds-barred as its lead woman. Ear-crushing guitars, head-pounding percussion, and pure intensity radiate from the stage, complete with Otep’s chilling wails and guttural growls. Being a tattooed lead singer for a genre of music that tends not to be taken seriously—and is often frowned upon by the mainstream—Otep is no stranger to preconceived, and often wrong, judgments about her character. “Though the rise in popularity of tattoos has made it somewhat easier to dispose of those who prejudge, it still happens,” she says. “I think it’s part of our nature as a species to do so, as I find myself judging those same people on the silliness of their conservative costumes.”

Otep says her ink-paved body has designs that are still relevant, and she still has her favorites, but she also has some tattoos she feels have lost their meaning. “I have two favorites: the grenade on my neck and the Kali [the Hindu goddess of eternal energy] on my forearm. Both are powerful symbols for the spiritual wedding of art and emotion,” she says. But, she adds, “I have many that no longer hold the same meaning for me, like an ex-girlfriend’s name. So I am waiting to find an expert cover artist to help design a swell bit of body art for me that looks intentional, beautiful, and not cluttered.”

On the brighter side, Otep reveals something about herself that might come as a surprise to the mainstream rubes who don’t know her: “I’m not angry all the time; I actually have a pretty intense sense of humor.”