10 Things You Didn’t Know about Courtney LaPlante

Courtney LaPlante

Courtney LaPlante was born in Victoria, Canada, on February 26, 1995. She started Unicron with her brother in 2008. They released one album, Powerbomb; on it, LaPlante did the vocals and played keyboard. Unfortunately, the band split in 2012. The same year Krysta Cameron left Iwrestledabearonce, leaving them without a vocalist. LaPlante went on tour as a fill-in for Cameron. Later that year, bassist Mike Martin confirmed LaPlante was replacing Cameron as lead vocalist. In 2016, LaPlante married Mike Stringer, who was the guitarist for Iwrestledabearonce. However, both musicians felt like they were filling in, so they left the band in 2017 and started the metalcore group, Spiritbox. These are ten things you didn’t know about Courtney LaPlante.

1. Fan-girl

Courtney LaPlante is a massive fan of Evanescence. In 2021, she interviewed lead singer Amy Lee for Revolver magazine. LaPlante has listened to Evanescence since 2007. Throughout the interview, the two songstresses discussed the power of music and the power of raw lyrics. LaPlante talked about her first experience listening to The Bitter Truth, Evanescence’s new album. She was in Joshua Tree recording her group’s latest recording, but she was too busy listening to The Bitter Truth. Her husband even asked if she was ok because she was so lost in the music.

2. It’s alive

LaPlante’s inspiration for her vocal style was Cannibal Corpse’s cameo in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. According to loudwire, she heard Cannibal Corpse and thought he sounded like a primate. Additionally, she felt that the raw animal instinct was why Ace Ventura liked them. It wasn’t until later that LaPlante began developing her style. At 18, her first musical scream was over a break in a song she co-wrote with her brother. Early on, her signature scream was limited to band practice. However, over time it became a stand-out in her music.

3. Partners

One of the things that makes Spiritbox such a successful group is that LaPlante and her husband co-founded the band. Even though many couples cannot work together as successfully as this duo, LaPlante feels they were musical soulmates first, much like people become each other’s best friends before progressing in the relationship. Additionally, she feels there isn’t a distinction between their working relationship and a romantic relationship furthering the authenticity of the group’s sound.

4. Characters

LaPlante feels that all the posts from social media from so-called feminists are posting charts and statistics about the prevalence of inequality near parody. She feels they are “cosplaying solidarity warriors.” She thinks that posting these facts but still not showing up when women need someone is the opposite of what true feminism is and creates more levels of inferiority and separateness.

5. Recording

Even though many groups put recordings on hiatus during the pandemic, Spiritbox kept moving forward. The group did several recording sessions in 2019 and 2020 but put everything on hold. Then, they realized that instead of going to a studio, they could go to a location outside the studio to keep recording. They ended up at their producer’s house in Joshua Tree and set the recording equipment up in his dining room. In an interview with loudersound, LaPlante described the location where they are making the new album. Much like her early influences with primal screaming, the area is very isolated and allows her to get back to nature. Additionally, she felt more comfortable with the writing and recording process because it felt like an authentic collaboration.

6. Stand up for yourself

Since Courtney LaPlante is a minority in her genre, she’s learned the hard way how important it is not to be pushed around or told to be something different. She doesn’t believe in authenticity for the sake of being compliant. Quite the opposite, she does what she wants, and if someone disapproves, she fine because otherwise, she wouldn’t be pursuing her true style.

7. Accidental success

The song Holy Roller wasn’t meant to be a single. The original plan for the track was something over the top and heavy to provide a break to an otherwise more atmospheric album than angry. The group decided to add this song to their set, and it became their favorite part of the show. After the pandemic, Spiritbox was able to work on the unfinished track and added it to their album.

8. Podcast

Courtney LaPlante felt isolated during the pandemic, so she created the podcast Good For A Girl. Her focus is the challenges a woman faces in the music industry, especially the metal scene, which is much more male-dominated than other genres. One of the inspirations was that she had yet to meet many women who shared her style of music. She became concerned because they didn’t feel like they had a community supporting them to pursue their dreams. Moreover, she feels that too often people use quantifiers like he’s good for his age or she can run like one of the boys. LaPlante feels that everyone’s talent should be equal instead of judged based on race or as a minority.

9. Accountability

In an article from Kerrang, Courtney LaPlante wrote her thoughts on International Women’s Day ‘Choose to Challenge’ campaign. She feels the word choice is not the most appropriate term because she didn’t choose to be a minority. Additionally, she thinks that part of the reason she is accepted is that she is part of a group and not a solo act.

10. Practice makes perfect

Since Spiritbox is a new group, LaPlante wants to work with a vocal coach to help her navigate the intricacies of being on tour and not damaging her voice. Although she tries to save her voice for the stage and doesn’t often speak while on tour, she knows that there will be more responsibilities with the new band, such as meeting with the fans and talking with promoters. Her goal is to master the transitions of her voice and learn how to best take care of it to continue to follow her passion.

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