Cristina Scabbia, singer for Italian metal band Lacuna Coil, is the kind of fine woman who will keep you up way past your bedtime, but not in the way you're probably thinking, perv.
Yeah, she's got looks that paralyze, but Scabbia's voice might be her true weapon. She whispers and wails as if she's always confronting one of her demons, reminding us that our hearts are full of secrets, regrets, hidden hopes. It's a siren song for all those sleepless nights when lost souls ponder their fate and bargain with higher powers.
"We like the balance," Scabbia explains. "We like to stay in the middle of sadness and happiness. When you're a little melancholy, you stop and think and you get more inspiration. When you're happy, you just hang out with friends and grab a beer. For everything to be perfect, you have to have a balance."
A heavy message like that is best delivered by a hot goth gal. Scabbia's happy to be one.
"I like my femininity," she says. "I like the fact that girls who like me can know I'm not a model. I'm not super tall or super skinny. I'm just a normal girl who knows how to pull out the beauty you have inside. I think it's funny when girls say to me, ‘I wish I could be you.' I tell them that I wasn't born sexy at all. It's something that's in your mind."
And it's something her band has cultivated.
"Image is important," she says. "We're not ashamed of that. We don't have special lights or special choreography, but we work hard on our image. We try to make our music even better with a theatrical impact."
At the same time, Scabbia is a bit put off by how her band has often been compared to Evanescence because both have female singers, favor black and write dark songs. Being goth simply isn't a big deal in Europe, she says, so get over it, America.
"You can see any kind of girl dressing this way," Scabbia explains. "It's absolutely normal. I honestly think the only thing we have in common with Evanescence is a female vocalist. We're more into metal-rock. They're more into mainstream pop. They have very good songs—she's a good singer—but I don't think we have a lot in common. But they've opened a lot of doors for us. We're mentioned in all these articles with them."
I ask Scabbia what it's like to be a sex symbol, and she provides another balanced response.
"I can't deny that it's an honor," she says. "It's something pleasing. I'd be a hypocrite to say it sucks. What makes me laugh is that some people expect me to always be super sexy with high heels on. The problem is, I'm just a normal girl who tries to make the best of herself with makeup and clothes."
Sexiness, Scabbia says, "is not a matter of taking pictures naked or showing your boobs. It can be your eyes, the way you look at something, your lips, your attitude. That's what makes you sexy."
Guys approach Scabbia after shows to declare their love, propose marriage, ask to kiss her hand, but nobody actually tries to pick her up.
"I'd probably kick their ass," she says and laughs, but it still sounds like a warning.