Amy Lee, lead vocalist for Evanescence, has recently announced that she is no longer signed to any record label.
In January, Lee sued longtime label Wind-Up Records for at least $1.5 million over unpaid royalties and other alleged misdeeds by the record company. In November 2013, Wind-Up Records had sold most of its back catalog to Bicycle Music Company and Concord Music Group. Lee recently tweeted about her freedom from a label contract.
Today, for the first time in 13 years, I am a free and independent artist. I have wanted this for so long and I am so happy. CHEERS!
— Amy Lee (@AmyLeeEV) March 19, 2014
.@gayllaghers "free from your record deal or free from evanescence?" Free from my record deal. I'm free to do anything, Ev included
— Amy Lee (@AmyLeeEV) March 19, 2014
Evanescence’s third album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in 2011 and has sold 25 million copies. Before that, the band had been on a five-year hiatus, and Lee was unsure if she wanted to continue making rock music. Since the tour in support of that album in 2012, Evanescence has been inactive. In that time, Lee worked on her first film score with Dave Eggar for War Story, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. The singer also announced earlier this year that she and her husband are expecting their first child.
The lawsuit is not Evanescence’s first brush with trouble; in 2012, the band was accused of bullying a fan to cover up sex abuse and drug abuse. The band evidently recovered from the blow by Anonymous, releasing a reissue of Fallen last year for their 10-year anniversary.