Kobra And The Lotus kept their word and delivered the second part of their opus magnum one year after the successful release of rock juggernaut Prevail I! Prevail II is the proverbial yang to the ying and continues right where Kobra And The Lotus left off in 2017.
Last week the band released a new music video for their new song “Velvet Roses”. In less than a week the video has over 60,000 views and shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Watch it below.

How did you first get in to music? Who or what turned you onto rock/metal?

My Dad really was the one that brought all the musical groove into my childhood. When we travelled, he would play The Beatles or Queen in the car and we would all sing along. At Christmas, he would play the piano and we would all gather around and sing carols. Music has always been an important way for us to connect with family and friends.

The first rock/metal that I ever fell in love with was Led Zeppelin. After that, my sister introduced me to The Distillers. Brody was the first woman I ever thought was a true rockstar. My father, once again, brought the event that provoked me to form a band. He took my sister and I to see Judas Priest on their Painkiller tour!

What got you started playing music and how old were you?

Nothing other than feeling the need to sing. I asked my parents for lessons when I was 6. My teacher wouldn’t take me until I was 8 but my musical journey started there.

How did the band form and how did the band name come about?

When I started University, I really wanted a band to jam 80’s metal covers with in my free time. I had no idea it would transpire into such a big passion that I would continue to pursue for the next 10 years.

The Lotus represents beauty coming from the dirt and mud just like a human within it’s struggles. The cobra is a middle eastern symbolic protector for humanity. With these symbols also come duality which is found in every aspect of our universe. My name is also Kobra so there you have it!

What was your local scene like in the beginning, was there a particular band you aspired to be like, favorite local bands back then, favorite local bands now?

I wasn’t warmly welcomed into the local scene when I started the project. The bands at the time were extreme variations of metal with Black and Death Metal being the most highlighted. I sang clean, I had blonde curled hair, and as far as people were concerned, I didn’t belong and the local scene did everything they could to let me know that. There were hate pages directed at me and several underground blogs bashing my band’s existence. I do admit though, sometimes their “photo shopped” photos of us were pretty funny. I even experienced a girl trying to swipe my feet out from under me while we played at a local festival. I was 19 and it was hard to deal with. It crushed my spirit constantly, but it also lit a fire under my ass to prove them wrong. I belonged as much as anyone else. However, as an update to that, we’ve seen the tides change greatly over the last 4 years with local support. We’ve had wonderful people step up and support us within the city and recently our local TV station invited Jasio and I play one of our new songs acoustically followed by an interview =-D. It meant a lot to me, I am very grateful for the love and kindness.

I’m not home very often anymore so I unfortunately don’t know very much about what’s taking place in our local scene anymore; however!!! I have just been recently asked by a Calgary based band to sing on one of their new songs. I‘m humbled and thrilled about being involved. Check out ‘Red Cain’ for some new, great, metal tunage!!!!

How did you become a vocalist? Are you proficient in any other instruments?

I chose that path from a very young age. I had no other option, my soul needed to sing!! I started with classical music at age 8 and now, more then 20 years later, I’m singing rock, metal and various other experiments! The genre and styles have shifted and diversified but the technique has remained the same. I still check in with my classical coach several times a year.

Proficient, absolutely not haha. That certainly hasn’t stopped the music in my head from popping up though or from me messing around with instruments while flying by the seat of my pants. I’m really digging The Moog Analog synths right now. I have no idea what I’m doing but it’s fun!

I used to play the piano and guitar and now they’ve only become tools to write with. Practicing those instruments took a back seat when I started focusing hard on developing the band. It’s a full on job to constantly plan and develop tours, launches, (hopefully) interesting music videos, recordings, online shops, and the care of everybody. I do it together with my mother now and we’re just barely hanging on under the workload sometimes.

I have been starting to dive into acoustic guitar lately and it’s also become a great instrument to write with. That’s one thing I hope to join the stage with in the near future.

What makes a good Kobra and the Lotus song?

Oh man, tough! I would rather ask that question to someone who enjoys our music. I think it’s a super personal experience for people! I believe in following your heart above anything else. For me to stand by a song, the music has to excite me to the core and if it excites me or the rest of the band then I believe it will excite someone else out there!!

What motivates you, to keep releasing new music in the age of sharing and stealing, and does it dampen your creativity knowing that all of your hard work will be just given away possibly weeks prior to its official release date?

It doesn’t dampen my creativity but it does wear down my spirit. Especially as I’ve crept past my 10 year mark with this commitment. Now I find myself often wondering how crazy I really am for continuing to push the project. It’s very hard to sustain and aside from the writing and touring, I’m really a one woman workhorse. The guys in my band are awesome people and I’m so lucky to have them. They have the passion to write, play and tour. For that I’m very grateful because this isn’t a path for the weak hearted. It takes true grit and hard work from all. The road isn’t easy either and we are still really hauling ass out there. It’s also much more challenging to grow your fan base with the way social media has become the main tool for marketing. The algorithms block almost everyone from seeing your posts so we find it’s harder then ever to promote our shows.

I will say though, It’s been an infallibly humbling path that keeps my intentions pure. I got into music to collaborate, spread good energy, and connect people.

Who are some of your influences? Who can we hear in your music?

You know, by this point I couldn’t even tell you anymore. We know the basic flavours that are important to our sound and we just write. If we love it, it stays.

The band, including myself, listen to tons of different music and genres. I don’t really like to place ideas in people’s head’s regarding influences because I want them to have the freedom to connect and grab onto the sound in their own way. I also want them to think we sound like Kobra and the Lotus. Everyone hears vastly different stuff and will state where they think our influences are, it’s cool! I always find it super interesting and many times they will highlight music that none of us were ever influenced by. I believe that individual experience and decision about the music is so important to let music enthusiasts have.

I’m currently listening to a group called IAMX and you won’t hear that at all in our music!

What can we expect from a live KATL show?

Passion, fire, a tight band, killer guitar tone, hair flying everywhere, lots of energy, and TONS OF LOVE!!!!!!

What does rock n roll mean to you?

Freedom to live your life!

Categories: Interviews, News

Tags: kobra and the lotus, Kobra Paige