We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Hailey Kozey a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Hailey, thanks for joining us today. Has your work ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized?

I think that in the scene, women are commonly misunderstood and misjudged. This has proven itself to be true in the Northwest Ohio scene…time and time again. As an entrepreneur, the frontwoman, and manager for my band- I am constantly putting myself in situations where my decent manners and business attitude gets misconstrued as something else. This is hilighted starkly in the different interactions my male counterparts have- seemingly similar interactions, but in the end they are seen as “innovative” and “strong” whilst I am seen as “bitchy”. Having to work twice as hard for only half of the profit or output has been difficult, but nothing is more rewarding than building a group that you are proud of- with people who love and support you and your art.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Hailey Kozey. I am a working college student, band manager, and front woman for my band, Amaryllis. I’ve been singing since utero, but I started this band my sophomore year of college, and it has grown exponentially since then in members and followers. I’m extremely proud of the brand that I’ve helped create for my band, but I’m even more proud of my band mates and how they’ve worked to help make my dream come true, making it their own dream as well.
We are a Prog rock group based in Northwest Ohio, and we play semi locally, but are expanding ourselves in the music scene. Our work is inspired by current events and the overall turmoils of being a young adult in today’s society. Our name is inspired by the Amaryllis flower, an emblem of hope and beauty. We try to create a place where everyone feels welcome through our music, a place where everyone feels that they can express themselves.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I’ve made it an important part of my philosophy to not look for personal gain or influence through this band. Nobody in the band thinks that they’re going to get famous -or probably even wants it. We simply use this structure as a way to communicate our feelings, our highs, and our lows, with the community around us. The only goal driving our creative journey is the ultimate hope of being able to make life a little more bearable for ourselves and for others. For us, that is through the gift of music.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson I had to unlearn, was the idea that I have to be nice to everyone. You absolutely do not have to be courteous to everyone, especially in the rock scene. People will do lewd things, say very hurtful words, and do just about anything to get into your pants sometimes. It’s OK to just tell people they gotta bug off.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Amaryllis_theband
• Facebook: Amaryllis the band
• Linkedin: https://linktr.ee/amaryllis_theband?utm_source=linktree_profile_share&ltsid=5e0b83c5-ea2f-4d6a-a719-b740817c5211
• Youtube: Amaryllisthebandohio
• Other: Gmail- [email protected] for booking or questions

Image Credits

Hailey Kozey
Joey Scigliano
Mady Cleland
Thomas Williamson