The 16th GLAMOUR Women of the Year Awards 2022 was a night of enormous success, celebrating the most inspiring women in the business under one roof. And when it came to setting the triumphant mood during the evening, there was no one better than Amazonica.
The singer and DJ, real name Victoria Harrison, had guests grooving along to the classic uptempo playlist during the first portion of the evening before revving it up at the after-party with her female-led hip hop/pop/Motown set – which honestly was the icing on top of a very sweet cake during the evening.
It was a privilege for us to have her, as Amazonica is an industry veteran, having DJ'd at the most high-profile events in the world. From the Oscars and Cannes Film Festival to last year's James Bond premiere in London, she has performed in front of the biggest names in the world – think Timothée Chalamet, Margot Robbie, Rami Malek etc., (the list is endless).
With her years in the business (she started at the ripe ol' age of 15!), Amazonica is unequivocally masterful, seasoned and knowledgable in her industry accomplishments and further pursuits. Yet she is also infectiously fun, spunky and achingly cool, all while giving off serious BFF energy – traits that made her a no-brainer choice as the opening act for the European leg of Machine Gun Kelly's Hotel Diablo World Tour in 2019. Oh, and she has collaborated with Hollywood rock icons such as Tommy Lee and Courtney Love. Seriously impressive stuff.
Amazonica, who already has two albums under her belt, is now gearing up for the release of her new self-produced debut album, Victory, and the subsequent, impending release of her new song New Start, which, trust us, is not one to be missed. Here she talks to GLAMOUR about the inspiration behind her new music and her life and career in the spotlight.
GLAMOUR: We're super excited about the release of your new album. What can you tell us about your new music?
Amazonica: I did a couple of albums when I was a lot younger, and this is the first album I've written, produced, sung, and played. The album is called Victory because the industry's been an absolute, as you know... how do I say it without swearing? Challenging! Let's say it's been challenging.
I called the album Victory because it's the first album where I didn't have anyone saying anything to me, I literally taught myself how to produce and spent years honing how I could do everything myself without having to go to anyone in the industry. Because they always just... it's very hard to get your vision across, you know? Everyone's trying to manipulate it.
I'm a really strong woman, and I really want to put exactly what I hear in my head out there. So, it took some time to actually be able to do that, you know? It's a testament to how great the album is that I did it, and I'm so proud of it. Just the fact of where I've been to make it, that to me is the victory. Like what else it [the album] does, what people think of it, and how many streams it gets, it doesn't matter and has absolutely no consequence. It's epic, and that's the win. So, yeah, I'm really proud of myself.
Honouring the women who define the moment.
Do you feel like the industry has changed since you first started in music?
I mean, when I started, there wasn't streaming and all that stuff. It has completely changed, but I don't think the gatekeepers have, if that makes sense. It's still very misogynistic. It's still a boys club, you know? If you're a 16-year-old girl, you know, that's great, but if you're a woman, you have no value to them, so in that way, it's really misogynistic. It's about the choices that they make and the money that they put behind people. So, there are fewer opportunities, basically, the older you get, which is a shame because you've actually got more to give at that point.
How did you decide so young that being in the music business was something you want to do?
It was just in me. It was just absolutely in me, like running through me... there was absolutely no chance I was going to do anything else. I was very young, and I had a very clear vision. And luckily, when I came up to London, I worked with some legendary musicians, which I don't know would be done now because I was just so young, but I just walked into the studio, and I was like, 'I've got something to say. This is what I want to do'. And they worked with me and taught me everything!
Amazonica is a very statement stage name! We love it! How did it come about?
Well, I started being called Dirty Harry when I was younger because I did a lot of rock and metal. Then my music changed, and when I started DJing, I felt like it needed a new name because it was like a new chapter, and I'd gotten sober. I was a different person, I was a grown-up. I wasn't a kid who was out of their mind on drugs, doing music. I was like a woman, like an artist, like wanting to get out there. And Amazonica... I just thought it was so strong. Like it sounded like Metallica – and there are so many legends attached to the name, and being a strong woman and being a warrior, and that's how I felt at that point. I was like, 'Oh, like I'm a f[*]cking warrior, let's go!' And it just totally fitted. It's funny because obviously it's a Brazilian and Peruvian name, and this newspaper in the Amazon found out that I was called Amazonica. They put me on the front cover of the newspaper!
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You've been on tour with huge names! And the legendary Courtney Love was a mentor to you as well. How did that come about?
I've known Courtney for a really long time, and she's been really supportive! [Music industry executive] Alan McGee introduced us in the early 2000s! Yeah, I've been really lucky and blessed with the people that I've known. Like, Youth from Killing Joke, he produced my first album and really helped me hone my craft. I've been really lucky!
You've been on tour with the likes of Machine Gun Kelly, which we can imagine was amazing! What are some memories from those occasions that you'll remember forever?
Oh, that whole Machine Gun Kelly tour was just epic. That was so fun, and there was a really good night out in Prague at some rock club after one of the shows there that were particularly rambunctious! I just played with The Libertines, and that was incredible because we all used to do drugs together, and so it was really great to play Wembley, and like all of us being alive and doing well and thriving. And, um, yeah, when they asked me, it was like out of the blue. I was just like on my sofa, and I got a text through, and I was like, 'Yes. F[*]ck yes, I'm there!' I'm just really blessed with all my peers and all the people that I've been surrounded by. It's been a really fun ride.
Wow! Is it all fun and glamorous all the time, or is it a lot of long, tiring nights as well?
It's definitely super glamorous, but don't get me wrong, it's exhausting too. Like, I did a gig at the Venice Film Festival, and I had another gig the next day in Majorca, and the people in Majorca were like, 'We want you to be here at a certain time,' so it meant that I couldn't sleep. So I had to fly a friend to Venice to make sure that I didn't fall asleep, got on the flight and ended up in Majorca to play that event. And it's just lots of stuff like that, but it's so fun. And considering I'm sober, this kind of lifestyle suits me because it's very, um, adrenaline-ridden. There are lots of highs and lots of lows. It's a real rollercoaster. I mean, what a life to be able to go around the world playing music.
I can only imagine the big-name celebrities you've crossed paths with. Is there anyone you've been particularly star-struck by?
I mean, I'm a bit desensitised by it all, to be honest. Like, I've DJed for every A-lister you could possibly imagine. But this is so cheesy and so funny, I did the Downton Abbey two premiere in New York, and I was on the red carpet, and I looked off across, and it was Sonja from the Real Housewives of New York City! Like, I've been around the coolest, most famous people in the world, and it was Sonja from Real Housewives. I was like, no way!
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What do you think has been your favourite place to perform so far and the absolute highlight of your career?
That's so hard. But I think the James Bond premiere after-party meant so much to me! It was the only gig that was in the diary during Covid. Everything got cancelled, but this event kept on getting rescheduled. And I was like, it's okay because when this [lockdown] is over, I will DJ the James Bond after party. It literally got me through Covid and lockdown because it was like, I have something to look forward to because there was that stage where people were like, 'You're going to have to retrain in other stuff', and 'maybe DJs won't be DJs anymore', and 'maybe I won't have my life back'. It was so worrying, and it was like, at least I've got James Bond. And, you know, it was incredible, and Daniel Craig gave me the thumbs up, and it was a fabulous night. So yeah, that was a definite highlight!
When it comes to making music, who would you love to collaborate with in the future?
Depeche Mode! My new video is like a homage to them, and they're doing a stadium tour next year, um, so I'd really like to tour with them. Or I'd like to tour with Mötley Crüe, because I did a duet with Tommy Lee back in the day. But musically, yeah, Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, um, Iggy Pop. That kind of vibe would be sick. Machine Gun Kelly, of course!
The music video for your new single, New Start, will be out in January 2023. What do you hope the viewer takes away from it?
I just hope they feel something. I write songs when I have a feeling. I'm not one of those people that writes every day. I'm like, if I have a feeling and I don't know what to do with it, I have to write because it's the way I process things. And so I feel that my songs are very emotive. So with the video, the visuals definitely enhance the song.
Amazonica's song New Start is set for release on January 31st.
Photographer Joseph Bishop was there to document some of the biggest stars in the world.
