In May, longtime femme metal band Vixen announced their split from singer Lorraine Lewis, prompting many shocked metal fans to say, “Vixen is still a band?” The band’s longtime singer Janet Gardner confirmed that she would not be returning as she and her husband were working on her next solo album instead. Vixen basically announced that the new singer would be introduced at their live shows, which is a weird way to make an introduction. In the end, the new singer turned out to be Canadian singer and songwriter Rosa Laricchiuta, who had made her debut after a 2015 appearance on the French-Canadian version of The voice known as The Voice.
At a recent appearance at All bets are void Podcast (transcribed by Chatterbox) Laricchiuta spoke about the vibe of their first show, which took place on June 21 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, where Vixen played with Great White, Slaughter and Quiet Riot:
“Well, I was really excited because I’m completely confused because I’m so overwhelmed and everything is so surreal. But growing up, I always wanted to have sisters, so now I feel blessed to have three sisters. And I feel – this is funny, but I feel like I’m part of an incredible hockey team doing what I love. (laughs)”
But while she may have fulfilled a lifelong dream of having sisters, Laricchiuta did not fulfill a lifelong dream of being in Vixen specifically. When asked if she knew the history and legacy of Vixen before joining the band, she replied:
“Unfortunately no… The first, the first thing I said was, ‘Oh my God. It’s an all-girl band. Is this really happening?’ Because I never had a sister as a kid and I always dreamed of being in an all-girl, all-female band. And the second thing that came out of my mouth was, ‘This is so awesome.'”
Meanwhile, Lorraine Lewis has spoken about her recent departure from the band and in an interview with the radio show This, that and the other (which was also transcribed by Chatterbox) Lewis explained that it was not her decision to leave the band:
“I want to say about the situation that I want people to know that I haven’t left the band. A lot of people think I’ve quit. The announcement that I made seemed to show me that it wasn’t my decision to leave. I mean, that’s how I thought I phrased it. And I have a team of people around me, and we’ve really fine-tuned it. And I wanted to make sure that the fans know how important they are to me and how much I love them and how much fun I’ve had. And also: don’t count me out. I’m not going anywhere. I may not be in this band now, but there’s more of me to come. I was Lorraine Lewis before this band, and I’m still Lorraine Lewis and always will be, and music is in my soul and in my gut and in my heart, and there’s more to come. And so I wanted people to know that the band was moving in a different direction. And that’s how the change was presented to me. I was told that the band was going in a different direction and I was no longer going to be the singer. And that’s really it. And it’s just important for me to let everybody, the fans, know… It’s not about them or me or us or musicians or anything – it’s about the fans. And I just want to say to those people that have written to me and asked, ‘Why did you stop?’ that I didn’t stop. I didn’t leave you guys. I didn’t stop. It wasn’t my decision. And that’s really all there is to say about it.”
Why the 30-year-old band – which has no original members left and only has one member from its 1980s heyday – felt the need to make another line-up change and hire a singer unfamiliar with their work remains a mystery.
But if you want to get to know the new singer, here are Vixen’s upcoming tour dates:
July 19 – Toldeo, OH – Promenade Park 80s Rock Invasion
July 20 – St. Ignace, MI – Kewadin Casino 80’s Rock Invasion
August 2 – Fort Wayne, IN – Foellinger Theatre
August 23 – St. Charles, IL – The Arcada Theatre
August 25 – Gatlinburg, Tennessee – The Mountain Music Festival
August 30 – Pryor, OK – Rocklahoma21. September – Decatur, IL – Devon Lakeshore Amphitheater
October 2 – North Tonawanda, NY – Riviera Theatre
Oct 26 – Nov 2 – Departs Tampa, FL – High Seas Rally Cruise
March 10 – March 15, 2025 – Departure from Miami, FL – Monsters of Rock Cruise
