Ithaca’s Djamila Azzouz Says Her Message of Inclusivity in Metal Led to Threats and Doxxing
There’s this idea that metal heads like to hold onto that as long as you love the music, it doesn’t matter who you are or what you believe — we’re all a single tribe. We like to pretend like we’re an inclusive group of outsiders that just happen to love loud music. But that’s a lie. The number of asshats that try to keep people of color, people with disabilities, and different sexual orientations or identities out of metal.
It’s a truth that Ithaca frontwoman Djamila Azzouz knows all too well. During a recent interview with Metal Hammer, the British metalcore vocalist recounted some of the more bullshit and scary moments the band’s experienced over the years as an advocate for representation in metal.
“I don’t think anything I’ve ever said is controversial, and the people who think it is are generally the problem. I’m not peddling extreme views. It’s more, ‘people deserve respect’, ‘treat people like human beings’.
“We’ve had a lot of pushback. I’ve been doxed and we’ve had Nazis come after us, as well as so much abuse in my inbox. But more often, it’s not about what I’ve said, it’s more about who I am – being a woman, being an Arab, whatever. People find excuses to be shitty. But I don’t say things for clout or to get a rise.”
Azzouz is the daughter of an Algerian man and an East London woman. As such, she said she’s had to live this dual life of sorts where she’s dealt with the stricter side of things from her dad, while enjoying a more laid back atmosphere with her mom. So growing up, she’s learned how different cultures can interact and live with one another peacefully.
Having gotten into the scene and met her bandmates while she was dating a hardcore vocalist, Azzouz said she was worried that she wouldn’t be taken seriously as a woman or as the significant other of another musician. She said that sort of thing, coupled with a lack of female role models in this space, forced her into some unhealthy ways of looking at things.
“I was very involved in music growing up – I had lots of friends who were in the industry or in bands, but when Ithaca started I was so nervous about things I wouldn’t let anyone help me. I wouldn’t play shows with my boyfriend’s band; I wouldn’t record with the same person they used because I didn’t want to be known as his girlfriend and have people say, ‘Oh she got this gig because they’re dating.’ I had to sever the notion of nepotism completely.”
In our little part of the music world, it pays to be as inclusive as possible, so it’s great to see bands like Ithaca that exist and allow people of all different kinds to find a touchstone for the music. That should be celebrated.
Be sure to check out the rest of Metal Hammer‘s interview online or in the print edition of issue number 380.
