ALISSA WHITE-GLUZ | THE CREATION OF BLUE MEDUSA

Alissa White-Gluz on Launching Blue Medusa

At Louder Than Life, Alissa White-Gluz talks with Craig Reynolds about launching Blue Medusa, her new heavy project. The interview starts chaotically: Craig drops an iPad, nearly gets Alissa’s name wrong, and then asks her how to pronounce it.

A Stormy Festival Debut

Blue Medusa’s first major outdoor festival appearance was delayed when a storm forced an evacuation. Alissa says she looked at the sky and pleaded, “I’m a vegan. I sort the trash,” asking Mother Nature to give them a break. The rain eventually stopped, the crowd returned, and the band performed its full set with lightning flashing in the distance.

“I felt like… I control lightning. I am Thor,” she jokes. The band also played “The Wolf You Feed,” Alissa’s collaboration with guitarist Nita Strauss.

Building a Collaborative Band

Alissa describes Blue Medusa as a band built around collaboration and musicianship, rather than a star vocalist backed by other players. She wanted musicians who could contribute to writing and production, and says their chemistry was clear after just a few rehearsals.

She playfully calls herself the band’s “soccer mom”: she drives the van and helps everyone prepare for life onstage, including the startling blast of CO₂ cannons. Drummer Delaney earns particular awe. She hits so hard that, during an early rehearsal, Alissa had to move her vocal microphone to another room. Alissa says Delaney’s playing sounds triggered, though she doesn’t use triggers.

The musicians often write remotely, sharing ideas from their home studios. Alissa sometimes sends rough guitar parts by singing them through distortion, and says her bandmates quickly understand what she means. The result is fast, heavy, and intense—deliberately not the pop direction some people expected from an all-women band. Alissa jokes that the band could wear white, open with Britney Spears’ “Hit Me Baby One More Time,” and then “blow your roof off.”

Making the Videos

Alissa describes Blue Medusa’s videos as theatrical and hands-on. For “Crocodile,” she and co-director Vicente Cordero filmed overnight in a backyard pool. Alissa performed underwater after exhaling so she could sing without bubbles. The shoot was freezing, disorienting, and exhausting, but she says the result looked epic.

Other videos also used practical sets and props, including printed backdrops and a forest built from nursery plants.

Art, Technology, and Emotion

Alissa draws a distinction between using technology as a tool and having AI generate art. To her, art reflects years of learning, decision-making, and human expression—even when the performance is imperfect. She would rather hear a flawed but emotionally convincing singer like Courtney Love than a technically perfect AI performance that leaves her feeling nothing.

Craig agrees, suggesting that a backlash against overly polished AI work could make raw, live music feel fresh again.

Catharsis and New Music

Alissa says Blue Medusa’s songs can offer catharsis. “Crocodile” is about the frightening feeling of being watched or hunted, though she leaves its specific meaning open to listeners. Performing the songs helps her release feelings in a way that talking or therapy sometimes cannot.

The band is working on a full-length album while continuing to release singles so listeners can hear the music as it’s made.

Other Stories and Personal Reflections

Alissa explains that “Blue Medusa” won out after she tested a long list of possible band names. She also names Queen guitarist Brian May as a dream collaborator.

She recalls seeing whales leap from the water while surfing, and a less graceful post-show swim in Spain: after a bandmate jumped into the water naked and was stung by a jellyfish, Alissa volunteered to pee on him because she thought the situation was hilarious.

The interview ends on a serious note. Alissa says she is genuinely afraid of death because she believes consciousness ends when the body stops functioning. She hopes there may be something beyond death but doesn’t claim to believe in it. Craig is also surprised to learn that Alissa is afraid of gore, given her association with horror-themed Ice Nine Kills performances. She says she sometimes has to close her eyes during bloody scenes.

People Mentioned

Alissa White-Gluz, Craig Reynolds, Dani Sophia, Alicia (Blue Medusa’s bassist), Delaney (Blue Medusa’s drummer), Beatriz Mariano, Vicente Cordero, and Nita Strauss.