Interview with Ditte Krøyer, vocalist and leader of Vulvatorious

Below is the transcribed interview with Ditte Krøyer, an incredible artist with whom we discussed topics related to her feminist ethical-political stance and her performative and musical proposal.

PH: So, we want to ask you about many of your lyrics. For example, for giving so are very direct and we like us. Did you feel your music has the power to bring about social change or at least to spar important conversation with your audience? What do you think?

DK: Yeah, I hope, I hope it will start conversations and I also feel a great personal relief when I write this lyric like or the other lyrics. And it's a great relief to sing those lyrics live.

And also I hope that our audience at our concerts and who listens to us feel the same relief because take for example the Fuck You Incel song. It obviously addresses misogyny, like hateful women. And it's something that I feel that women have to deal with on a daily basis, even like reading in the news or experience personally. And a lot of the time it feels like we just read this horrible news about violence against us. And we can't really do, like, we don't know where to put that feeling in the moment. We just have to deal with it and go on with our day. And so this is a way of actually, getting some of those frustrations and anger and, grief out and in a non-violent way be able to say, fuck you back to the ones who will, yeah, hate us for no reason.

PH: his is a very important message for the Latin American scene, because unfortunately, the audience is sometimes very closed-minded. And we feel that the message is very popular and direct, and I think it's important to say that it's not a joke. The message shows that people recognize that the incels are very dangerous for the community.

DK:  Yeah, thank you. I feel like sometimes it's easier to deliver a message when it's a little bit humoristic, So people like, they see the title and they're like, what is this? And then maybe, they can get the point.

Ditte Krøyer por Jens Raadal

PH: The second question is about "Witch burns back," this incredible song, and the concept of the "witch hunt." Obviously, in a broader context, what parallels do you see between the persecution of witches in the past and the injustice of the present regarding the guarantee of women's rights?

DK:  I think it's also a way of giving back like this, but also in a generational way.  We feel like we've been carrying a lot of trauma from our past generations. And I definitely see that we still carry that grief with us today. And an example I think of in a modern world is, for example, victim blaming. You know, it's very difficult to count on the justice system, for example, to get justice if you, for example, as a victim of sexual assault. And if you speak up, we see that like the #Me Too movement. And I feel like every time someone is, yeah, telling their experience about someone or I understand why a lot of people want to stay anonymous when they share those stars because it's instantly victim blaming. And on a personal level, in that sense, I also tried it myself. I was in court once with an experience I had. I turned him into the police. And when I sat in the courtroom, they asked me how short exactly my skirt was on that particular day. And it's just like, you know, I sort of really got first-hand experience that I can't count on the justice system like that if there's like victim blaming even in a courtroom like that. And we see a lot of serious examples of this around the world and it's something I thought of in relation to your question.

And I was, yeah, in our lyrics, solidarity is very important for us. And we want to create this sense of unity and the whole being stronger together and being this, yeah, unity, which is why I also sing about like, you can't kill me because I'm everywhere. It gives me an enormous sense of empowerment when I'm in front of the audience. And I feel like even though something would happen to me, we are, I'm still there. So that gives me a lot of strength and courage when I am with our audience and I see our audience online and it means a lot to us with the whole support we get.

PH: The next question is about your music, described as a mix of black metal, slush, and punk. How do these combinations influence your lyric writing, especially when dealing with dark themes like immortality and power?

DK: So we feel like the sense of those genres could deliver the message the best. And for example, also the fact that I'm growling and stuff and we don't use clean vocals. And for me, it's a way to emphasize the message. Yeah, and to express the frustrations and grief that we feel in the best sense, like the best way possible. And yeah, it's a way for us to just feel that we have the uses, like our creative freedom the most, like to not settle on one genre, for example. We felt like or at least for me, I felt like I'm probably not going to fit into anywhere, specific, like any box anyway. So why not just save up and do what we wanted to do?

And then it turned out to be this and those genres.

PH: Tell us the meaning behind your performance because what you do on stage is spectacular.

DK: Yeah, for me, it's always been natural and important to express myself, like visually and aesthetically as well. So it was, it's always been very natural for me, and I think it's important to disrupt like the spaces that you live in if you don't agree with the place you live in. And I feel like also as a visual artist, like myself, it's, yeah, it's only natural to use the aesthetics in our band in this way to emphasize our, yeah, everything we have to say.

he woan tht try to show this.

PH: So, that you are in that moment is an example, a great example to how empowerment this woman and again, fuck you, fuck you, fuck you men that things that the woman can do and can do better. You are definitely the most influential voices that we are listening in the history of the podcast.

DK: That's so cool, because yeah, it's, I'm very aware of my presence when I'm, for example, on stage. And like you say, it's a very male dominated, like, scene. And I don't like to be objectified. And to have the freedom that I feel on stage is also a way of going against certain expectations there is to what people, some people expect me to be like as a woman or as a queer. And yeah, to just go again, directly against that and then people can think of me what they want, but I don't care.

PH:  The next question is about the impact of your lyrics on your audience. Is there any particular fan, anecdote, or reaction that has surprised or moved you?

DK:  I think about when I see, for example, how young fans create their own merchandise and things like that, t-shirts or whatever. Like, yeah, people tell us personal stories and tell us how they feel when they listen to our music or what they felt when they saw us perform. And that's just extremely flattering and means everything to us. And it's also been really amazing to see so many different ages. And our audience, I feel like both young, but also women and people who are older than us. That really is something I also enjoy to see and would love to see more. And the music scene is in the middle. If some like it's never too late to do this. I've spoken to several women who said they wanted to start growling and stuff and they have so much in their heart to say as well. And I just, yeah, I would encourage them to do that as well.

I would be so happy to see more older women in the middle scene as well. I think there's not enough. And yeah, just as an example, last night I went to a concert with a Danish band called Bleeder. It's a really cool old band and they had a guest perform like they have someone sing from who was in a Danish punk band called Shaloda Baga and but anyways, when she came on stage, I just got covered in goosebumps because I felt like she was just so strong and I felt so empowered and I just felt like I was maybe seen into the future of women in metal and rock music. So just something I really want to see and also encourage myself to

keep going, even if I feel like there's some sort of age discrimination around.

It's really my, yeah, intention to keep going myself as well.

 Ditte Krøyer por Petricia Hesselø

PH: thank you so much for this context. In Colombia, many women try to integrate this scene, maybe in the 80s, in the scene of Antioquia in Colombia with no rich maybe they and all this shit, but in this scene, women told us about the problems to fight with men that consider that many performance like you used to do, it's not acceptable for a woman, so, it's very, very important this job that you are in this moment. Thank you so much.

PH: The next question is about the name Vulvatorius and the essence of the album: it's very direct and provocative. Thank you for that. So, what do you think the visual elements do? Do they reinforce and complement the message of your song's lyrics?

DK: Like the whole cover and the whole band name is also a way to, yeah. We want our audience to feel the same strength and courage, like we feel ourselves.vAnd that's why, yeah, we settled on that. And for example, our band name, obviously also very direct, but also for us, it's like a simple. of power and that we're just ready to go out there and do what we want to do. And yeah, we thought it was a pretty cool album cover as well. And we wanted to go with that for our first first album. So now we're thinking about what to do with our next album cover. Yeah. So, what's on your mind when you think about the… I feel like it's just like a giant, disgusting monster, you know.In the beginning, we would always joke about that it's a, yeah, giant vagina monster coming, rising from the sea, entering, you know, the country to fight the patriarchy or whatever.

But even though that was like sitting in a sort of jokey way, we also mean it. We have a lot of humor in the band and it's a way for us to deal with the heavy stuff too. But yeah, we feel just as powerful as that monster. So. Thank you.

 Ditte Krøyer por Martin Meldgaard Pilsmark

PH: The next question is about some of your lyrics that address more personal and darker themes, such as death and self-harm. Do you see this exploration of inner darkness as a form of empowerment, or rather as a reflection of your art? Or perhaps both?

DK: I feel like it's a reflection on some of the issues we face in society, as well as a way to handle personal grief and collective grief. Collective, like. For example, talking about climate change and stuff, I feel like there's a self-loathing part there as being part of the problem as a human. But also, yeah, personal grief of losing several loved ones to death and trying to cope with that grief and thoughts of the afterlife or whatever. just, dealing with mortality, I think. so I feel like our album reflects several, themes like that. and just in the day, like the age, this day we live in, the world we live in today has so many issues to address and I feel ashamed of being a part of the human race.

PH: Thank you so much, I hope you can come to Latin America soon.

DK: Thank you! I'd love to!

Listen to the full episode at the following link: