Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale Reflects On Coming Out And The Evolving Face Of Rock
Since coming out as bisexual, Halestorm frontwoman Lzzy Hale has become an unexpected queer icon in hard rock. Her fans remind her why it matters.
Featured image by Jeff Hahne/Getty Images
Halestorm’s frontwoman Lzzy Hale has never been one to hold back, on or offstage. Since coming out as bisexual in 2022, that’s taken on new significance for fans who see themselves reflected in her music. And the band can feel that shift reverberating through every crowd they play to.
In a recent appearance on Rolling Stone’s Nashville Now podcast, Hale discussed the growing LGBTQ+ presence at Halestorm shows and the conversations that have followed. “You can look out at the audience any given night, and it’s all walks of life,” she said. “The rock show doesn’t care who you like to kiss, what you like to wear, what you do for a living. We’re all the same.”
Hale’s coming out was a spontaneous moment that unexpectedly cemented her as a visible queer figure in hard rock, a genre not always known for its inclusivity. Since then, Hale has become an informal mentor for many fans.
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The singer added that she regularly meets young fans who approach her for advice about coming out or navigating their identities. “I don’t have all the answers … but you get kids coming up saying, ‘Hey, I’m trying to come out to my parents, what do I do?’” Hale said. “I didn’t even talk to my parents about any of this stuff. I came out inadvertently over Twitter because I was doing an ‘Ask Me Anything.’”
Guitarist Joe Hottinger, Hale’s longtime bandmate, said the impact is clear at every show. Fans often pass letters to Hale, using them to share deeply personal stories. “‘I don’t have time to tell you everything; this says everything,’” Hottinger recalled hearing from fans. He added that Hale’s visibility has inspired younger audiences, especially women, to see new possibilities for themselves. “Watching little girls look at Lzzy, because she’s such a force onstage… they’re like ‘Wait, I can do that?’”
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Halestorm’s latest album Everest continues that thread of self-assurance and defiance. Its lead single, “Like a Woman Can,” features Hale’s voice soaring through the line, “Why can’t you love me, like a woman can?”
For Hale, the changing makeup of the band’s audience feels like a reward of the band’s success. “It’s wonderful to see young people and all walks of life understand,” she said. “It’s beautiful because it’s something that you didn’t necessarily strive for when you first started out. So to be able to be something for someone, you know, maybe they see something reflected in me and give them a little bit of strength to be themselves.”
