Halestorm frontwoman Lzzy Hale has discussed her lifelong love of Black Sabbath as she prepares to play the metal legends' massive farewell show in a few weeks' time.
Speaking to Metal Hammer, Lzzy explains why holding the strange honour of being the only woman asked to play the event offers a full circle moment for her.
"There is something different about a woman who grew up on Black Sabbath versus a man who did, you know?" she suggests. "It was more accepted at the time to be a heavy metal fan if you were were a boy, versus being a girl."
Lzzy goes on to reveal that her love of Black Sabbath as a young teenager led to her being something of a music outcast amongst her peers - and that it was some thoughtful words from her dad that helped her embrace her unusual passion for heavy metal to the max.
"When I was 14 years old, I was so into this band and discovering them for the first time, and not even understanding why I liked it," she explains. "I would be trying to convince my friends, who are all listening to Mariah Carey and Backstreet Boys, to listen to Black Sabbath. And they're like, 'No, that's my dad's music!' and all of this. So I would tell my dad, and he's like, 'Oh, that's fantastic!' And I'm like, 'Why, dad? No one's ever gonna like me! I don't have any friends because they don't like my music.' He's like, 'No, you love Black Sabbath just because you love Black Sabbath, not because it's popular on the radio right now, not because your friends are listening to it, because it's a part of you. That's an incredible thing.'
"At the time, I'm like, 'Ah, whatever, dad!' But I know now for a fact that I wouldn't be the singer I am today, I wouldn't be the guitar player I am today, I wouldn't be the rocker I am today without these men. So I just can't wait to come to celebrate them and honour them and wish them farewell."
Read more from Lzzy in an upcoming issue of Metal Hammer, out next month. Black Sabbath's farewell show takes place July 5 at Villa Park in Birmingham, with a stacked bill that includes Metallica, Pantera, Guns N' Roses, Tool, Slayer, Gojira and many more.
