Kittie's members were still in school when they formed in 1996. Three years later they released their debut album and became rising stars of the nu metal scene that dominated the metal world from the mid 90s to the early 2000s.
When Hammer opted to assemble the greatest nu metal deep cuts for our issue celebrating 25 years of Papa Roach's Infest, we asked Kittie frontwoman Morgan Lander to pick out her favourite Kittie deep-cut; this is what she chose...
Why did you choose Do You Think I’m A Whore as your favourite Kittie deep cut?
“Hilarious and controversial songtitle aside, I think that that song is the dark horse of the album. Brackish is a huge song for a lot of people, even to this day. There’s Charlotte, and Spit being the opening song sets the tone. But Do You Think I’m A Whore has flown under the radar as one of my personal favourites and one of the heaviest songs on the album.”
What are the lyrics about?
“It’s about holding a mirror up to yourself and also exploring the ideas of perception and who others might think I am. Early on, there were a lot of people who judged us for our looks, how we wanted to dress, how we wanted to portray ourselves as young women, and our validity did come into question. I think unfortunately a lot of women still have to struggle with these things, even to this day.”
Did Kittie help change that landscape to some extent by being trailblazers?
“There are still hurdles to overcome, but there is a lot more representation in metal and extreme music. I wouldn’t claim it myself, but I have heard some people say that Kittie walked so others could run. We did endure a lot in the music industry as young women.”
Why did you shelve the song for 20 years?
“The band that we are now is very different to the band we were then. But it was a choice to bring it back live, because it does still hold up in a way alongside a lot of our newer material in terms of how heavy it is. I think it has an enduring quality, and it is a great representation of the band and who we were back then.”
Is that a part of embracing your past and particularly your nu metal era?
“Absolutely. We brought the song back for the Sick New World festival [in 2023], and it went down really well. I think the song sort of transcends nu metal, but we have embraced the association with nu metal in having been there for the biggest hype of it and representing women in the genre as well. But that song just resonates with people. It’s so heavy, it’s so impactful. It really translates well live and it’s a lot of fun for us to play.”
