Page 5 - RockRevoltMagazine-Summer2019

AN INTERVIEW WITH SEPTEMBER MOURNING

by Alice Roques

hen the life you’ve been leading seems to be taking you toward an end that provides nothing
in it’s wake. where does one turn? For some folks, there are glimmers of hope. For those lucky
select, fate chooses to offer second opportunities to take life and lead it to the fullest. Like
WSeptember Mourning, Emily Lazar, embodies the Valkyrie that she represents. With her reapers
at her side, September Mourning is unleashing something...UnHoly! Read on as we get to know the multi-
faceted, multi-talented Emily Lazar.

Tell me about September like Valkyrie creature like book beyond just the general
Mourning. Where did she come strong, tough, bold, but still supernatural storyline.
from? How did she come to be? has this halo around her of
It started as a transmedia hope. Are there any of the characters
project from the get go. I in the book that are inspired by
wanted to build a whole sort Did you study art or design? people in your own life?
of presentation around a Well, I went to a performing Oh yeah, there’s a lot of
storyline, around a central arts school so I studied art and inspiration from the life I’ve
character that had something art history and design. I went lived and the people I’ve
to say and had a voice. So, to FIT for a minute in New met. I mean, I wouldn’t say in
I came up with this concept York so yeah, I did a lot of that. particular a character reminds
of a creature, this character, me of a specific person, but
this hybrid. She has this And it shows. Is there any there are a lot of different
humanity to her, but she’s symbolism in September traits that I’ve come across in
also supernatural. She has Mourning that we should be my life, from different people.
this ability to help people get looking for as a whole? They’ve made their way
chances at life, like swapping There’s a lot of play on into the embodiment of the
souls out and giving people destiny and hope and fate, all characters.
a second chance. I think that personified in as a character
everybody has always wanted in a comic book. But there’s When did you know that this
AN INTERVIEW WITH
a second chance in their lives
a lot of overlaying themes. I was your calling? Did you
SEPTEM- thing. It felt like it would be a lot of overlaying themes of be a rockstar or comic-book
at some point. It’s a universal
guess schematically, there’s know that were destined to
cool to build a storyline on --
like destiny, fate vs. freedom transmedia Maven?
of choice vs. the mystery of
and the books started to come
No, that was never my calling.
freedom of choice. I mean
out, and the band was formed
My calling was to be a prima
ballerina. I was supposed
around the whole premise
we’re going through a lot of
BER- of this human-reaper hybrid. that in the United States. I think to do that. The first time I
that more and more we’re
stepped on stage, I was three
The songs are interwoven
into the storyline and it’s an
years old and I was playing
kind of realising that we’re
amalgamation of all these
under this like weird fantasy
a mouse in The Nutcracker. I
that we all have our freedom,
really cool art pieces.
was just on-stage dancing, and
I continued to do that for a
but we’re not really free. And I
MOURN- Okay. As far as the aesthetics, think there’s a lot of that in the while, and then I had a really
like the choice in the white
bad accident. That was what
book; where is freedom and
contrast with the rest of the
I felt my calling was. I was so
where does it lie, where does it
incredibly focused on just that,
band, where did that choice
from? Do you really have your
and everything else kind of
come from?
own fate in your own hands or
are there other factors working
went by the way side, even
She’s like this Valkyrie for
ING humanity. I wanted to make against you, or working for art school. But when I had the
her angelic in a sense.
you? There’s a lot of that in
accident, I had to switch lanes,
switch gears -- it’s kind of like,
the book. There’s also other
Although, she represents death
this was my second chance at
but she also represents second
messages about feminism and
things like that too. So yeah,
life you know? I think a lot of
chances at life. I wanted to
that whole ordeal, and what it
make her this almost angelic
there’s a lot going on in the
5 // RockRevolt Magazine
Photo by Curtis Noble