Rising industrial metal songwriter Staytus, the alter-ego of Sam Grundemann, is redefining what it means to channel angst through music with her latest single “Can You Hear Me?” Her new track is a profound continuation of her trailblazing raw and intense sound, with lyrics that literally scream “I can see through your facade … I need to scream, I can’t breathe, can you hear me?”
Staytus is setting the tone not only with her powerful voice and compelling lyrics, but also by collaborating with eminent producer Sean Beavan, whose work with renowned artists like Nine Inch Nails and David Bowie is nothing short of iconic. Staytus asserts that Beavan has “pushed me to explore new creative territory and really capture the raw emotion I was after.”
The music video for “Can You Hear Me?” is a haunting and distorted visual complement to her raw new single. Shot by acclaimed metal photographer and videographer Jim Louvau, who has previously worked with Metallica, Alice in Chains, and even Taylor Swift, brings nostalgic and classic metal-feel visual imagery to the track. The video cuts from scenes in eerie blue and purple lights, to black and white from a warped fish-eye perspective. Throughout the video, Staytus locks eyes with the camera, adding to the feeling of being trapped in a distorted reality. While static TV glitch effects heighten the feeling even more, she screams, headbangs, and shows us what she is singing about in a disorienting and powerful way.
A Scottsdale native, Staytus is heavily inspired by those who came before her, mixing the raw torment of Gen-X with an eerie digital dark angel avatar persona that can only be found in the Gen-Z goth universe. Innovatively experimenting with guitar synths and beginning her music career at just 17 years old, Staytus is a force to be reckoned with in the modern metal-industrial music scene.