Meet Me @ The Altar’s Edith Victoria: 'I’d rather fall off a cliff than lose my voice’ | My Life In 20
13 August 2021, 15:50
To celebrate the release of Model Citizen, we take a trip down memory lane with Meet Me @ The Altar's Edith Victoria.
Pop punk might be having a resurgence right now but for Florida/New Jersey natives Meet Me @ The Altar, the genre isn't just a fleeting TikTok trend to hop on for clout, it's a lifelong commitment.
Consisting of guitarist-bassist Téa Campbell, drummer Ada Juarez, and vocalist Edith Victoria, MM@TA formed in 2015 on the internet (where else?) and bonded over their appreciation for the classics of the genre and shared a mutual mission to bring the stale and crusty world of pop punk kicking and screaming into the 21st century. "We knew going into this that it wasn’t going to be easy,” said Téa in a profile with Rolling Stone earlier this year. “But we accepted that we have to take the harder way, so that the 12-year-old black girl looking up to us can do it the easy way.”
So far, things have been going pretty well. After early co-signs from All Time Low and The Wonder Years, the band received support from Halsey’s Black Creators Fund and then signed to their dream label Fueled by Ramen (home to Paramore, Fall Out Boy, Twenty One Pilots). While early singles 'Garden' proved popular with fans, the band have made huge strides forward with their songwriting on their new EP, Model Citizen.
READ MORE: 10 incredible artists you need to watch out for in 2021
Model Citizen is a 6 track slice of pop punk perfection and proves something that we've speculated all along about MM@TA: that they have the heart, passion and sincerity to make pop punk relevant to whole new generation again, and make it all the way to the top.
To celebrate the release of Model Citizen, we sent over our My Life In 20 questions for Edith to answer. Read her answers after the jump and keep your eyes peeled for a very special project we'll be launching with the help of Téa and Ada next month 🤫👀
20) What did you learn about yourself in 2020?
It’s hard for me to relax and do nothing, which is a blessing and a curse.
19) What was your favourite live show of 2019 (pre-pandemic)?
My favourite live show was on the very last tour we did RIGHT before Covid hit. We played a house show in Richmond and we PACKED IT OUT! At the time, of course we weren’t even close to as “big” as we are now, but despite that a lot of our fans came! Everyone was having fun, singing along and just seemed to forget about their worries. I think every pop punk band coming up dreams about playing an awesome packed out house show, so that’d have to be my favourite.
18) What was the most important thing to happen in your life when you were 18?
I lost a friend at 18 which really opened my eyes to how anyone can die at anytime no matter what age. It was the first person close to me that I lost and helped me understand how life is too short not to do what you want. He was only 18 so it hit home a little extra.
17) Who was your crush at 17?
My crush between ages 14 and 17 were Chris Motionless and Oli Sykes because... I mean, look at them!
16) What could you do for 16 hours without getting bored?
I know since I am a singer this answer might be cliche, BUT..... I could LITERALLY sing for 16 hours STRAIGHT and not get bored.
15) What did you hate at 15 which you love now?
I used to hate heavy vegetables when I was 15, but now I love them. Just things like brussels sprouts and broccoli used to be so gross to me!!
14) What TV show were you obsessed with at 14 and why?
At 14 my favourite shows were The Fosters, Twisted, and Teen Wolf.
13) 13 is unlucky for some. Do you have anything that you’re superstitious about?
I guess you could say I am superstitious about certain things. Never put your purse on the ground!! You’ll become broke. Cracking mirrors is in fact bad luck.
12) If you could live the life of any other person for 12 hours, who would you be and why?
If I could live the life of any other person for 12 hours I would definitely choose Beyoncé, because who wouldn’t wanna be Beyoncé???
11) What was your favourite film when you were 11? What did you like about it?
Probably this American Girl Doll movie called Chrissa. My sisters and I used to have a lot of American Girl Dolls so I was always so excited when they made movies about them.
Meet Me @ The Altar: Brighter Days (Are Before Us) [OFFICIAL VIDEO]
10) Which bad habit do you want to have quit in ten years time?
The act of doubting myself.
9) What was your biggest fear when you were 9?
My biggest fear when I was 9 was porta potties. Around that age, I had a dream about using a porta potty and being eaten by an alligator while using it...because the alligator happened to be in the toilet part SOMEHOW.
8) When you were 8, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I don’t think I was honestly sure of what I wanted to be yet. I was just kinda living as an 8-year-old.
7) Which of the seven deadly sins are you most guilty of?
I am most guilty of greed! When it comes to anything I do, I always want more. I always wanna be better and I always want to be bigger. I want to be the best at everything and want to beat everyone!
6) You can invite six people to your dream dinner party (dead or alive), who would you invite?
It’d have to be Beyoncé & Jay Z, Malcom X, Tupac, Michael Jackson, and Angela Davis. These are all people I just really want to speak to!!
5) Name five things you can't live without.
Five things I can’t live without are music, food, my family, the girls (Téa & Ada) and my voice. Because I’d rather fall off a cliff than lose it lol.
4) Describe yourself in four words.
If I had to describe myself in four words I’d choose: weird, unapologetic, confident, and crazy.
3) Your top three songs of all time.
Incubus - 'Wish You Were Here', Stevie Wonder - 'Isn’t She Lovely', and Norah Jones - 'Sunrise'.
2) Name two things on your bucket list.
Two things on my bucket list are sky diving and winning a Grammy.
1) Who or what is your one true love?
For what, music is my one true love! For who, I’m wondering the same thing!
