Otep Shamaya has released her comeback single “(ISH) I’m Still Here“.
Otep Shamaya said on Saturday that she had a demo close to finished, that it needed a few mix changes, and that the people around her were telling her to hold off. It came out the following day.
“(ISH) I’m Still Here” arrived on Monday, August 10, ending a retirement she declared in November 2024 and taking her somewhere well outside the nü-metal she built her name on. The track is trip hop with a rap lean, and there is no screaming on it.
In a statement posted with the release, Shamaya explained what the song is about.
“I’ve been struggling with depression for several years. Most of you know why but I didn’t want to burden anyone with it so I hid it & fought it alone. This new song (tho different genre) is about that struggle, the voice of the Void telling you its safe to stay under its lethal gravity. It also covers being ‘othered’ growing up & living out loud Queer/Lesbian xx My hope is that ppl can get past the lack of gutturals & identify with those struggles. If you can, this song is for you big love & gratitude #otep xx,” Shamaya said.
The reference to a lack of gutturals is aimed at the audience she built over two decades. She addressed that gap directly in her post the day before, saying some listeners would hate the new direction because they “want the girl who goes grrrr,” and that she had to stay true to herself regardless.
She wrote: “hi. many are asking if I’m making new music. YES. I am. Not in the old genre. But same message, mood, atmosphere. I’m proud of all my albums & everything I contributed to that space. But it’s changed, I’ve changed and new creative terrain was necessary for my creative engine & my sanity. The new music explores my recent battles with mental & emotional health, growing up Queer, fighting for equity & equality & the ghouls who want to destroy us, being a fighter, a survivor & living authentically.
“Some will hate it, they want the girl who goes grrrr, others will love it, but I have to stay true to my self. My words have always mattered most to me & that’s my focus now. Centering the message, the lyrics, the meaning ? I have one demo near completion. I was thinking of releasing it but I dunno, needs some minor changes to the mix, etc. But my ppl are telling to wait. It’s hard bcz I’m just really excited. No clue where my passions will take me except I know it will be armored with joy Love & respect to all xx #otep xx”
Shamaya formed Otep in Los Angeles in November 2000 and was the band’s only constant member across nine albums and a run of labels including Capitol, Victory, Napalm Records and Cleopatra Records. She was picked for Ozzfest by Sharon Osbourne before the band had released a record, and the debut Sevas Tra followed in 2002.
The band’s political and personal writing ran through everything that came after, including House Of Secrets, Smash The Control Machine, Hydra, Generation Doom and 2018’s Kult 45. The God Slayer, released through Cleopatra in September 2023, turned out to be the last.
Outside music, Shamaya has performed on HBO‘s “Def Poetry“, provided voice work for “The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies“, and was nominated for GLAAD’s Outstanding Music Artist award in 2010.
She has not said whether more music will follow, or whether “(ISH) I’m Still Here” is part of a larger body of work.
