Los Angeles-based rock band GINA AND THE EASTERN BLOCK has teamed up with the “provocative rock ‘n’ roll dance troupe” Little Miss Nasty and BUTCHER BABIES singer Heidi Shepherd to record a cover of KORN classic song “Freak On A Leash.”
The song is accompanied by an NSFW music video, which sees the return of the “nipple tape”, with Shepherd performing topless with tape on her breasts as she used to do in the early career of BUTCHER BABIES.
Shepherd has since taken to her Instagram to explain her decision to return to the “nipple tape” look for the clip.
She wrote: “Let’s talk.. Over the past 14 years of my career, Ive grown into a woman in front of the whole world. Over those 14 years, Ive also seen the industry change. In metal, we’ve been told that its ‘not metal’ to embrace your feminine qualities but, Ive also seen the same women called ugly & gross when we dont. We’ve seen ‘them’ say that we women should tone down the bold but, then say that we need to be extra bold to play w the boys. THEY tell us (we all are) to be unique, then immediately pin us against & compare us to each other. We’ve seen them say that, ‘people dont want to see women scream, we should sing & be pretty’, then say that ‘we’re all clones’ after THEY are the ones that shoved us in that corner to begin w.
“Ive felt the whiplash over the past decade of ‘do this’.. Actually, ‘do that’. And I have to be honest, I lost myself in all of that. Ive always been a girl to push boundaries and give [the middle finger] to the box that people have tried to put me in. As time has gone on, I feel like I steered away from the things that made me unique. Ive realized, that subsequently ended up in some pretty, little box with a bow that would make others feel comfortable.
“When approached to dive back into [nipple] tape for this music video, I admit, I was apprehensive cause ‘OMG what would THEY think?’ Then @henryflury reminded me of how hard Ive worked. He reminded me that I came into this industry as a BAMF & I still am. He reminded me that I’m here to F*CKSH*TUP! He reminded me that the female body is a goddamn piece of art & I should feel comfortable in the body that Ive worked so hard for. From surviving gastroschisis, to overcoming a debilitating eating disorder, to breaking my back, to NOW crushing the gym; I should feel grateful & proud of the body I have. We all should! I deserve to embrace my feminine qualities in any form I want, whether its nipple tape or turtlenecks. Cause we all have those moments of feeling like a badass, sexy woman, then also where we wanna rock our sweats and a baggy-ass tshirt. We should be empowered by both!
“So thank you @ginaandtheeasternblock for the reminder & the opportunity to rewind & reflect! So stoked about the video. THIS BITCH IS BACK! -SMD”
