An Interview with Meet Me @ The Altar

Your newest punk-pop obsession is here and they’re bringing a whole new standard to a heavily white, male-dominated genre. In 2020, Fueled By Ramen signed band members Edith Johnson (vocals), Téa Campbell (bass and guitar), and Ada Juarez (drums) to their legendary roster. The trio, all of whom are women of color and two of whom are gay, are the newest additions to a very homogeneous genre. Meet Me @ the Altar represents a youthful revitalization of the punk-pop genre, increasing representation in the space and making room for more unique artists that look like them.

What’s the inspiration behind the name, “Meet Me @ The Altar”?

Téa was trying to come up with genuine band names when the band first formed and Ada randomly started listing Mortal Kombat characters. It turned out that they had the same favorite character, Sub Zero, so Téa texted “OMG marry me!!” and Ada replied “meet me @ the altar” and it just stuck.

What are some challenges you’ve faced on your music journey?

We had to really fight to make a name for ourselves in the scene we would play shows in because the opening slots for bigger shows would go to the same 3 or 4 bands and we think that a lot of the all white male bands in the scene were intimidated by us so we rarely got invited to play shows even on a local level. 99% of the shows/tours we played pre-covid were booked completely by us. Even though nothing was handed to us, we still worked our butts off and here we are now.

If you could collaborate with any artist, who would it be?

If we could collaborate with any artist we’d love to collaborate with Lynn Gunn, The Wonder Years, Chloe Moriondo, Alex Gaskarth, and Stand Atlantic.

What advice do you have for aspiring womxn musicians?

To all the aspiring womxn musicians out there, you are just as capable of succeeding even if the odds seem to be against you. As long as you make music that you enjoy, nothing can stop you from getting to where you want to be.

Who are some womxn musicians you look up to in the industry?

Some womxn musicians we look up to in the industry are Hayley Williams, Lynn Gunn, Chloe Moriondo, Halsey, Jess Bowen, Beabadobee, and Jenna McDougall.

How did it feel to join the same roster as some legendary Fueled By Ramen bands?

Joining the same roster as some legendary Fueled By Ramen bands feels surreal but at the same time also familiar. It’s obvious that Fueled By Ramen is where we were supposed to go. It feels like home.

What do you envision the future of pop-punk to be?

We envision the future of pop-punk to be a more diverse community. We hope to influence this genre to be more welcoming to women and people of color.

How has the pandemic affected your creative process?

The pandemic hasn’t really affected our creative process since we started off as a remote band, making music while being in different states. It’s kind of ironic, because most bands are separated during this time but we moved in together after signing. Instead of the pandemic separating us, it actually brought us closer together.

Do you have any dream venues or festivals you would like to perform at?

Dream venues or festivals we’d love to perform at are Coachella, Reading & Leeds, Madison Square Garden, Red Rocks, and Chain Reaction.

If you could go on tour with any artist, who would it be?

If we could tour with any artist we would love to tour with Halsey, Twenty One Pilots, Paramore, or All Time Low.

Learn more about Meet Me @ The Altar
Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook