Fort Lee's Madame Mayhem Releases Debut Album

Fort Lee resident and Tenafly native Natalie Cohen grew up starring in regional and off-Broadway musical theater and dance productions and studied classical voice and theater in college. But Cohen’s enduring love of hard rock and heavy metal ultimately led to her career path as singer-guitarist Madame Mayhem.

“I’ve been into hard rock and metal my entire life, even when I was doing school musicals,” said Mayhem. “This is not an alter ego. This is me going under a moniker that I feel true to, and this is what I love to do best. Singing has been my life and I’m really happy that I can now do it in this genre.”

Madame Mayhem released her debut album, “Now You Know,” earlier this month.

“I’m really proud of the record,” Mayhem said. “I was able to work with some great artists and write from experiences in my life. It’s a really good example of who Madame Mayhem is as an artist.”

“Now You Know” is a superb slab of melodic rock and metal that spotlights Mayhem’s expressive vocals and dynamic range backed by a tight, all-star band. The album was produced by legendary bassist Billy Sheehan (the Winery Dogs, Mr. Big, ex-David Lee Roth), who also performs on the disc. He’s joined by former Guns N’ Roses guitarist and acclaimed solo shredder Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal, Korn drummer Ray Luzier and bassist Corey Lowery (Eye Empire, ex-Stuck Mojo).

“[Sheehan] has been a mentor of mine for a few years,” Mayhem said. “He’s an amazing musician and person. It was a no-brainer to write a few songs together, and we made an album out of it.” She added that her current backing band does a great job re-creating the music on “Now You Know” in a live setting.

Mayhem, Tenafly High School Class of 2007, has been performing professionally as a rock musician for the past five years. She said her stage name came easily. “My parents called me Madame Mayhem growing up,” she said. “Chaos seems to follow me, and if you hang out with me for a couple of days some kind of mayhem will ensue.”

Standout tracks on “Now You Know” include first single “Monster,” “Better Days,” “… After 2 AM” and “Sacrifice.” Mayhem said “Monster,” a raucous rocker, is about the struggles of succeeding in the music industry.

“Through the years of trying to make it in this specific genre, people were negative and also trying to create an image for me that wasn’t myself,” Mayhem said. “I just said, ‘You know what, this is who I am.’ “

The slower-tempo “Better Days” and the pulsating “… After 2 AM” run one after another and make for a potent one-two punch. “I wrote ‘Better Days’ when my mom was going through health issues, when I was hearing stories about friends being bullied and when I was having a hard time with certain people,” Mayhem said.

“I wrote the song for my mom, for myself and my friends. It helped me writing it and hopefully it helped other people. You just have to keep pushing forward.”

She said her classical theater and voice training have been invaluable assets for her rock career. “I love to be a showman onstage,” Mayhem said. “Vocally, I know how not to blow my voice out, and I’ve developed multiple ranges.”

She also listens to artists from all sorts of genres, which has helped to influence her sound.

“There are some voices, however, in the rock world that inspired me to accentuate my own, unique voice and not to imitate anyone else, people like Chris Cornell, Ronnie James Dio, Pat Benatar and so many others,” she said.

Mayhem graduated from the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music and also studied at Oxford University in England and the Manhattan School of Music.

She said growing up in Bergen County was an invaluable experience.

“The teachers in Tenafly saw the passion for performing that I had and were very nurturing,” Mayhem said. “With the JCC on the Palisades right there in Tenafly too, I had a lot of access to their programs. I’m a huge Bergen County fan. It’s why I still live here.”

www.madamemayhem.com