Interviewing actress and singer Kourt Henson

1.-From what age did you decide to be an actress and how did you know you had the skills to act?

I’ve always viewed acting as a kind of puzzle, an attempt to understand a person’s immediate wants and their deeper, unspoken needs. That way of thinking came naturally to me. Reading a script, adopting mannerisms, and identifying the essential truths of a character felt instinctive rather than forced. Humans are endlessly complex, and there is always a defining moment or series of moments that shapes who we become. I’ve always been drawn to uncovering those emotional catalysts, to solving the inner puzzle that explains why a character behaves the way they do. Recognizing how easily I could interpret these emotional clues on the page made me realize that acting was something I could pursue professionally. It wasn’t just imagination; it was pattern recognition, empathy, and an ability to translate text into lived emotional experience.

2.-Did your parents support you in the decision you made to be an actress and musician?

It took time, but after years of success with Levinia, (my band), and continued proof of my acting abilities, their support became wholehearted. Having a full time job whilst pursuing these careers helped a little bit too!

3.-What was your first appearance on the screens?

I was a background actor in a short film called The Minions (not the film about the little yellow guys). It was a horror short directed and written by Jeremiah Kipp, (The Mortuary’s Assistant and Slapface). I LOVED my experience! Jeremiah is a phenomenal director, and I would love to work with him again!

4.-How did you discover metal, and what attracted you to the genre?

I was introduced to metal at a young age, but I grew up primarily on rock through my dad. When I was thirteen, a friend burned me a CD of Lacuna Coil’s Comalies, and that was the moment everything shifted. I was immediately drawn to the atmosphere of the music, the emotional weight it carried, and Cristina Scabbia’s vocals, the balance of power and vulnerability felt unlike anything I had heard before. A few years later, in high school, my boyfriend at the time, burned me a mix CD that included Kamelot’s The Black Halo, specifically “The Haunting (Somewhere in Time)” featuring Simone Simons of Epica. By that point, I was already deeply immersed in classical music. I had been training and competing as a classical and opera singer since the age of seven. Hearing symphonic metal for the first time felt like a revelation. It was the first genre that allowed me to merge technical beauty with emotional intensity. I realized I didn’t have to choose between sounding “beautiful” and sounding powerful. Symphonic metal gave me a space where both could exist at once, and that fusion is what ultimately drew me in and made the genre feel like home.

5.-What were the main musical influences that inspired you to join a metal band?

Power was the primary draw, power not just in volume, but in emotion. I was deeply inspired by the way a single note could resonate across vastly different emotional landscapes, how it could carry strength, vulnerability, grief, or defiance depending on how it was shaped. What drew me to metal was the ability to hold that power with control, to sustain it, bend it, and let it evolve. It gave me the freedom to explore complex emotional states and translate them directly into sound. Metal allowed me to set emotion to music in its rawest form, using the voice not just as an instrument, but as a conduit for intensity and truth.

6.-What types of characters would you like to interpret in acting?

I’m drawn to characters who hide behind masks, women who use sarcasm, detachment, or confidence as armor. The ones who appear “too cool for school,” emotionally untouchable, or effortlessly in control are often the most compelling to me. Beneath that exterior is usually someone who is deeply observant, guarded, and quietly longing for connection. Those are the characters I’m most interested in interpreting, the women whose strength is performative, whose wit is a defense mechanism, and whose vulnerability is revealed in subtle cracks rather than grand gestures. I find those inner contradictions rich and human, and I love exploring the tension between who a character presents to the world and who she truly is when the mask begins to slip.

7.-Do you have any anecdotes that have marked you in your life and as a person?

Surprisingly, I’m very introverted and something of a bookworm. That isn’t always apparent at first, but I genuinely prefer observing to speaking. I’ve always been drawn to reading because it allows me to sit inside other perspectives, to study how people think, react, and reveal themselves through subtext rather than volume. That habit has trained me to notice patterns in real life as well: shifts in energy, defensive humor, moments of hesitation, and emotional contradictions. I read people much the same way I read characters, paying attention to what’s unsaid as much as what’s spoken.

8.-In terms of your vocal style, how would you describe it? Do you have any specific

techniques you use to keep your voice healthy?

My approach is essentially emotional classical singing paired with belting. Because my voice does a lot of heavy lifting, vocal care is non-negotiable for me. I’m a big fan of apple cider vinegar shots, even though they sound absolutely disgusting, I know. I usually fill half a shot glass with apple cider vinegar, top it off with water, heat it for about ten seconds, let it cool slightly, and then take it like a shot. It helps keep my vocal folds healthy and does wonders for my sinuses. I’m also completely obsessed with my VocalMist nebulizer. Especially during the dry California summers, it’s been a lifesaver for keeping my voice properly hydrated and resilient.

The lyrics of the songs you sing are often quite deep and dark. 

9.-Where do you get the

inspiration for the themes you explore in your lyrics?

Believe it or not, my inspiration comes primarily from literature, folklore, and personal experience. I’m a huge fan of Gothic literature, and its thematic preoccupation: loss, moral conflict, obsession, identity, and the tension between light and shadow, have deeply shaped how I write. Those stories aren’t dark for the sake of darkness, they use atmosphere and symbolism to explore what it means to be human under pressure.Folklore also plays a significant role in my work. I’m drawn to myths and cautionary tales because they externalize inner struggles, turning fear, grief, temptation, and longing into something tangible. Pairing those narratives with personal experience allows me to ground the abstract in something emotionally honest. I don’t write from a place of shock value; I write to explore truths that are often uncomfortable but deeply relatable. For me, lyrics are a way of translating internal experiences into a story, using darkness not as an end point, but as a lens through which transformation, resilience, and self-recognition become possible. Married with a strong melody and instrumental helps engage the listener!

10.-How do you prepare emotionally and physically for a live performance, especially if it’s a

long concert or in a very intense environment?

I’m a Christian, and taking a moment for a silent prayer before going onstage helps center and calm me. It grounds me, in intention reminding me why I’m there. I may feel nervous in the moments leading up to a performance, but as soon as the first notes of our set begin, that nervous energy dissolves. I feel the music take over, and everything else falls away. From that point on, it’s no longer about fear, it’s about presence, connection, and surrender to the moment.

11.-If you could collaborate with any artist, living or dead, who would it be and why?

Alice Cooper! To me, he’s just the coolest dude ever. I’m endlessly impressed by the longevity of his career and the way he’s never shied away from being honest about his journey, the highs, the lows, and everything in between. He’s someone who fully embraced theatricality and storytelling long before it was widely accepted in rock and metal, and he did it without apology.

Metal has a wide variety of subgenres. How would you describe your band’s style, and

12.-How do you think it differs from other bands in the same genre?

 We are a Modern Melodic Metal band blending soaring symphonic elements with the raw intensity of modern metal. If you’re into powerful, emotionally driven sounds like Epica, Lacuna Coil, Within Temptation, Meshuggah, Kamelot, and other genre-defying acts, our music will hit home. We mix cinematic orchestration and dynamic vocal melodies with heavy hooks and contemporary metal energy, crafting something both familiar and uniquely ours

13.-If you had to choose one song from the band that represents your personal journey as

an artist, which would it be and why?

Promise and Pride represents a younger version of me, the woman I was in my twenties, full of passion, ambition, and still learning how to define my identity. I originally wrote it about a family member I had a deep connection with in my childhood. At the time, I felt as though they had given up on me, and that emotional distance shaped the heart of the song, especially the chorus. It wasn’t about weakness; it was about wrestling with loyalty, pride, and the sting of feeling unseen by someone who once meant everything. That family member passed away a few years ago, and with time came perspective. The song now feels less like a wound and more like a snapshot, a moment in my growth where I was learning that my worth could not be determined by someone else’s presence or absence.

Bite is the evolution of that lesson. As a musician, there have been moments where it’s easy to look around and measure yourself against others, their skill, their opportunities, their momentum. That’s part of being in a competitive industry. But eventually, I realized comparison is noise. It keeps you small. Bite was the moment I decided I was done shrinking to fit other people’s expectations. It’s the sound of stepping fully into my power and claiming my space unapologetically. “Fear My Bite” isn’t about anger, it’s about boundaries. It’s about knowing that anyone who questions my value doesn’t get to define it. Where Promise and Pride captures the questioning, Bite embodies the answer.

14.-Finally, what future projects do you have in mind, both with the band and on a personal

level? What can we expect from you in the coming years?

 This year is incredibly exciting for me, both creatively and personally. Levinia is releasing new music, which feels like a huge step forward for us. We’ve poured so much time and heart into this material, and I’m really proud of how it reflects our growth sonically and thematically. There’s something powerful about putting new art into the world, it’s vulnerable, but it’s also deeply fulfilling. On a personal level, I’m currently earning my Doctorate degree, which has been both challenging and transformative. It’s definitely demanding, but I’ve always believed that growth requires discipline and perseverance. This journey is stretching me intellectually and professionally, and I know it will be worth every late night and long study session.

In addition to music and academia, I’m also committed to expanding my work as a performer. I’m actively auditioning and hoping to book more roles this year. Acting has always been a core part of who I am. I’m excited to continue challenging myself artistically and stepping into new creative opportunities. Overall, this season of my life is about expansion, new music, higher education, and new roles. It’s busy, yes but it’s purposeful.