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From a record label's standpoint, do the demands and expectations on you change?

Plumb They've been really good at understanding that he is more important, and before he was around, [the label] was in whatever position in my priority list. It was a completely understood thing that they're not as important [as my child]. My son will always come before them, and knowing that shows them that I haven't quit taking any offers. It's just a matter of, if I say no, I can't. They've been really great at saying, "Well, we just thought we'd ask. If it's something that doesn't fit into your son's schedule, then it's fine."

On a different note, your bio indicates that your voice has been an inspiration to Amy Lee of Evanescence. Does it bother you when your music gets compared to theirs?

Plumb To be compared to anything successful is always flattering, and then to know that I'm significantly older than Amy Lee—I was putting out my third album when Evanescence was just releasing their first—gives people a time frame to not stand on any soapbox at all. When Evanescence just came out, Amy was quoting some of her big influences, and I was one of her primary vocal influences. I'm just flattered by that. So when people compare me to them, if they only heard my first, second and third albums, they'd probably see where that comes from.

The similarities aren't only stylistic. Lyrically, both Evanescence and Plumb explore dark yet honest topics. Is it hard to expose your heart and emotions for the whole world to see?

Plumb No, because I believe we were created to be Christian, and there is no such thing as mine in this life. It's not about me and the church is not here for me. I exist for it. I'm a part of it. That's who God created me to be. So if I go through things and experience things and learn things that encourage or inspire or challenge people in more ways than one, that's a privilege to me. It's not really saying, "These are my experiences and I'm so gracious to share them with you because they might help you." No, I've been privileged to go through some experiences, and the only thing I can do is share that with other people. I'm pretty comfortable doing that. I've always been pretty open.

I don't have anything hidden in the closet. I don't have that. I think that's silly because the more people know you, the more they can hold you accountable to what you were created to be. Even though that's hard—it's not always easy—it's necessary for people to know my hopes and fears, and for people to educate me and inspire me to grow. I'm not saying it's pain-free, but it's definitely rewarding.

A recurring theme in your music is abuse, whether physical, verbal, sexual or otherwise. Is that something you had to experience yourself in order to be able to write about it?

Plumb I've known people and heard so many stories in my career that I felt like it was a responsibility to use the platform that I have properly, to be a voice for people that have a hard time speaking for themselves. Writing songs about that topic provides a tool to create conversation for them, and I believe conversation is key in being able to heal from such a thing. It reminds them that they're not alone. There are so many instances in my life, and I'm sure we all have experiences where we feel alone. And having someone say, "Don't worry about it. I've been there and you're going to be OK," is so refreshing.

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