Ume frontwoman Lauren Larson was recently interviewed by Guitar World to talk about her career and what it’s like to be a girl in a man’s world.

As a teen, Larson grew up playing mostly around men and received many condescending remarks for being a girl in a male-dominated field.

“People are still surprised to see that I’m in a band,” she told Guitar World. “They expect me to be just the singer. I’ve even gotten, ‘Oh are you the dancer in the band?’ or ‘Are you just the merch girl?’ Having those experiences my whole life has really made me want to encourage girls to get up there, find their voice, express themselves through music, and hopefully they won’t have to get the same rude comments or surprise when they take the stage.”

Larson hopes to eventually break any outdated stereotypes about female guitarists.

“People are still very surprised to see a woman guitarist that actually rocks out on stage,” she said. “It’s silly, but I think we’re moving beyond that. That’s one of my life goals, to get it where no one’s going to be surprised to see a woman on-stage while rocking out.”

Larson also had some closing advice for women pursuing a career in music.

“Just have fun,” she told Guitar World. “When else can you have a chance to totally hold nothing back and scream and have fun?”

Read the full interview at GuitarWorld.com, and watch Ume performing “Captive” below: