Hayley Williams calls out sexist responses to Paramore lineup changes
Hayley Williams has given a career-spanning new interview about her time in Paramore, in which she discussed the sexism she endured during the band’s highly-publicised lineup changes.
Brothers Josh and Zac Farro left the band in 2010, with the former saying in a blog post that Williams’ father would “constantly threaten to ‘pull the plug’ on the whole band if we complained,” and saying, “What started as natural somehow morphed into a manufactured product of a major label, riding on the coattails of Hayley’s dream.”
Asked by Vulture whether she sees that narrative as sexist, Williams said: “I find it interesting that bands we’ve loved who have been through lineup changes – even bands who haven’t – have been honest about how much they hate each other, and you never question their loyalty. You never think, ‘Oh, Thom Yorke must be the fucking Hitler of Radiohead.’ He can be an asshole.
“I wonder if it’s simply because I’m a woman? I could have had a dick and the story wouldn’t have gotten any traction.”
She added that by the time the Farrow brothers left, “We weren’t really friends at that point. Now, when I run into Josh, I barely feel anything. No part of me is triggered.”
Elsewhere in the interview Williams described the sexism she encountered in her earlier career, describing the early 2000s emo scene as “brutally misogynistic.”
Williams is currently gearing up to release the second half of her debut solo album, ‘Petals For Armor’, tomorrow (May 8), with latest single ‘Dead Horse’ appearing last month.
Meanwhile, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Williams recently rescheduled previously announced UK and European tour dates until 2021.
