Hayley Williams on going solo: "I'm not looking for greener grass"
Hayley Williams has spoken about releasing her own solo music, saying she needs to “trust” that her Paramore bandmates know she’s “not looking for greener grass”.
The musician released her debut solo album ‘Petals For Armor’ earlier this month, marking her first releases without the band aside from single collaborations with B.o.B. and Zedd.
Speaking to Vogue, Williams recalled guitarist Taylor York bringing up the subject of going on a break while filming the video for ‘Rose-Colored Boy’ in 2018. “I told Taylor to always tell me what he needs for Paramore to be healthy because we’ve been through enough bullshit,” she said.
“We’re adults and have to focus on our friendships. I knew I had to honour that this was the time we owed ourselves to be individuals and not find our identity in Paramore for a minute.”
Williams confirmed again that she was planning to return to Paramore in the future. “I can’t deny there are frontwomen in history who went solo and didn’t go back, so that’s where I have to trust that the band knows I’m not looking for greener grass,” she said.
“I see guys like Julian Casablancas and Thom Yorke put out multiple records and go back to their bands all the time. They do their own shit and nobody thinks it cannibalises The Strokes or Radiohead.”
Williams previously told NME that Paramore had already have already discussed ideas for their next album, saying it would return to a more guitar-focused sound after the synth-led ‘After Laughter’.
“We’ve found ourselves listening to a lot of older music that we grew up being inspired by,” she said, adding that not doing the same thing twice was central to the group. “That excitement and curiosity that keeps us a band. We won’t let it happen unless we think it’s the coolest thing in the world, I mean, Paramore’s my favourite band. How dare I ever ruin it?”
