State Champ Radio Paramore
Perhaps no album from a band in recent months has been as anticipated as Paramore‘s sixth studio set, This Is Why. The group, which currently consists of lead vocalist Hayley Williams, guitarist Taylor York and drummer Zac Farro, released their poppier, ’80s-tinged LP After Laughter in 2017 and later, took a break that resulted in the trio trading the sadness behind their rose-colored glasses for anger — and for what feels like the first time, political discontent.
“Everything is political, and it’s either politicized to a degree that maybe isn’t fair or it just inherently is political,” Williams said in the group’s recently Billboard cover story. “Even if I tried to not say one word about anything political [on the album], I think it was just in the DNA. It was in every conversation.”
And the group tackles the issues seamlessly, albeit with a new groove that sounds equal parts fresh and familiar to new and old fans alike. This Is Why‘s title track (also the first on the record) establishes the band’s mission statement, critiquing society’s lack of empathy and the human tendency to be unyielding with our beliefs. Follow up singles “The News” and “C’est Comme Ça” expands, with the former heaving an exasperated sigh at current events and the latter taking the aftermath with a resigned shrug of the shoulders. The preliminary songs the band offered — and the album as a whole — cut the weight of their themes with a danceable, punk leaning edge.
While there are no definite skips on the album, certain tracks of the group’s newest offering in years do stand out a bit more than others. Here is a preliminary opinion on every song that appears on Paramore’s This Is Why.
Want more on Paramore’s new album? Click here to read Billboard’s cover story with the band, in which they talk at length about This Is Why.
Paramore is finally back. The trio, consisting of Hayley Williams, Zac Farro and Taylor York, returned from their hiatus to their first album together in six years, This Is Why, via Atlantic Records on Friday (Feb. 10).
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
“’This Is Why’ was the very last song we wrote for the album. To be honest, I was so tired of writing lyrics but Taylor convinced Zac and I both that we should work on this last idea,” Williams previously said of the album’s title track in a press release. “What came out of it was the title track for the whole album. It summarizes the plethora of ridiculous emotions, the rollercoaster of being alive in 2022, having survived even just the last three or four years. You’d think after a global pandemic of f—ing biblical proportions and the impending doom of a dying planet, that humans would have found it deep within themselves to be kinder or more empathetic or something.”
The last time Paramore released an album as a band was 2017’s After Laughter, which features songs like “Hard Times” and “Rose-Colored Boy.” Since then, Williams dropped her own solo album, Petals for Armor, in 2020 and Farro has unveiled a number of solo works under the moniker Halfnoise.
In January, Paramore appeared on Billboard‘s digital cover, where the trio discussed their return as a band. “At this point, I don’t understand how we’re still doing it,” Williams shared. “Because it just feels like against all odds every single time — which, honestly, I feel like we’re the most annoying band in the world because it’s always like, ‘Oh, we overcame this, and now we’re making this album.’”
The new album feature’s previously released singles “C’est Comme Ça,” “The News” and the title track. Listen to Paramore’s This Is Why in full below.
Paramore joined Zane Lowe for an interview on Apple Music 1 this week, where the band discussed their return to music with their new album This Is Why.
Frontwoman Hayley Williams revealed that one of the songs on the record, “Running Out of Time,” was actually inspired by none other than Taylor Swift. “I remember when we were 19 and I was closer with Taylor Swift at that point because we both lived in Nashville, and we’re both experiencing our own versions of real success for the first time,” she recalled. “I went over to hang out. She’s a really good cook, by the way. She’s a really good cook. She has taught me how to make stuff that I did not retain at all.”
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Williams continued by remembering that Swift had a “little closet” where she kept gifts that she could send to people as a thank you, birthdays or holidays. “I was like, ‘Oh my God, my life is so not together,’” she shared. “I was like, ‘I can barely remember to send someone a card or flowers.’ There are still Christmas gifts at my house that I have not sent to my friends just sitting there in the back of my closet. Two of the people I was supposed to give a gift to, I was like, ‘Sorry, I forgot to put [the gifts] in my suitcase so you still don’t get a gift.’ I wish that I was the person that felt like I had all my s— together and I was like, ‘Oh, I had some extra time, so I’m just popping by with some flowers.’ That kind of a thing, that is my idealized self.”
In January, Paramore appeared on Billboard‘s digital cover, where the trio discussed their return as a band. “At this point, I don’t understand how we’re still doing it,” Williams shared. “Because it just feels like against all odds every single time — which, honestly, I feel like we’re the most annoying band in the world because it’s always like, ‘Oh, we overcame this, and now we’re making this album.’”
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.
Paramore are kicking off 2023 with a new album, tour and Billboard cover!
After a five-year break, the beloved trio will release This Is Why, its sixth and final album for longtime label Atlantic Records, due Feb. 10. To celebrate the group’s next chapter, Billboard is releasing a 44-page collector’s zine available for pre-order Thursday (Jan. 19) — the same day as the group’s Billboard digital cover story. This limited-edition collectible features 20 stunning group photos and solo shots of Hayley Williams, Zac Farro and Taylor York — 13 of which are only available in the collector’s zine.
And that’s not all! This limited issue includes a special exclusive cover, plus the only printed version of Paramore’s January 2023 Billboard digital cover story and bonus interview content that you won’t read anywhere else.
Inside the zine, fans will find exclusive details on why the band is getting more political than ever and what surprised them about Olivia Rodrigo’s smash single “good 4 u,” which interpolates Paramore’s 2007 track “Misery Business.”
Additionally, the zine will include exclusive details on how the band stays in shape in their 30s and what happens when Billie Eilish’s mom invites you over for Thanksgiving cinnamon rolls.
Ready to rock out with your favorite pop-punk band? Click the link below to pre-order Billboard’s collector’s zine featuring Paramore today. This premium offering is available only at the Billboard Shop.
Billboard
Paramore Limited Zine $35
The collectible zine will only be available for a limited time, so pre-order your copy now to make sure that you get this must-have collectible before its gone.
Paramore is gearing up for a busy year with new music and live performances. The group debuted “C’est Comme Ça” on Jan. 12, the third single behind “The News” and “This Is Why,” the title track from its forthcoming album.
Next up, Paramore will hit the road for a 26-city tour kicking off in May at the Spectrum Center in North Carolina. The tour is expected to make stops in New York City, Toronto, Los Angeles and over a dozen other cities before wrapping up in St. Paul, Minn., on Aug. 2.
Related Images:
Following the news of the deadly mass shooting at an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado, over the weekend, a number of music stars have taken to social media to speak out against gun violence and prejudice. Paramore joined in on the discourse Tuesday (Nov. 22) by sharing a statement to Twitter.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
“The hatred and the prejudice against any marginalized group is historically political,” the message reads, before noting that prejudices go beyond the “polls” and reflect in society. “You’re either perpetuating love or perpetuating hatred. Anti-LGBTQIA+ rhetoric is hatred, be it in policy or a locker room conversation.”
The band continued, “Politicians and other powerful people have a choice. Just like walking in to a nightclub full of human beings and taking their lives was a choice in favor of hatred. If you spew hate and it echoes, expect an infinite amount of potential outcomes. Including people coming to the conclusion that maybe it’s time to start holding people accountable for the way they use their power to divide and normalize hatred.”
Paramore concluded their statement by sending love to Colorado Springs. “The LGBTQIA+ community and the families and friends who lost precious people who are more than just a statistic or headline,” they wrote.
A 22-year-old gunman opened fire at Club Q late Saturday night (Nov. 19), killing five people and injuring at least 18 others before he was subdued by patrons and arrested by police. The club released a statement on Sunday, nothing that they were “devastated by the senseless attack on our community.”
Two firearms, including a “long rifle,” were found at the scene at Club Q, said Colorado Springs Police Department Chief Adrian Vasquez. The violence is the sixth mass killing this month and comes in a year when the nation was shaken by the deaths of 21 in a school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
In the time since Paramore‘s last performance in New York — which took place in 2018 at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center as part of the band’s After Laughter tour — there was a major shift. The group has always had a fiercely dedicated group of fans across different races, genders and sexualities, but when the pandemic saw the rebirth of pop punk and alternative music, seen in the rise of stars like Olivia Rodrigo and GAYLE, fans of the genre went back to the basics and flocked back to Paramore. So when the group announced an intimate gig at the historic Beacon Theatre on Sunday, the energy was fierce, fun and as, expected, energetic.
The gig kicked off with Paramore’s newest single, “This Is Why,” which showcased the agility of lead singer Hayley Williams’ vocals as she hit the snappy track’s high notes and funky low notes with ease, all while expertly performing her signature choreography consisting of intricate footwork, larger-than-life arm movements and head bangs (though the latter was in a shorter supply after a warning from Williams’ personal chiropractor, she told the audience during a speaking break).
The first half of the set saw Paramore catering to OG fans with a series of songs from the band’s first three albums, including Brand New Eyes single “Brick by Boring Brick,” Riot! classic “That’s What You Get,” All We Know Is Falling deep cut and fan favorite “Here We Go Again,” plus intense live versions of “Decode” and “I Caught Myself” for all the Twi-Hards in attendance — all of which the audience members sang verbatim.
If the first half of the set was about appeasing old-school fans, the second half of the set — which commenced after a tear-jerking performance of Brand New Eyes‘ acoustic slow jam “Misguided Ghosts” — was about fans fully committing to dancing as wildly as possible, according to Williams. The latter half of the concert was anchored by hits from After Laughter and the band’s self-titled LP, including the sing-along-inducing “Ain’t It Fun” and “Still Into You,” as well as “Rose-Colored Boy” (with a portion of Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”) and “Hard Times” (which included a snippet of Blondie’s “Heart of Glass”), before rolling into the band’s most iconic song to date.
Williams prefaced their signature hit “Misery Business” with a few words to the audience, taking the time before launching into Riot!‘s lead single with a disclaimer.
“The grace that you’ve shown us as we’ve grown up and learned our lessons in front of the world — thank you for that. We’re going to play that TikTok hit not without this disclaimer: Thank you for growing up with us, learning the tough lessons and thank you for being good people. We promise to keep trying to be good people too and to keep learning these lessons.
“This song is about misogyny,” Williams simply said, playing the track that she’s had a complicated lyrical relationship with, even vowing to not perform it live again in previous years.
With nearly 20 years of being in a band, and five of those past years on a break, Paramore’s intimate performance at the Beacon proves what has always been true of the band: God, it just feels so good…to see them live once again.
-
Pages
