Hayley Williams reflects on the “guts and self-determination” of Paramore’s self-titled album

With Paramore’s excellent self-titled album turning 10 years old, Hayley Williams has posted an insightful and heartfelt note about the record.

The singer has detailed some of the turbulent context it was created in, as well as how there was “a lot of guts and self-determination” in them coming out swinging as a “reformed, more liberated version of Paramore”.

“10 years ago we put out a record that took a lot of guts and self-determination to make,” Hayley begins. “Mainly because after losing 2 members of the band [Josh and Zac Farro, though Zac rejoined in 2016] there was so much discourse around whether or not the band could make anything worthwhile – let alone stay together.”

She continues: “The story of Paramore has been rife with reality show-style drama. Well, until the last 6 or 7 years. It’s really great to be able to look back from where we are now, knowing the story didn’t end when some said it would.

“If all that led to our Self-Titled album hadn’t happened, we’d be the most boring band of all time. If we hadn’t been forced out of our trauma-bonded comfort zones, we would’ve never known what we might be capable of.”

Detailing her gratitude to the people who helped make the album what it is, Hayley writes: “Thank you Justin Meldal-Johnsen for expanding our musical vocabulary and believing we could be more than a band from one specific scene. And thank you Carlos de la Garza for engineering the shit out of the album. Thank you Ken Andrews of Failure for mixing it, singing backups on it, and being a musical hero to us.

“Taylor and I wrote these songs having no idea if people would accept a reformed, more liberated version of Paramore. Our fans not only accepted but championed our rebirth.

“Thank you for allowing us the room for creative risk and for keeping this story going.

“We love you.

“Paramore forever.”

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