“We’ve been planning this tour for awhile,” Williams tells Billboard. “We just put a lot of forethought and a lot of elbow grease into this. We want to show the longtime fans how far they’ve brought us, and we want to show all the new fans what they might have missed out on had they not caught on. So bigger production, bigger stages, obviously. We want to [...]]]> The rock act, on its way through Europe, promises “bigger production, bigger stages” for its latest headlining tour — and upcoming concert cruise.

Haley Williams: The main thing that I feel like is different and helped fuel our fire was sort of feeling like we were fighting this sort of apparent end to our band. It felt like it was an end of an era, but also a lot of people were wondering if we were going to go away, so we were fighting that. Not so much on the outside, but internally, the three of us always knew that we were going to keep the band alive. We had our doubts in the beginning with the whole process. While it sort of left us drained with little confidence in the beginning, [...]]]>

Mike Ragogna: Haley, what inspired the writing process with your latest album?

Haley Williams: The main thing that I feel like is different and helped fuel our fire was sort of feeling like we were fighting this sort of apparent end to our band. It felt like it was an end of an era, but also a lot of people were wondering if we were going to go away, so we were fighting that. Not so much on the outside, but internally, the three of us always knew that we were going to keep the band alive. We had our doubts in the beginning with the whole process. While it sort of left us drained with little confidence in the beginning, it also fueled a fire in us that honestly we might have needed. We might have never had an album come out this way had we not gone through the things we went through as a band.

MR: To me, “Grow Up” seemed like a testament to that.

HW: A little bit. None of the songs are wholly about losing two band members and going through that drama, they are all parts and pieces of our daily life. It’s not an autobiography of Paramore. I think we already did that with our last album Brand New Eyes. It was in our mind that we didn’t need to re-create a Brand New Eyes Part 2. This album was more focused on growing up, moving beyond the downfall, all the negative energy. At the same time, there’s no real ignoring or denying the stuff that we’ve been through. I think those things shape the way that see myself, the way that I see the world around me and at some point those instances in my life are going to come up whether I want to flat out lie about it or not.

MR: You close the album with “Future,” as in what’s past is past and what’s the future is the future.

HW: We talked about opening the album with that song, but then we were like it doesn’t make sense, it’s a very melancholy sort of vibe, and it’s super long, like 11 minutes long. That is the way that I felt throughout the whole process; I didn’t really want to talk about the past. Then again, I couldn’t really move forward without sort of addressing certain things that happened in my life, in the past, with the band. It sort of felt necessary to acknowledge all that I have been through, but then, at the same time, to tell people, mostly our fans and ourselves included, that it was time to do something new.

MR: The album kicks off with “Fast In My Car,” a real anthem. It set the tone, and it feels like a song about survival.

HW: Yeah, there was like a point where we had been through the drama and decided we were over and decided to move on to bigger and better things. But people, whether it was some fans and media, wouldn’t let us live it down. We are not bitter to talk about anything because it’s a wonder people want to talk to a band like us at all. I think it’s an amazing thing but it sort of gets tiring. You’re sort of trying to tell people no we really are okay, everything’s fine, we are making music and really happy. Some people don’t always want to see the positive; some people are more drawn to the drama and the negativity and the train wreck of it all. And that song is sort of our anthem and our way of getting past that and letting out that frustration and telling our fans, really, we just want to hang out and have a good time with this music again. And that’s another reason why I did a nod to Riot in that chorus, because there was a point when we were writing Riot and when we started to tour with that record that we were so naive and having so much fun that we did not see what was coming. We didn’t know that we were going to get tired and burnt out and drama would build up. We sort just went out guns blazing; we were really excited to be a band. So we feel that all over again now and that’s just a fun fact about that reference in the chorus. We feel those feelings and the excitement again.

MR: It seems like with this album you were not only redefining the sound but redefining the mission.

HW: Yeah, absolutely, and that’s why the album’s called Paramore. We self-titled it because we felt like we wanted to make a statement out of this album. The time we took away was just as much for each us personally as it was for the band, and this kind of musical journey that we’ve been on. We needed to go away, we needed to take some time and live real life at home and just feel that for a minute. It was nice, it was really refreshing. I found out really quickly how much I am in love with Paramore. It kind of got a little got a fuzzy for a while. We all kind of sat there thinking, what are we doing, what’s happening, why is everyone miserable? And taking the time away allotted us to re-focus and figure out what it is we love about this, what it is we love about each other. We are better friends now too. Hopefully, it shows in the music. But I think it is extremely obvious when you come to the show versus videos from shows in 2009 when we were all just depressed. It was a really hard time for us. Now we look like a completely different band on stage.

MR: You guys had a lot of songs featured in video games, anything more coming up like that?

HW: Not video games, that I am aware. We love that stuff so hopefully we get to do more but we slowly but surely have been writing new songs and just having a good time with what we have left over. Basically, where we’re at now, we’ re just really open-minded . Whatever comes our way that we feel good about, we’re gonna do.

MR: Including a certain “ParAhoy!” cruise?

HW: Yeah , I’m so excited about that. It’s crazy.

MR: Is this the first time you’ve done a cruise?

HW: Yeah, it is. I am not really fully sure what to expect. But I am just excited to do something different, and to be surrounded by friends, fans and people who want to have a good time. To me, it’s something that bands usually do when they’re much older and been around for a lot longer than us. I’m just really excited to be able to enjoy it early on. Who knows what it will be like, but if it’s great, maybe we will be able to do another one you know.

MR: What advice do you have for new artists?

HW: Oh my gosh. Wow. For me, even sometimes now, but in the past, I would get hung up and stressed out over the small things. I’m really involved on the social media front, with different promotions we do. I’m very excited by those sorts of things; that’s sort of the nerdy side of me. I actually like marketing, even though I’m in a band and I’m an artist and sometimes those two worlds don’t really mix, but I actually really enjoy it. Sometimes, I get way hung up on all that stuff and I really have to remind myself and this is another reason why taking time away was good; just to enjoy the core of what you’re doing , enjoy the music, enjoy going out and playing shows to whoever wants to come to your shows whether it’s 20 people or 2000 people or more. I think if anything, the three of us have learned over the last few years the only thing that matters at the end of the day is what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. The music that we make, we are so passionate about, and we know that once again, that’s all there is to focus on. The good promo and the good opportunities and all those cool things, they will come and go. One day, there will be a million people knocking at your door and the next day none of them will want to admit they know who you are, and it goes up and down like that all the time. You can’t focus on those things. I am sort of still talking to myself in ways, because I think it’s just east to get caught up in hype. And you always have to know that’s not what it’s about…that’s not what it’s about at all.

MR: If you could talk to the younger Haley in the days when she was starting out, what advice would you give her?

HW: That you’re on the right track and to stick to your guns. It’s a wild world out there. A lot of opinions and social media just gives a voice to every Joe Shmo and every street corner. You really have to listen to your own core values, your heart, your opinions, and go with that. You have to be open-minded too, but there’s a fine line when it comes to artistry. You have to really know what you want and why you want that. I would tell her to stick to her guns. You’re doing fine.

MR: Are you excited to play Madison Square Garden?

HW: Yeah, I’m freaking out, I’m still kind of speechless, I don’t exactly know. I don’t think I have formed all my thoughts and excitement about it. I’m so psyched. I can’t wait to see our fans show up to that place and I have faith that they will. Our show and the energy between us and the people that come to the show is so strong. They deserve to go to a Paramore show at Madison Square Garden, it’s humbling, I’m excited

Selena Kane (27) Artane, Dublin: I’d love to know what has influenced and inspired the band’s new music direction as it has changed dramatically from the previous album.

Hayley Williams: I would say number one it is time, honestly. We have lived quite a bit of life since the last record. We have gone through a tonne together as friends which has just changed our tastes and hopefully changed our skill level.

We always want to get better at our instruments and our writing. For me in particular it was discovering New Wave music from the 1980s and a million bands that you would [...]]]> In advance of Paramore’s concert at the O2 next Monday, Hayley Williams agreed to take questions from the band’s Irish fans.

Selena Kane (27) Artane, Dublin: I’d love to know what has influenced and inspired the band’s new music direction as it has changed dramatically from the previous album.

Hayley Williams: I would say number one it is time, honestly. We have lived quite a bit of life since the last record. We have gone through a tonne together as friends which has just changed our tastes and hopefully changed our skill level.

We always want to get better at our instruments and our writing. For me in particular it was discovering New Wave music from the 1980s and a million bands that you would expect me to say when I say New Wave. It is really good punk rock and rock music.

Isobel Doyle (14), Greystones, Co Wicklow: Jeremy Davis’s temporary departure inspired the album All We Know is Falling. Has Zac and Josh’s departure being address in song?

Hayley Williams: I would say yes, but a lot more vaguely that we talked about Jeremy on our first album. I wanted to make sure that I didn’t want to write a super-bitter or super-detailed album about the band. I didn’t want to talk about the split. A lot of people can’t relate to that because not everybody in the world is in a band.

We wrote that record on Brand New Eyes. Brand New Eyes is from start to finish about Paramore. I didn’t want to do a part II with that. For the most part this album is about the three of us living our lives, going through specific things together and separately.

Stacy-Lee Tormey (18), Bluebell, Dublin: What’s it like to be the only girl in the band?

Hayley Williams: It is fun. I guess I miss my girlfriends though I don’t have a tonne. It’s really honestly hard to make a lot of friends when you tour all the time so the guys are really like my brothers at this point. We’ve grown up together and they truly are my best friends.

 

Bethany Crooks (17), Belfast: You’ve signed up for a four day cruise of the Carribean with your fans in March called Parahoy!. What is the thinking behind Parahoy!?

Hayley Williams: We wanted to do something different and exciting that are fans can really dig into with us and that felt a little bit more personal and more involved. It is often crazy. The whole idea of getting on a boat with a bunch of fans kind of sounds crazy and really fun. It should be a good time.
Erica O Hara (20), Bagenalstown, Co Carlow: What has been the defining moment of your career so far?

Hayley Williams: The defining moment of our career so far has been, honestly, making this album. It is an album that very well may have never happened and had we not pressed on through the tough times that we’ve had as Paramore. We’re really proud. Definitely this new album is it for us. We really love it.

 

Katie Browne (16), Clonsilla, Dublin 15: How do you keep your hair in such good condition?

Hayley Williams: I don’t dye it as often as I really should and I use really, really good products that don’t have a lot of chemicals in them. I’m not a 100 per cent natural and try and use things that are not bad for me and not bad for the environment. Recently I cut a lot of my hair off so that’s always good for your hair. That helps it stay soft.

 

Helen McGuinness (49), Ballyshannon, Co Donegal: We are Paramore’s oldest fans. Can you ask Hayley, with her hair now short, does she miss the headbanging effect she had with the longer hair?

Hayley Williams: The headbanging is in the heart not the head.

 

Rachel Fitzgerald (18), Kildoon,Co Kildare: What’s your favourite thing about being in Ireland?

Hayley Williams: I like the people, I like the history and I love the shows there. The shows in Ireland are absolutely insane. Every time the crowd screams and yells, it sounds like a battle cry. It is the loudest, aggressive and most exciting noise that a band can possibly hear when they are on a stage so we’re really, really excited to get back there and put on an amazing show for the people that we are really excited to see.

Source: irishtimes.com

Creative Allies: Of your previous albums, which has your favorite cover art and who designed it?

Hayley Williams: My favorite album cover may always be the one we did for Riot! A lot of that has to do with the time and the energy of that moment in our lives. Everything was loud colors and bright, and [...]]]> Although Tennessee-based rock trio Paramore is nearing its 10th anniversary as a band, its front woman Hayley Williams is not yet old enough to rent a car. Which is demonstrated (in the very best way) on the band’s new, self-titled, album where song writing “retains a youthful spirit, but clearly shows [the band's] evolution,” according to Paramore’s bio. Here, Hayley talks to Creative Allies about album art, longevity and feeling fearless.

Creative Allies: Of your previous albums, which has your favorite cover art and who designed it?

Hayley Williams: My favorite album cover may always be the one we did for Riot! A lot of that has to do with the time and the energy of that moment in our lives. Everything was loud colors and bright, and we were really young and all the art and photos were crazy. We worked with a guy named Mark Obriski from Atlantic Records on that album cover and packaging. Honestly though, what we did for our self-titled album — putting ourselves on the cover — felt fearless, and anytime I see it anywhere it’s like the proudest I’ve ever felt of anything we’ve ever done.

With previous albums, how did you interact with the artist/designer? Did you contribute ideas or remain hands-off? Was there a revision process?

It wasn’t until Riot! that we really started getting into the way that our band was perceived and the image of it all. We actually wrote “Riot!” ourselves on a wall behind us at the promo shoot for the album, and we took that font and that style and that became the inspiration for our album cover. It was a fun experience and taught us that we really do have complete control over how we come across to the public.

All of the packaging and photography for brand new eyes was done by one of our good friends, photographer Ryan Russell. He did one photo for every song on the album, and then I worked one-on-one with him to lay out all of the lyrics in a way that we thought would look best.

How important is it to you for the art that accompanies your music to represent the sound and the lyrics? Do you aim for a conversation between the two, or are you more interested in an aesthetically cool package?

For us, it’s important that whatever people see sort of establishes what they’ll get. Sure, we love to surprise people here and there but we want people to listen to the record and look at the cover art and be like… “yeahhhh.”

Creative Allies’ Create Commemorative Art For Paramore’s Self-Titled New Album contest is an interesting project, since the album is self-titled it doesn’t offer any immediate design clues. Are there any themes or narratives in the songwriting that you especially hope to convey?

To me, this is the best album we could’ve done a project like this for. I would rather see what people come up with as representation of us than see them re-do the Riot! artwork or use imagery that we’ve used before. It’s exciting to have it all be wide-open to interpretation.

The contest is to “Design commemorative poster art inspired by one of the four sides from the self-titled, Paramore.” If you had to describe each of the four sides in a few words, what would they be?

The first side is like waking up after some sort of apocalypse. The second is defiant realism: The good, the bad and the ugly! The third side gets a bit looser. It’s total liberation. Honeymoon phase! The last side of the album feels a lot more grown up to me. You know when you go through the hardest year of your life and you look back and you think to yourself, “I was barely equipped for any of that”? That’s sort of how I feel when I listen to the last few songs. It feels like the end of every great adventure movie. Like, The Outsiders or The Goonies! A bit of melancholy mixed in with triumph.

At this point in your career, why self-title an album? Is this particular collection of songs a statement about either your evolution or your current sound?

We’ve never written an album like this before. It contains just about every single side of us, personally and artistically. I hear us so clearly in every song. To try and come up with a clever name just for the hell of it seemed disingenuous. We knew we wanted the album to just be us. When we finally had it under our belts, of course we were going to give it our name.

Paramore is coming up on its 10th anniversary — what does that milestone mean to you?

Hopefully it means we’re on the right path. For any band to stay afloat in the business these days is just crazy. And we feel like not only have we done that but we’ve done it our way, making the music that we want. Most of all, 10 years is just pure insanity because we have fans who have stuck with us for this long. They are just as much Paramore as we are.

What’s your favorite band merch item that Paramore has sold, and why?

Aw man, that’s actually tough! I have a few, I think. One is this white t-shirt with a design I came up with! It just says “MORE” four times in a row down the front in different shades of blue and black. There’s no mention of Paramore on it or anything, but I swear that shirt sold like hotcakes back in 2006 or 2007. I want us to reprint it and keep one for myself. Other than that, there’s this new design we’re about to take on the road that’s inspired by the book Weetzie Bat, which I read while I was writing the lyrics for a couple of the songs on Paramore. It’s got lyrics from “(One Of Those) Crazy Girls” on the front and the design is so cool and fun.

What are your favorite t-shirt and poster designs from other bands?

I’m a huge fan of Radiohead’s merch. It seems well thought out and even though they are a sophisticated sort of band, their merch could be worn by anyone who’s into just about any genre of music. They have dark and twisted designs, simple designs, typography, incredible art… all of it. I like to see bands use a few different styles and not pigeon-hole themselves. To me, Radiohead does that well and without compromising who they are as artists.

Source: CreativeAllies.Com

When do you guys arrive to Denmark? Hayley: Yesterday.

What have you done so far? Jeremy: We just walked around. We were up in a church where you go on the outside of the Tower. Insanely beuatiful view.

Okay, let’s play a game. Complete the sentence: We are Paramore, we love to… Taylor: Eating and watching movies. Jeremy: And partying.

We used to be … Hayley: A bunch of chumps. But now we … Taylor: Still some chumps, hahaha. OMG this is funny!

Our record label called [...]]]>

How is it to be back in Denmark?
Hayley: We love it.
Taylor: Scandinavia is one of our favorite places in the world. Especially Copenhagen. It’s mood, its style, its beautiful buildings and then here’s so peaceful. It is one of the places where I feel safe when I walk on the street.

When do you guys arrive to Denmark?
Hayley: Yesterday.

What have you done so far?
Jeremy: We just walked around. We were up in a church where you go on the outside of the Tower. Insanely beuatiful view.

Okay, let’s play a game. Complete the sentence: We are Paramore, we love to…
Taylor: Eating and watching movies.
Jeremy: And partying.

We used to be …
Hayley: A bunch of chumps. But now we …
Taylor: Still some chumps, hahaha. OMG this is funny!

Our record label called our new album more ‘happy and optimistic’. We’ll just say it’s…
Hayley: I would actually say it is.
Taylor: I would say that it is the first time we are happy.

The best thing about our new album is…
Taylor: That it is more electric. It shows so many sides of us.

Reporters always ask…
Jeremy: For Hayley’s natural hair color.
Hayley: Yes!

But we would rather…
Hayley: Talk about music!

The best thing about being in Paramore is…
Hayley: It is hard to describe.
Taylor: That we are allowed to travel around the world and meet our fans. We stood and looked out for our fans today. They sang new songs and we talked about how strange it was, because I could clearly remember when I wrote them down on paper. Then it’s also pretty cool to be in a band with my two best friends.

We learn never to…
Taylor: learn other languages. We feel always a little inferior when we come out, and can only speak one language. We try to learn words and sentences, but it is difficult when we are almost in a new country every day.

Do you know some Danish words?
Hayley: None.
Jeremy: But I love Danish music. I’m a big fan of Mew, Iceage and Efterklang.
Hayley: Is Efterklang Danish? Cool.
Taylor: We met Mew some years ago at a festival in Japan.
Hayley: I’d would love to see Iceage play. I have heard that they are insane. They sent a t-shirt to me some years ago. I have it today and, I would wear it tonight when we’re playing.

When we play in Denmark, insist our ‘rider’ always to bring us…
Taylor: Just the usual. We are trying to get some special things on the list,but we’re not so good at that.
Hayley: We always get chocoloade and sweets when we are in Scandinavia. We are pretty big fans of that. We once asked about we could get a puppy just to see if we got one. We didn’t.

When we get up in the 30s, our ‘rider’ will consist of…
Hayley: Our ‘rider’ is similar to already know that we are in their 30s, haha. We always get a lot of healthy things. So when we get up in the 30s, it becomes really, really sad. So is it just something with dry biscuits and artificial oxygen.

Thanks to DenmarkParamore for the translation.
Source: Metro Xpress

Of course, the following questions are all about the fourth album of the Tennessee-based band: “In this [...]]]>

Right after their performance in Milan, we are glad to meet Hayley Willams and Taylor York from Paramore - Jeremy Davies was not there, at the moment of the press conference. Inevitably, the very first question is about their explosive performance the evening before. Paramore last came to Italy in 2008, so the enthusiasm was definitely tangible in the audience – mostly made of teenagers, as the other part was made of parents and elder brothers and sisters who took the hot and bothered sibilings to the event. “It was great, fantastic!” said Taylor briefly “Definitely one of the loudest audiences so far. An amazing experience“.

Of course, the following questions are all about the fourth album of the Tennessee-based band: “In this record (“Paramore”, which was released last April) we went through a million of things, Taylor and I, we have been writing songs together for something like ten years. It feels like we haven’t planned to make this record, it sounds very natural. The vibe of is so true and it’s what we wanted to be as a band. We’re really proud of that. You just have to let things happen” explained Hayley “At the beginning, we were hopeless, our band was coming back from the deads, we wanted so desperately to make the record sound great, everything had to sound perfect, but at the beginning, it has been frustrating“. The choice of having a self-titled album is often arguable, but there was a reason for Taylor: “We went through a lot of changes and I think that in this record we really found confidence, and we felt like that this time, that is what Paramore is, how the band should sound“.
“Now”, for sure one of the most personal songs for the singer, is definitely intriguing for these words: “If there’s a future / we want it now“. Has Hayley found her future? “At the time we wrote that song, Taylor was working on that riff, and at that time we all spent some time off, I was at home, just sitting around and doing almost nothing as a band, and that was very discouraging, but then there was the fire once again and it’s crazy to look back at that song and think about all the things we have been able to do, like releasing the new record. It has been a blessing“. For sure, as the trio, made of Hayley, Taylor and Jeremy, became closer, the easier it got to write songs together, but also, the braver they became in writing “Paramore”, which has some experimental tunes for them: “I do feel Taylor became more free, artistically, in this record, than he has ever been. Everyday was exciting and all of us was really intentional in expressing what we were artistically” explained the frontwoman. Especially for Hayley, through the years she has been recognized as a model by teenagers – it wasn’t hard to find girls with flame orange, bright pink, multicolored hair, just like one of the many hairstyles Hayley had in these years: how does it feel like knowing that there are so many teenagers looking up at her? “I think it’s cool! When I was a teenager I hated it! It scared me. I have a teenage sister who’s 17, another younger sister who’s 10. The older they get, the closer we become, when I see younger fans, I think I see my sisters. It’s fantastic to have younger fans who look up to us, it’s cool to inspire younger people, because they’re the future; if noone had listened to us, when we were teenagers, we would have been nothing. Youth it’s electric, it’s so crazy that as we get older, people look down on teenagehood, but at the same time we all wish to go back to those years. It’s pretty ironic, because teenagers have a lot to say. And it’s funny to see them saying ‘I want to do what Hayley or Taylor do’ and they actually do that better than us!“.

Talking about that, the bond with fans is definitely very important for the American band: “Since day one that has been important! If it weren’t for us having MySpace – which has died out – we wouldn’t have fans here in Italy, or anywhere else, except for the fans in the places where we played our first shows” said Williams. “It’s so cool and useful to have these social media, because everything we have to say, it goes out in the rest of the world in such a short time. But at the same time, it’s great when the fans have something to say to us and share with us, and through social media they can do that so easily. It was so crazy to receive our first messages on MySpace, back in 2005, from Australia!“.
“At the end of the day” concludes Taylor “We have a sort of responsibility towards people. We want to show that we’re doing what we love and that everything we do is genuine, both on our album and on stage. And we just want to see where that takes us“.

Source: Spazio Rock

This record wasn’t an easy one to come by. It took a lot of dedication to the whole process. Through all the frustrations and then the triumph of actually completing it, we just feel so completely connected to it in a way that we’ve never really felt for anything else we’ve done as a band.

You mentioned that this “album is you” and therefore named after you. It was a “rediscovery” of yourself.

Yes it is. We grew up a lot together over the last 3 years and had to relearn what it meant to us to be in this band and what it means to [...]]]>

Congratulations to your new album! What makes “Paramore” to something special and differs to the earlier albums?

This record wasn’t an easy one to come by. It took a lot of dedication to the whole process. Through all the frustrations and then the triumph of actually completing it, we just feel so completely connected to it in a way that we’ve never really felt for anything else we’ve done as a band.

You mentioned that this “album is you” and therefore named after you. It was a “rediscovery” of yourself.

Yes it is. We grew up a lot together over the last 3 years and had to relearn what it meant to us to be in this band and what it means to be better friends to each other.

Are you searching for new main members of the group or are you working with studio and touring members for now?

Paramore is Taylor, Jeremy, and I… and the three of us are really happy being a trio. We do, however, have some of our good friends playing with us on the road. Jon Howard, Justin York, and Miles McPherson are with us now. Ilan Rubin played on the album and has toured with us a bit but now he’s back with NIN for a while. We’re lucky to have so many talented friends, honestly. Obviously, we wouldn’t be able to play the shows or anything without their help.

I really like the idea and style of the interludes on the new record. Are you willing to experiment more often now with this feature?

Yeah, definitely! We’ve always wanted to do something like that but it just never happened before.

What comes first in songwriting: lyrics or melody?

Usually, I listen to something that Taylor is working on, like a riff or a beat… then I get little melodic ideas or a lyrical theme from that. It’s hard to say which of the two come first for me though. I feel like I write lyrics and melody simultaneously! It’s weird. I wish I understood where it all actually comes from. It doesn’t really make sense to me how songs come from basically nowhere or nothing and become something completely infinite.

What song or band is on repeat on your iPod/stereo/whatever right now?

“Get Lucky” by Daft Punk, Purity Ring, Lemuria, What’s Eating Gilbert, and as always, The Cure.

Always my last question: what do you do when you feel bored?

Ehhh, my answer may actually bore you… I search on various sites for cool crafts and house projects I can work on. A Beautiful Mess, Etsy, Fab.com. Basically, I’m a big home-body. I love to feel at home, even if I’m not physically there. So, outside of music, home goods usually get me by.

Source: Langweile Dich

Green eyes aside, the band Paramore have been somewhat of a phenomenon, speaking to teens, pop-lovers, alt-fans and wannabe-punks across the world since they exploded onto the scene with All We Know is Falling in 2004. They were the answer to many a youth’s yearning for something more than the bubble-gum, manufactured pop of the early noughties. For us, in leadsinger Hayley Williams, we found an alternative style icon we [...]]]> When we were 15 we were having sleepovers, revising for exams, and eating a lot of junk food. Hayley Williams on the other hand was putting together a band and writing the music we’d be throwing our hands in the air to in just a few short years. Doesn’t it make you just the tiniest bit jealous?

Green eyes aside, the band Paramore have been somewhat of a phenomenon, speaking to teens, pop-lovers, alt-fans and wannabe-punks across the world since they exploded onto the scene with All We Know is Falling in 2004. They were the answer to many a youth’s yearning for something more than the bubble-gum, manufactured pop of the early noughties. For us, in leadsinger Hayley Williams, we found an alternative style icon we didn’t know we even needed.

From her metallic orange hair to fitted t-shirts and Dr Martens, us Topshop girls have a serious soft spot for Hayley Williams’ under-done punk-inspired look. (Did we mention she’s wearing a much-loved Dweeb t-shirt from Topshop in her video for Still Into You?) This lady’s locks alone have influenced millions of fluorescent tresses and even inspired a standout copper and coral make-up range for MAC.

Style aside, Hayley and the boys have championed their own brand of emo-pop perfectly. After three albums, a very public band shake-up and all still in their early 20s, Paramore are back with a record Hayley describes as, “needing to find whatever’s next.” Undoubtedly the pressure is on for their first foray as a threesome but we’re equally not surprised to find the album an all around good ‘un. Most surprisingly is how much brighter it is; brimming with energy, high-octane melodies and  a lot less of that teenage angst and a little more sweetness than what’s come before. Fear not, it’s a far cry from the saccharine teeny-boppers out there but some of our favourite moments have come from Hayley’s new opportunities to flex her vocal cords – an emotional Hate to See Your Heart Break and a very soulful Ain’t It Fun - are our top tracks to hear Hayley rock the mic.

We spoke to the  busiest women in the music biz — as she tours across the states – to get the low down on writing a new album in a very new way, what she’s listening to and being a t-shirt and jeans girl.

How did the band’s new make-up alter the album making experience?

Everything with us works differently now. The writing process was the most insane head trip. Taylor stepped up into a primary writing role and I’ve been wondering why we ever waited so long to start writing songs together. He is a mad scientist when it comes to composing music and experimenting with sounds. It was all very new and it made the writing and recording process the most fun we’ve ever had creating for Paramore.

Was there an element of catharsis in the album’s creation or a central inspiration behind the album as a whole?

I guess the main idea behind the whole thing is getting up in the morning and just putting one foot in front of the other. Growing up. Rising above your own past and people’s limited expectations of you.

Did living in LA rather than Tennessee influence your music?

Yeah, I feel like it totally did. For one, it’s constantly sunny there. Almost to the point of it being obnoxious! Haha. The vibe went along with most of the songs we were writing. On top of that, it was good to get away from familiar places and comforts and all that.

We’re big fans of your style here – do you work with a stylist to perfect it?

If we’re doing a video or a big performance, our friend Elizabeth Barroisstyles us. Well, except for Taylor. He’s adopted the Johnny Cash uniform. All black everything. For the most part though I really just like to dress myself. I know I’m not great at it… I don’t even know anything about fashion but I think that’s why I can enjoy it.

What are some of your favourite designers or brands to wear?

J Brand, Rag and Bone, Tripp, Topshop, Jeremy Scott. Nothing too fancy. Well, some Miu Miu too. Really though, I’m a t-shirt and jeans girl at heart.

Do you have any style icons or women in music whose aesthetic you appreciate?

Siouxsie Sioux, Cyndi Lauper, Gwen in the ’90s, Missy Elliot in the ’90s —remember the trash bag?—, oh and Scary Spice.

What music are you currently listening to?

A little of everything… Purity Ring, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Iceage, my guy’s band (New Found Glory’s Chad Gilbert)  What’s Eating Gilbert, the newTegan and Sara album.

What are your touring must-haves?

I like the bus to feel like home. Candles, aromatherapy oils, herbal teas… And then of course my computer and other technical crap, which is why the world needs candles and aromatherapy in the first place.

Do you have any shows you’re particularly excited about playing?

We’re playing my favorite ballroom theater type venue in NYC next month. TheHammerstein Ballroom. It’s completely gorgeous. The contrast between the whole place and our music and our fans and all the sweat is perfect to me.

If you could collaborate with any artist who would it be?

I never can decide who’d be the most interesting or the most fun. I’m also not great at co-writes. It makes me nervous. Writing lyrics and all that feels so personal. How do people sit down in the same room and do that with strangers? Maybe I’ll find out someday…

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“I don’t want it to sound like I’m ever bashing the band that we were before, but I definitely feel like we are a new band now,” says Williams, 24. Paramore’s two founding members, brothers Josh and Zac Farro, departed about a year-and-a-half after the band’s last album, “Brand New Eyes,” debuted at No. 2 in 2009.

“Now when the guys and I are hanging out, we’re just [...]]]> The first time Tennessee pop-rockers Paramore headlined a tour, they started it at Beat Kitchen in 2006. Seven years later, the band will play the much larger Chicago Theatre on Thursday as part of its first U.S. tour since 2010. Paramore then and Paramore now, singer Hayley Williams says, are like night and day.

“I don’t want it to sound like I’m ever bashing the band that we were before, but I definitely feel like we are a new band now,” says Williams, 24. Paramore’s two founding members, brothers Josh and Zac Farro, departed about a year-and-a-half after the band’s last album, “Brand New Eyes,” debuted at No. 2 in 2009.

“Now when the guys and I are hanging out, we’re just friends,” Williams says. “We really are friends and we know the difference between working together and having a friendship together, whereas before I think we let business really take over our friendship and we weren’t good friends to each other … It feels healthy.”

The proof is in the pudding as Paramore’s new, continually catchy self-titled album (which debuted at No. 1) often focuses on looking forward and moving on, compared to the previous record’s disbelief that the band even existed anymore. By phone from L.A. before appearing on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” Williams talked about how a ukulele can change an attitude, when she felt ready to put the past behind and her male bandmates’ willingness to accommodate her fondness for the Spice Girls.

Paramore, 8 p.m. May 9 at Chicago Theatre. $38.50-$49.50.

I know the interludes on which you sing with a ukulele were an important part of putting together the new album, helping you get through writers’ block and not feel like the songs were coming out so bitter or angry. Why did a ukulele make that happen? Because it puts anyone in a good mood?
[Laughs.] Yeah, I think it is really that simple. We needed those interludes to get through … we had writers’ block for the last two or three weeks, and it just was super depressing. There’s something about ukulele which is just really happy, and it took the pressure off of us to write serious songs or write rock songs or whatever we thought we needed to do within the moment … We were able to look at our lives in the moment with more a sense of humor and be sarcastic about the things we didn’t like and be psyched and laugh about the things that we did love.

What would an angry song sound like on the ukulele?
[Laughs] I don’t know, but I’m willing to try. [Laughs.] A lot of people seem to think that the interludes—we’ve done interviews so far about the record that people have taken the interludes as angry, vengeful songs. And we just never thought it like that. We were just having fun with it and trying to change things up and have a good time and get any kind of song out that we possibly could. In the future, if we feel like getting back to a heavy, angry Paramore song, maybe we’ll try a version on the ukulele.

On “Future” you sing, “I’m writing the future, we don’t talk about the past,” and on one interlude you sing, “I’m not angry anymore, well sometimes I am.” How do you know when you’ve dealt with the past enough to feel like you’re able to move on?
Well, I know that there’s something really dangerous about denying yourself in dealing with the past and skimming over it. And we did try to do that; I won’t lie. At the beginning of the writing process we wrote a song called “Proof” that was one of the first demos we recorded at [guitarist Taylor York’s] house.

We were like, “It’s just a love song. It’s about long-distance commitment and choosing that over being scared.” So I thought, “Oh, well, if we’re going to keep writing songs like this, we won’t have to talk about anything that we’ve gone through as people or as a band over the last two years.”

I think that’s where a lot of the writers’ block came, is I was denying myself the right to feel a lot of the pain and the struggle that I was feeling in the moment. I think it came out. Some of that past stuff really did come out in a lot of the songs. Not in the way that I thought. Not in the way that I am embarrassed about. The last album that we released was all about our band, and I was very angry and I was very bitter, and I feel like we dealt with our past on this album in a way that wasn’t bitter. And I don’t feel like we were too angry about it. I think we were just simply dealing with it. And then once we felt like we had enough of that, we moved on. And now we really are ready to keep moving forward.

Since on the previous record you wrote a lot about life inside the band, and this one is about moving forward, how much have you thought about, “Oh, no, what am I going to have to say on the next one?”
[Laughs.] I always think like that—even way before we get into writing the records. After we were done with “Riot!,” I was like, “Oh my gosh! We’ve seen our first taste of success; what am I going to say that anyone’s going to care about anymore?” I don’t want people to think that just because our band is in a good place or we’re playing sold out shows or something good is happening to us that we’re still not human beings or going through life.

You say you’re surrounded by dudes all the time. What’s the effect of that, and how would it be different with more women?
At this point it’s very normal to me. It’s sort of like having brothers and growing up in a house full of boys. I’m used to it. But at the same time, I cherish my female relationships and friendships a lot more than I did before I got on the road. Because I realize [Laughs] how different the dynamic is when I’m surrounded by really positive women that are strong and inspiring to me. … It’s always great to have those breaks and [time] with all my girls. It’s simple and it’s cliché, but women really understand each other and connect on a level that guys can’t understand.

And when you’re just surrounded by guys and you tell them you’ve become re-obsessed with the Spice Girls movie, they can’t really join in on that.
[Laughs.] Yeah, I guess. I’m kind of lucky ‘cause all the guys in my life are pretty cool about my weird obsessions. Whether it’s my boyfriend or the guys in the band [including bassist Jeremy Davis], we’re all just goofballs together and no one takes themselves too seriously.

So you all watch “Spice World” together?
We’re going to on the bus on this next tour! [Laughs]

Plus:
On the sold-out Beat Kitchen show in 2006: “It was the first time we ever sold out our own show. We were freaking out. It was just one of those nights I knew we were doing what we’re supposed to be doing for the rest of our lives. That was in the fall of 2006. It was a pretty amazing night. We always have a really memorable show there. We played there on Halloween in 2007, and we always talk about that show. Every time I’m in Chicago we go shopping, and we eat at the Chicago Diner.”
If she could ask Tom Cruise one question (Paramore was set to appear on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” after Tom Cruise that night): “Well, I already had the chance and I blew it because we [saw him] really briefly on ‘The Graham Norton Show’ in London. I was [planning on] asking him about ‘The Outsiders’ and things like that, and when we were standing face to face and I was literally looking him dead in the eye I just blanked. [Laughs.] It was over before it even started … I really want to talk to him about ‘The Outsiders’ because I feel like that might have been one of his first movies. It was in ’81, which is when it all started for him. I don’t know what I want to ask him about ‘The Outsiders,’ I just maybe think I want to tell him how much I love the movie and it’s so crazy to meet him.”

Source: redeyechicago.com