The pop-rock titans open up…
Watch Paramore and Zane Lowe’s fascinating chat on Beats 1.
After making their return this week with comeback single Hard Times, the trio sat down with Zane to open up about drummer Zac Farro’s return, new album After Laughter (out May 12 – pre-order it at this link) and much more.
On the at-times uncertain future of the band, Paramore said…
Taylor York: “We’d been doing it for so long I think we were like, ‘Why are we doing this?’ If we don’t want to be here, if we’re not passionate about this, there is no point.”
Hayley Williams: “I was kind of flatlined and I think that if it weren’t for Taylor the band would be over. That is just kind of the truth. Yeah, I had enough. I’m tired of losing friends or I’m tired of doubting myself, and maybe if I’m just not doing it all then I won’t have anything to doubt. I can see what else I can do. I can stand in front of anyone and say there’s so much peace now you know we run into each other around town and it’s so nice to find that. Taylor and I actually got to experience that moment together because we were at the coffee shop talking about whether we were going to stay in this band or not when we saw Josh. It was crazy. I think you rarely get to experience real full circle redemption in your lifetime but on your own, in your own kind of solitude but I think to be able to share that moment with Taylor. And this thing that happened that really affected both of our lives and affected Zac’s life too, to kind of have closure was so great. It was really beautiful.”
Meanwhile, Zac revealed of his brother Josh Farro…
Zac Farro: “It’s an interesting situation because lwe both started playing together and we left together now I’m the only brother back. But it’s like, you know what? He’s an awesome brother. He’s been so encouraging to me. I sat him down, we had lunch and I was like, ‘So you know I’ve been playing on the record and they asked me to be back in the band.’ He’s like, ‘Oh I thought they already did. I figured that would happen.’ Then he was like, ‘I’m stoked for you. You’re my favorite drummer and you need to be playing drums.’ It was a really encouraging thing. Obviously it’s not back to normal. He’s not in the band. It’s not how it used to be but that’s a cool thing about life.”
And of new single Hard Times they said…
Zac Farro: “Hayley’s always been right at predicting things and so we’re really just leaning on Hayley’s decision for the first single. You’re this voice of reason after we had all these confusing car rides with people and different opinions and things. We all saw where people were coming from. It’s funny because it’s on our record. It’s not a bad thing, right, that people like other songs but when we put out Riot I remember, it’s an earliest memory of a good business decision, probably my first one, and Hayley was like, ‘It’s gotta be Misery Business,’ and that song took us to the next level. It changed our musical life. From then I was like we can have opinions and my opinion is ‘What does Hayley think?’, just because the whole way we’re putting this record out, we all contribute, especially Taylor.”
Taylor York: “Zac is super-emotional, I’m super-ultra-way-too logical, and Hayley’s a bridge and has got this crazy gut instinct. It’s not like she always listens to us or she makes the call but she’s able to kind of decipher what we’re both saying. Me and Zac sometimes argue like brothers where we’re actually saying the something but for some reason we think we aren’t.”
Zac: “We believe in Hard Times and for the record we wanted to come out with a head-turner.”
Watch the interview below:
And listen to Hard Times if you haven’t already done so:
Catch Paramore in the UK at the following:
June
15 Dublin Olympia
16 Belfast Waterfront
18 Manchester Apollo
19 London Royal Albert Hall
21 Bristol Colston Hall
22 Edinburgh Usher Hall
Be sure to pick up this week’s issue of Kerrang! as we uncover the secrets behind your favourite songs – including Paramore…
Don’t forget to check out 8 Awesome Paramore Songs You’d Probably Forgotten About:
