大象传媒

Grammy winner. Multi-platinum-selling artist. Trailblazer.

Still only 33, Paramore frontwoman Hayley Williams has seen it all, done it all and, as she explains, quite literally bought the t-shirts.

On her music show Everything is Emo, she explores the huge array of influences that have shaped her stellar career. Plus lower down in this article, there’s the chance to put your Paramore and Hayley Williams knowledge to the test.

Listen now to every episode on 大象传媒 Sounds.

Here’s a snapshot of what we learned:

1. Bandmate Zac Farro changed her life with a mix CD

After moving to Franklin, Tennessee aged 13, Hayley met brothers Josh and Zac Farro – and it changed her life.

“Because I was new, Zac thought I should know the music he listened to, so he made me a mix CD,” she says. “I only listened to Aaliyah!

“He was younger, so much cooler and he gave me a really great music education.

The CD was packed with bands like Weezer, Failure and Elliot Smith all “expressing my feelings in the exact order”.

“I still have these mixes as playlists so I can go back and feel all those feelings,” says Hayley.

2. She wanted to be Buffy the Vampire Slayer

“I think everyone did,” laughs Hayley. “I was so obsessed with her. I loved her outfits, what a badass she was. Everything about this show was cool.”

Buffy was one of many influential TV shows in the early 2000s that exploded emo music into the mainstream.

In her episode all about emo on screen, Hayley puts Death Cab for Cutie’s album Transatlanticism on shuffle in a nod to a 00s' character that pushed this burgeoning genre into the mainstream.

“Seth Cohen in the OC was really an emo kid,” she says. “The soundtrack was informed by his character. He also wore the best T-shirts.

“Death Cab were his favourites and their songs make me so nostalgic for downloading music."

3. The music she loved "did not feel girl-friendly"

When Paramore broke out in 2005, Hayley was still only 16 and she admits it was difficult to find her place in an almost exclusively male music scene.

Without her, labels would not have given Paramore a chance

“I found myself minimising my girlhood,” she says. “Girls were questioning ourselves and each other, believing that what we had was not enough.

"I've been called everything from emo to little poser to record-industry plant and I used to be terrified of it."

With male-fronted bands dominating, Hayley needed role models who cut through and she found that in Avril Lavigne.

“She was just iconic. If it wasn’t for her career I highly doubt labels would have given Paramore a chance,” says Hayley.

“She paved a way for young females interested in more than just bubble-gum pop, making music that said something."

4. Their first proper drum kit originally belonged to Foo Fighters' Taylor Hawkins

In episode 2 Teenage Kicks Hayley explains how important legendary rock band Foo Fighters were to Paramore's evolution and pays tribute to Hawkins who died aged 50 in March 2022.

"When I first met the rest of the guys in Paramore, Foo Fighters were a band that always came up," she explains. "We asked ourselves, what would they do? If you're part of a band that puts a lot of emphasis on drums - all three of us can play drums - then you have to talk about Foo Fighters."

She reveals how Paramore felt touched by Hawkins' influence even as they were just starting out.

"When we first started playing shows, Zac needed a really good drum kit," she says. "A friend in town lent him one - he ultimately gave it to him - and it had actually belonged to Taylor.

"The fact that somehow Zac ended up with his kit felt like we'd stolen a blessing from Taylor Hawkins. We took it as him saying: 'Yes, go forth and continue'."

5. Her dad drove Paramore’s tour bus across the USA

Many of Hayley’s fondest memories come from driving round listening to music with her family.

None more so than with her dad, who left his job to drive the tour van in their early days.

“We toured with I Am the Avalanche and my dad literally drove us from Florida to Seattle as none of us were old enough,” she says.

“I think nine people came to a show in Iowa – it was kinda fun! When I think back, there is something romantic about it.”

6. She’s always caught the attention of her celebrated peers

“When I was just 16, I remember playing on this really dinky stage in Atlanta,” she explains.

“We were in the corner of this festival but when I looked up, there against the chain-link fence was Gerard Way, unprompted, just watching our set.

“My Chemical Romance were like gods on the Warped Tour. This was the first moment I was like: ‘We’re doing this!’

“Then, I was trying to play an acoustic set at Taste of Chaos and I saw the guys from Underoath all standing watching me. They barely knew me.

“I will take those memories to the end.”

7. She reveals her British ancestry and pays homage to some great UK bands

In her Across the Pond episode, Hayley delves deep into her background and is surprised to find her own roots run deep into the UK.

"I took a DNA test recently and there's so much British," she laugh. "You are my people.

"Here is what I have found... we're talking Greater London, we’re talking Greater Manchester, we’re talking Tyne and Wear, we’re talking Glasgow, Merseyside, West Yorkshire, West Midlands, South Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Cumbria…"

She admits to loving the British music scene and, as well as devoting an entire hour to it, she showcases a wide variety of bands across all episodes, including The Arctic Monkeys, The Smiths and Wolf Alice.

In fact, in episode 3 Not Emo but Emo, Hayley puts The Cure's epic 1992 album Wish on shuffle.

"it’s one of my favourite albums of all time because I have so many memories tied to it," she says. "I loved Robert Smith so much that I used to dream of him coming to visit me at school and having lunch with me in the lunchroom.

"I just thought he was so cool - and it wasn’t even romantic. I just wanted to be his friend."

8. She gives us clues about new Paramore music

After their After Laughter run ended in September 2018, Paramore went quiet with Hayley releasing solo work and staying closer to home during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Work did not stop though and she cites one band in particular as a key influence on Paramore's latest material.

“We started working on writing new material as a band over the last year and a half and Block Party from day one have been our number one reference,” she says. “They are so unique and dynamic.

“I’m so thankful they’re playing shows and I’m excited to cross paths with a band that’s been a huge part of our story."

Additionally, in episode 17 In the Studio, Hayley explains how the music of Shame got her and her band-mates switched on for a new album.

"They really inspired me to pick up a pen and start writing poetry," she says. "That's always a pre-requisite to any album-writing we do."

And her feelings about this show as a whole?

“This series has got me feeling nostalgic about our journey and there’s a lot I haven’t talked about,” she says.

“We have a lot we are gearing up for. We have put in a lot of hard work and there is a lot to come.”