Hayley Williams has opened up about the future of Paramore in a new interview.
The band last’s album was 2017’s ‘After Laughter’, which saw original member Zac Farro return on drums after the departure of bassist Jeremy Davis. The LP saw the trio experiment with a new musical direction, with lyrics covering topics such as social anxiety and the pressures of fitting in.
Now, in an interview with L’Odet, Williams has discussed the band’s plans for the future and says that she envisions herself being in Paramore for a long time to come.
“When we were kids it was like, we’d never even seen or heard of some of the opportunities before,” Williams recalled about the early days of the band. “Half of it was curiosity and half of it was just wide-eyed ‘let’s see what this experience feels like.’ Obviously we wanted the band to succeed. But I don’t even know if we really grasped the concept of succeeding.
“It was more like we just went through the motions every day, and if the shows are really magical, then that’s why you do it, you know? Now — especially after this album cycle, too — I would never do things the way we did before ‘After Laughter’. With ‘After Laughter’, we kind of said no to everything.”
Williams also clarified that “if the three of us are happy, then we will just do whatever we want to do”.
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“If that means collaborating with each other, bringing other friends in to collaborate — there are seven band members when we tour,” she said. “We’re all friends and we all make music in different parts, together. So I feel like, yes, I want to be in Paramore.
“I never want to have to put out a press release that says we’re over or that I quit or that we’re taking a hiatus, which is essentially a marketing ploy these days. I would rather it just be. It just is a part of each of our DNA. If we choose to move into it as a brand and put a name on these songs and make a new t-shirt, then awesome. But I’ve been in a band with them since I was 12; I don’t think the band is going anywhere. As long as we’re friends, the band just is. It’s just in us.
Last month, Williams joined Kacey Musgraves on stage in Nashville for a special live collaboration.