Hayley Williams has confidently said she never wants to release an album under her name again.
Appearing alongside Bleachers’ Jack Antonoff in Rolling Stone‘s Musicians on Musicians, the Paramore frontwoman said her latest album, Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party, will likely be her last under her name. Instead, she wants to continue playing in bands, because she prefers “being with other people”.
“I made this record, and it kind of feels like it just exploded out. It does feel right to put it out under my name. But I think I have to exercise saying that I feel like it’s the last record I’ll do under my name, and I feel proud of that,” she told Antonoff.
“I want to be in 100 bands before I die. I like that feeling of being in a room with people and something that didn’t exist becomes a thing that you’re all holding.”
The pair spoke about the ups and downs of being in bands, with Williams sharing that she “just love[s] when the vibe is good and everyone’s happy”.
Similarly for Antonoff, who has worked with the likes of Taylor Swift and Sabrina Carpenter, his love for being part of a collective goes beyond his band the Bleachers. As a producer, he said he loves “the idea that two things come together and then something new happens”.
However, in Williams’ experience, the “fair share of drama” has been a difficult downside.
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“Our manager would always be like, ‘Communication is the most important stuff in any relationship’. He’s been saying that to us since we were 16. When you think you’ve figured that out, a few years go by and you have to refigure that out,” she explained.
“This is insane to bring up in an interview of this magnitude. But I genuinely felt like I always got blamed for all the shit that would go on in our band, and I never knew if it was [because] I’m the singer. But also at the time, I’m a young girl, and people don’t understand young girls.”
She said being the sole woman in the band was something she “wore like a badge of honour” at times.
For the full Rolling Stone Musicians on Musicians interview, see here.
