Hayley Williams delivered a surprise performance with punk quartet the Linda Lindas during their London show this week.
The Paramore frontwoman joined the band on stage at O2 Academy Islington to perform their tracjm “Racist, Sexist Boy”.
The collaboration proved particularly fitting given Williams’ punk rock origins. When Paramore released their angsty debut All We Know Is Falling in 2005, Williams was just 16 years old – not far from the ages of the Linda Lindas members when they first gained viral attention.
Williams’ connection with the Linda Lindas extends beyond their shared punk ethos – two of the band members, Mila de la Garza and Lucia de la Garza, are daughters of record producer Carlos de la Garza, who has worked on several of Paramore’s recent albums.
Watch some of the footage below.
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The evening’s excitement continued off-stage, with both parties creating a TikTok video together in London, showcasing their stage outfits and capturing the spirit of their collaboration. Williams has evolved significantly since her early punk days, incorporating elements of R&B, funk, and Afropop influences from artists like the Lijadu Sisters into her sound, both with Paramore and in her solo work.
@isabela.salaza.r Fitted up #fyp #hayleywilliams #london #thelindalindas
This London performance comes during a particularly active period for Williams, who recently released 17 new solo songs and dropped a music video for “Glum” earlier this week. She also released a video for “Ego Death At The Bachelorette Party” this month.
The collection is Williams’ first independent release since Paramore’s departure from Atlantic Records. It arrived via her new imprint, Post Atlantic, distributed by Secretly Distribution.
The new collection highlights Williams’ range across several genres. It includes the alt-rock track “Mirtazapine”, performed live last week with Bleachers; “Glum”, which uses vocal effects to explore loneliness; the Americana-inspired “Whim”; and “Ice in My OJ”, a reworked version of a 2004 song from her side project Mammoth City Messengers.
Meanwhile, her Paramore bandmate Zac Farro released his own solo effort in July.
The Linda Lindas are equally busy, currently working their way through an extensive tour schedule that spans Europe and the United States through September.
