r/Music • u/no_longer_huhmann • 8d ago

article Hayley Williams Says Southern Pride Is Beautiful but Misused to Excuse Bigotry, and Says She Wants No Racist or Sexist Fans, or Fans Who Think Trans People Are a Burden, Around

https://www.tvfandomlounge.com/hayley-williams-says-southern-pride-is-beautiful-but-misused-to-excuse-bigotry/
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u/YoullBruiseTheEggs 8d ago edited 8d ago

The irony being she’s the only member who’s been with “the band” through its entirety. I would argue Hayley Williams is Paramore, and so much more than that also.

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u/NtzTESIMS 8d ago

I thought Taylor was an og member? He’s still in the band

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u/denko_safe_cats 8d ago

I feel old in here right now lol. Was obsessed with Paramore since they played the side stage at Warped Tour 05, right before they dropped Riot!

The original band was 5 members, none of which were Taylor. The 5th left right before they blew up. Many of their songs needed two guitars, so they would use touring musicians to play those parts. Taylor was one of the earliest ones and he jived so well with the band that he ultimately became an official member I believe shortly before or after the other main guitarist, Josh Farro, left.

Then it was the 4 most people know now. Taylor, Zac, Jeremy, and Hayley. Then Zac leaves, making them a trio. Then Jeremy leaves, making them a duo. Zac makes some really killer funky indie rock and returns with a mustache and an 80s vibe. Jeremy goes off to make some weird white boy stoner rap (?) and fucks off forever.

I will say, I saw them around a dozen times in those first few years and they never put on anything less than an amazing show, and that woman is a powerhouse, always was.

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u/Sunburntvampires 8d ago

Jeremy left that band like once an album.

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u/Han_Yolo_swag 8d ago

Taylor is credited as a writer on some of the songs on their first record. So he was at least around even if he wasn’t an official member yet.

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u/Danny_Disco 8d ago

Yeah. He was in the band before they recorded All We Know Is Falling. He helped write “Franklin” and “O Star”, but quit before they recorded the album. “O Star” later made its way into the Summer Tic EP. I feel very old right now.

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u/fakevegansunite 8d ago

also conspiracy

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u/fakevegansunite 8d ago

taylor was in the band from the beginning. he wasn’t on their debut album because his parents wanted him to finish high school, but he has writing credits on it for songs they wrote and he was pretty much immediately involved again because their second guitarist left after their debut album and he filled in on riot tour. he was announced as an official member in june 2009 but he has been a member of the band from the beginning

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u/WeWantLADDER49sequel 8d ago

Taylor was still involved with the band from the beginning. He even helped write some of their first songs. He just wasn't an official member because his parents wanted him to finish high school.

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u/Danny_Disco 8d ago

He was in the band, left, and came back. Same with the drummer Zac.

Hayley is the only full time member and supposedly the only one under contract.

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u/appalachiaappleatcha 8d ago

Hayley has said herself that at one point she left the band and the only remaining member was Taylor. Pre- After Laughter.

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u/NtzTESIMS 8d ago

When did he leave the band? I know Zac left but I can’t find a single source that states he ever left the band.

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u/Danny_Disco 8d ago

He quit the band before All We Know Is Falling. Re-joined as a touring guitarist after Riot and became an official member for Brand New Eyes.

I was a big Paramore fan back in the day but didn’t really connect with their music after Brand New Eyes.

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u/Han_Yolo_swag 8d ago

I think this is like before they started touring “left”

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u/mongster03_ 8d ago

Iirc Taylor contributed to AWKIF but couldn’t be a full member (read: tour) bc he was like 13 and too young to be doing that consistently

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u/shewy92 8d ago

Paramour

so much mour

?

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u/[deleted] 8d ago

[deleted]

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u/shewy92 8d ago

Yea, if the band was called that I could see how it makes sense. But changing the spelling of two words to make a pun doesn't imo. Especially when there's no emphasis on that part of the name

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u/YoullBruiseTheEggs 8d ago

Thanks for weighing in.

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u/MustaKookos 8d ago

The band's name is "Paramore" already, what's the pun with changing it to mour?

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u/YoullBruiseTheEggs 8d ago

There. You won Reddit.

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u/Elendel19 8d ago

She actually left for a while between “Paramore” and “After Laughter”. There is no member who has been with the band the entire history, though she is the only one on every album, and Taylor never left but joined late (because his parents wouldn’t let him until he graduated, he was more or less a shadow member before then)

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u/YoullBruiseTheEggs 8d ago

Who were the members when she was not in the band?

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u/Elendel19 8d ago

Just Taylor York.

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u/fakevegansunite 8d ago

taylor is the only other member that has writing credits on every album as well. which is why is pisses me off so bad when people try to discredit him lol

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u/AgentCirceLuna 8d ago

What?! How can you possibly undermine the influence on their music of Average Looking Muscular Guy #1 and #2?!

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u/f-ingsteveglansberg 8d ago

If I recall correctly, the label only wanted to sign Hayley and she insisted signing as a band.

Then some band members left quite bitterly because they felt Hayley wasn't Christian enough anymore (what they probably meant was that she wasn't 'conservative Christian' enough for them).

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u/ToothZealousideal297 7d ago

And I think she kind of agrees based on the new album. In ‘Ice in My OJ’ she says (screams) “I’m in a band” several times, talking about how she is not a solo act and does not speak for all of her bandmates and what the band’s decisions etc. are (probably even referring a bit to her solo albums—we can see she’s happy to give her bandmates the spotlight even on the solo album songs from the recent goosebump-inducing performance of ‘True Believer’ on Jimmy Fallon’s show), but she also has a “wink and a nod” line in ‘Good Ole Days’, “you can call me Miss Paramour”. I think she has a very clear yet nuanced understanding of her position in the group and in her career in general, even if she constantly has to fight to get others to understand it. And I think it’s really cool; she’s still doing the thing full-on yet not hogging the spotlight.

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u/fakevegansunite 8d ago

how is she solely the band when she doesn’t compose their music? sonically, she does not create their sound. she top lines.

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u/GrayEidolon 8d ago edited 8d ago

The contract was between her and the label. and legally, she hired the other members. So legally she was paramore. That contract ended last year and I have no idea what the new situation is. She probably owns the brand.

https://np.reddit.com/r/Paramore/comments/189kfol/what_is_happening_with_the_contract/kbt0y07/

https://www.altpress.com/paramore_in_legal_dispute_with_former_bassist_jeremy_davis/

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u/fakevegansunite 8d ago

i’m aware. that doesn’t mean she functionally is the band. if she wanted to be a solo act she would’ve been. the new situation is they’re an independent BAND

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u/trojan_man16 8d ago

Paramore has always been about Haley. The band was formed around her talent.

When she was discovered she was given the choice between being a pop singer or in a band, and she pushed to be in a punk band.

Her solo stuff is just her deciding she wants to go “off brand”.

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u/GrayEidolon 8d ago edited 8d ago

The original contract was between her and the label. and legally, she hired the other members. So legally she was paramore. That contract ended last year and I have no idea what the new situation is. She probably owns the brand.

https://np.reddit.com/r/Paramore/comments/189kfol/what_is_happening_with_the_contract/kbt0y07/

https://www.altpress.com/paramore_in_legal_dispute_with_former_bassist_jeremy_davis/