Paramore Singer Hayley Williams Steps Out on Solo Venture
Hayley Williams has taken a brave step forward. The Paramore lead vocalist announced today, March 5, 2020, that she will be going out on a solo tour to support her debut album, Petals for Armor.
The tour will be kicking off in Amsterdam on May 13 with North American dates beginning on May 28. It will wrap up on June 29 in the singer’s hometown of Nashville. British indie folk singer Arlo Parks will be opening for Williams.
When asked about her feelings on going out on her first solo tour, Williams had this to say, “Wow. I am going on tour. Myself. It’s not Paramore and truthfully, it’s just terrifying. But if I know anything, it’s that there’s no safer place (besides at home with my dog) than to be in a room, in front of the people who I’ve grown up singing my lungs out for.”
Hayley went on to describe the performances she will be giving as ‘hot, sweaty and intimate’. She will be playing venues that Paramore outgrew years ago, performing songs she has never before performed for a live audience.
Hayley’s solo career comes after an over fifteen year stint with her band Paramore which was full of ups and downs. They had several lineup changes over the years and ultimately began releasing music that had a noticeably different sound than most fans were used to. Once a band that could almost be classified as metal, their music was taking on more of an 80’s pop edge.
Regarding the change in sound, here’s what guitarist Taylor York had to say back in 2019. “(The band has) gotten to a point with (their) new music where (they) don’t really want to head bang anymore.”
While it’s true that every band needs a change, many bands were disoriented by the new direction and turned their backs on them. Others loved the new sound.
There’s no word on what led to Williams’ decision to go solo but on Jan. 22, the singer released her debut single, ‘Simmer’ which has been described as ‘dark, edgy pop’ much in the vein of Billie Eilish. The full album will be dropping May 8 and is currently available for pre-order.
In the meantime, Paramore officially announced on Sept. 4, 2019 that they would be going on hiatus.
If you are a Paramore fan and curious to see what Williams will have in store, tickets for her Petals of Armor tour will be going on sale on March 13 at 10 AM local time. Fans that preorder the record by 10 PM local time on March 8 will have access to presale tickets for U.S. dates from March 10 at 10 AM to March 12 10 PM local time.
It will be interesting to see what the future holds for Williams and Paramore. For the time being, we can only wait and see what develops regarding her tour and new release.
