NEWS
Paramore‘s self-titled album has taken its 10th trip around the sun, and to celebrate the LP’s milestone anniversary, lead singer Hayley Williams shared a few words with fans on social media Wednesday (April 5) thanking them for their support during a tumultuous time for the band.
“10 years ago, we put out a record that took a lot of guts and self-determination to make. Mainly because after losing 2 members of the band [Josh and Zac Farro] there was so much discourse around whether or not the band could make anything worthwhile – let alone stay together,” Williams began the message.
She continued, “The story of Paramore has been rife with reality show-style drama. Well, until the last 6 or 7 years. It’s really great to be able to look back from where we are now, knowing the story didn’t end when some said it would. If all that led to our Self-Titled album hadn’t happened, we’d be the most boring band of all time. If we hadn’t been forced out of our trauma-bonded comfort zones, we would’ve never known what we might be capable of.”
After taking a moment to thank some of the contributing musicians on the project — Justin Meldal-Johnsen (production, songwriting, keys and percussion), Carlos de la Garza (percussion, engineering) and Ken Andrew of Failure (mixing, keys and back up vocals) — the singer then turned her message outward to the fans, who she says were responsible for giving the band creative freedom through their continued support.
“Taylor [York] and I wrote these songs having no idea if people would accept a reformed, more liberated version of Paramore. Our fans not only accepted but championed our rebirth,” Williams concluded her message. “Thank you for allowing us the room for creative risk and for keeping this story going. We love you. Paramore forever.”
Released April 5, 2013, Paramore became the band’s first and only album to hit No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart. The LP spawned four singles: “Now,” “Daydreaming,” “Ain’t It Fun” and “Still Into You,” with the latter two charting at Nos. 10 and 24 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, respectively. “Ain’t It Fun,” in addition to its Billboard chart success, earned Paramore their first Grammy Award in the best rock song category at the 57th annual ceremony, making Williams the first woman to win the award since Alanis Morissette in 1999.
Other fan favorites on Paramore’s self-titled album include the sentimental track “Last Hope” and “Part II,” which references lyrics from “Let the Flames Begin” from the band’s 2007 breakthrough release, RIOT!
See Williams’ message in full below.
NEWS
A$AP Rocky has revealed that it took years of persistence before Tim Burton agreed to create the cover artwork for his upcoming album, Don’t Be Dumb. The rapper reflected on how the unlikely collaboration finally came together during a recent appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Monday.
Going into detail about the process, Rocky confessed that he “basically had to stalk and harass him for a few years” before things clicked. He explained, “I reached out and told him I would love to hang out, play him some vibes and just connect. I ended up going to Malibu while he was on a break, and he was feeling it. I played him an early version of the album and he really liked it. That’s when I asked, ‘Do you think you might want to do the illustration for this?’ He was open to it, but then suddenly he had Wednesday and Beetlejuice 2 going on. I realized this was going to take a lot longer than I thought.”
A$AP Rocky went on to describe a moment that really stuck with him during that visit. “While I was there, I noticed a sketch sitting on the table and asked if he drew it,” he said. “He told me that every morning he and his daughter work on drawings together. He starts one, then she comes in and finishes it or changes it. It’s something they practice daily. I saw it as their bond, and to me, that felt priceless.”
On Tuesday, A$AP Rocky also released a double music video for his tracks “WHISKEY” and “BLACK DEMARCO.” Tim Burton appears in the visual and contributed multiple illustrations that tie into the project.
Alongside the release of the “WHISKEY” and “BLACK DEMARCO” video, Rocky officially unveiled the Don’t Be Dumb World Tour. The run will include 42 dates across North America, Europe, and the United Kingdom, with shows scheduled throughout 2026.
