For the latest episode of Everything Is Emo, Hayley Williams talks about her love affair with UK music, puts Silent Alarm by Bloc Party on shuffle and reveals they are the main inspiration behind Paramore’s long awaited new material. Hayley also discovers she has British ancestry and shares her huge admiration for the band Foals.
This week’s playlist features tracks from Wolf Alice, Arctic Monkeys and The 1975 while Hayley reminisces about how she discovered The Smiths, hearing Embrace for the first time this year and her favourite cover performed by Paramore in the Live Lounge, Love’s Not A Competition (But I’m Winning) by Kaiser Chiefs.
HAYLEY: We started working on writing new material as a band over the last year and a half and I just want to say it, like I don’t even feel like it really gives away very much. Bloc Party, from day one, talking about making music again, you know the three of us – Zac, Taylor and I – for Paramore, Bloc Party was the number one reference because there was such an urgency to their sound that was different to the fast punk or the pop punk or the like, loud wall of sound emo bands that were happening in the early 2000s. They had their own thing and it was so unique and so dynamic, and it really stuck with us. And I’m really really thankful for this band, I’m so thankful that they’re back, they’re playing shows they’re putting out great songs, and it just makes me feel even more excited to get back out into the world, and maybe cross paths with the band that has been a huge part of our story from day one.
HAYELY DISCUSSES THE EVOLUTION OF FOALS AND DESCRIBES THE SCARY FEELING OF SHARING NEW MUSIC WITH THE WORLD
HAYLEY: Taylor was really really obsessed with a couple of (Foals) albums, but the first time I heard My Number I just thought it’s just a no brainer. But I also really respect this band’s journey and how they continue to evolve. I think it takes a lot of guts too. I just think of every time we’ve gone home between albums and we’ve been getting ready to write a new album or let’s say we have an album in the can, but we have not yet really presented it to the world with photos and new imagery, and music videos and all of that good stuff. It’s a really scary feeling and it can be quite nerve racking to present yourself in a new way and to essentially grow, in front of the world. So anytime a band remerges with a new picture, there’s a new frame of mind, a new frame of reference, maybe they’re donning new influences and kind of showing off other sides of themselves. I just think it’s courageous and cool, and I’m really enjoying their evolution so, that’s Foals you know?
HAYLEY REVEALS SHE HAS BRITISH ANCESTRY
HAYLEY: I have to tell you guys something! Recently I’ve been digging into my ancestry and I took a DNA test and so much British. You are my people. Here is what I have found; we’re talking Greater London, we’re talking Greater Manchester, we’re talking Tyne and Wear, we’re talking Glasgow, Merseyside, West Yorkshire, West Midlands, South Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Cumbria… When are we having tea? Let your folks know, I’ll be there.
Everything Is Emo with Hayley Williams is available on Back To Back Sounds: Amplified, only on BBC Sounds.
About Everything Is Emo with Hayley Williams
Everything Is Emo is Hayley Williams’ emo 101. During each hour long episode, Hayley shares her love of the music that shaped the 90s through to the current day, reflecting on classic albums, her favourite new artists and offering a first-hand account of fronting one of the post popular bands from the emo scene. Across the 20-part series for Back To Back Sounds: Amplified, Hayley shares personal memories, nostalgia and incredible music from the likes of Jimmy Eat World, Wet Leg, My Chemical Romance, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Panic At The Disco, The Postal Service and of course, Paramore.
About Back To Back Sounds
Back To Back Sounds is a new and easy way to enjoy the best on-demand music content from the BBC, offering hours of uninterrupted music shows and mixes. The twelve different Back To Back Sounds are organised by genre, artist, theme or occasion. They feature the latest programmes from across our radio stations alongside new commissions, curated by our experts and some of the biggest names in music.
The Reset takes listeners on a restorative journey of calm; Amplified is the go-to destination for indie, rock and alternative fans; Total Rewind features hours of throwback R&B and Hip-Hop; Radio 2 90s is the best of the 90s in one handy package, guided by Fearne Cotton and Dermot O’Leary. Rap Unlocked is the home of Rap, Hip-Hop, Grime and Drill – guided by the superstars of the genre including Ms Banks and Potter Payper. Artist Icons is a career-spanning overview of the world’s most iconic musicians; Pre-Party is the ultimate selection to get your party started; Pop Right Now is non-stop Pop from 2015 onwards; Charged Up is the perfect soundtrack for your run, walk or workout; and Soothing Sleep is a sanctuary of calm to help listeners unwind. Radio 1 Anthems is already hugely popular on-demand and is non-stop bops for hours on end while Radio 1 Happy is uplifting tunes to bring you joy throughout your day, with Radio 1’s Katie Thistleton at the helm.
Listeners can find Back To Back Sounds by simply tapping on the music tab and scrolling through at the top of the music page.
