Hayley Williams

Background

Hayley Nicole Williams was born on December 27, 1988, in Meridian, Mississippi, and moved to Franklin, Tennessee, with her mother in 2002, following her parents’ divorce. She spent most of her leisure time singing, playing guitar, and writing in her notebook, as she was home-schooled. During this time, Willaims became friends with guitarist Josh Farro, his brother, drummer Zac Farro, and guitarist Taylor York. She also started looking for local music prospects. While auditioning for a local funk band, Williams met bassist Jeremy Davis. Williams and her Paramore colleagues began writing music together after she introduced the Farros to Davis. Their efforts got swiftly rewarded with a contract with Atlantic Records. Their debut album, “All We Know Is Falling,” was released in 2005 on the Atlantic subsidiary Fueled by Ramen.

With their energetic, richly expressive brand of rock, Paramore gained a devoted fanbase over the next few years. Williams drew a lot of attention because she was the band’s primary singer, co-songwriter, and key lyricist. Their subsequent albums, including “Riot!” in 2007 and “Brand New Eyes” in 2009, all charted in the Top 20 on the Billboard 200, earning Williams cameo appearances on other albums. She appeared on the New Found Glory song ‘Tangled Up’ in 2009. Her first solo recording, ‘Teenagers,’ was also released that year and was featured on the soundtrack of the horror film “Jennifer’s Body.” Williams returned to the top of the charts the following year with ‘Airplanes,’ a collaboration with hip-hop musician B.o.B. that reached number two in America and one in England. Following their breakup with the Farro brothers, Williams and her surviving bandmates, guitarist York and bassist Davis, released “Paramore” in 2012. The album was a commercial and critical success for the band, debuting at number one on the Billboard 200 and earning them their first Grammy Award for the smash single ‘Ain’t It Fun.’ However, the band’s success resulted in another split, with Davis departing over a legal fight over royalties.

After reuniting with original drummer Zac Farro, Williams and York could go forward musically. In 2017, a revitalized Paramore released the Meldal-Johnsen-produced “After Laughter,” which showcased Williams’ hard-won lyrical maturity alongside an even more genre-open approach to songwriting. The album was a success, reaching number six on the Billboard 200 and topping the Alternative and Rock charts. Paramore announced their hiatus in 2019 after a two-year tour. Williams used the time off to create songs with York and Paramore’s touring bassist Joey Howard for a solo project. She released the songs ‘Simmer’ and ‘Leave It Alone’ in January 2020, which had a darker, more artistically focused tone than earlier Paramore songs. Warren Fu-directed music videos accompanied the songs setting the way for her first full-length solo album, “Petals for Armor,” due in 2020. The album debuted at number 18 on the Billboard 200 after being preceded by two E.P.s, “Petals for Armor I” and “Petals for Armor II.” “Flowers for Vases/descansos,” her second full-length solo album, was released nine months later, in February 2021. Williams played all the instruments on the album, produced by Canon Blue’s Daniel James.