Hayley Williams

## Musical career

### Genres

Pop • Pop punk • Emo • Alternative rock • Pop rock • Power pop • Art pop • New Wave • Indie pop

### Labels

Interscope Records

**Hayley Nichole Williams** (born December 27, 1988) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, businesswoman, and Ed Sheeran impersonator who is best known as the lead vocalist, primary songwriter, and keyboardist of the rock band Paramore.

## Life and Career

### Early Life and Career Beginnings

Hayley Nichole Williams was born in Meridian, Mississippi, on December 27, 1988, the daughter of Joey and Cristi Williams. She has two younger half-sisters. After her parents divorced in 2002, Williams moved with her mother to Franklin, Tennessee. She met future bandmates Josh and Zac Farro at her new school. Shortly after settling in Franklin, she began taking vocal lessons with Brett Manning. While still at school, she tried out for a local funk cover band, The Factory, where she met Jeremy Davis. Williams' childhood neighbor was NBA player Rodney Hood.

### 2004-2021: Paramore

In 2002, at age 13, vocalist Hayley Williams moved from her hometown Meridian, Mississippi to Franklin, Tennessee, where she met brothers Josh Farro and Zac Farro at a weekly supplemental program for home-schooled students. Shortly after arriving, she began taking vocal lessons with Brett Manning. Prior to forming Paramore, Williams and bassist Jeremy Davis, along with friend Kimee Read, took part in a funk cover band called The Factory, while Josh and Zac Farro had practiced together after school. The other members of what was soon to be Paramore had been "edgy about the whole female thing" of having Williams as vocalist, but, because they were good friends, she started writing for them. Williams said of the members when she first met them, "They were the first people I met who were as passionate about music as I was."

Williams was originally signed to Atlantic Records as a solo artist in 2003. She had been introduced to Atlantic A&R Tom Storms by Kent Marcus and Jim Zumwalt, lawyers of managers Dave Steunebrink and Richard Williams, and then eventually signed to Atlantic by Jason Flom. Steunebrink and Richard Williams had originally discovered and signed her to a production deal that was later bought out by Atlantic. The original plan of the label was to turn her into a pop singer, but Williams resisted, saying that she wanted to play alternative rock music with a band. In an interview with HitQuarters the band's A&R at Atlantic, Steve Robertson, said, "She wanted to make sure that we didn't look at her as some straight to Top 40 pop princess. She wanted to make sure that she and her band got the chance to show what they can do as a rock band writing their own songs." Label president Julie Greenwald and the label staff decided to go with her wishes. The original management team for the band was Dave Steunebrink, Creed manager Jeff Hanson, and Hanson's assistant Mark Mercado.

The band was officially formed by Josh Farro (lead guitar/backing vocals), Zac Farro (drums), Davis (bass guitar) and Williams (lead vocals) in 2004, with the later addition of Williams' neighbor Jason Bynum (rhythm guitar). When Davis showed up, he was stunned to find out the drummer was only twelve years old. He admitted "I had very, very, very, little faith in everyone in the band because of their age. I remember thinking, 'This is not going to work because this kid is way too young,' but that first day of practice was amazing. I knew we were on to something." According to Williams, the name "Paramore" came from the maiden name of the mother of one of their first bass players. Once the group learned the meaning of the homophone "paramour" ("secret lover"), they decided to adopt the name, using the *Paramore* spelling.

Paramore was originally supposed to release their music on Atlantic Records, but the label's marketing department decided it would be better for the image of the band to not have them attached to a major label. Instead, they released their music through the niche label Fueled by Ramen. Lyor Cohen, the head of Warner Music Group, had already identified Fueled by Ramen as a label they should partner with. It was decided the rock label would make an ideal match for Paramore. According to Robertson, when the band was presented to Fueled by Ramen's CEO John Janick, "he got the vision of the band immediately." Janick went to a Taste of Chaos performance in Orlando, Florida to see the band perform live. In April 2005, after a smaller private performance at a warehouse, the band was signed to Atlantic Records and Fueled By Ramen.

The band's first song written together was "Conspiracy", which was later used on their debut album. At this time, they were touring the southeast, usually being driven by Williams' parents. She commented that "Back then, I guess we were all thinking, after school, we'll go to the house and practice. It was what we loved to do for fun, and still do! I don't think any of us really knew this would turn out to be what it's become."

### 2021-Present: *Madame Divine* and *Don't Look At Me*

After careful consideration, her then-manager considered signing up as her for the next #PI season, 9b. All of her album and single covers were complete, which would mean that she was ready to debut. She released her debut single, Flowerbomb, on July 2nd, 2021. A remix was released the week after. On July 16th, 2021, Williams would release her debut album Madame Divine to mostly positive reviews from critics and audiences. Another album, *Don't Look At Me*, would be released on November 26th, 2021.

Despite this, she would still be the lead singer for Paramore, as she didn't want to upset her fans.

## Artistry

### Music and Voice

Williams is a soprano with a four-octave range. Emilee Lindner of MTV News has noted her ability to sing in the whistle register, and Maura Johnston of *Rolling Stone* her "acrobatic" singing style. Thrills also notes Williams's slight country twang in some of her songs. *Alternative Press* wrote that Williams "has more charisma than singers twice her age, and her band aren't far behind in their chops, either." Singer-songwriter John Mayer praised Williams's voice in an October 2007 blog post, calling her "The great orange hope" (her hair being orange at the time).

### Influences

Williams cites artists such as Saves the Day, MewithoutYou, Radiohead, The Cure, No Doubt, Slick Shoes, The Chariot, Now, Now, Jimmy Eat World, New Found Glory, Fireworks, Set Your Goals, Tegan and Sara, H2O, Lemuria and The Swellers as her favorite bands. She has noted her admiration for such female singers as Debbie Harry, Emily Haines, Siouxsie Sioux, Gwen Stefani, Beyoncé, and Brody Dalle of The Distillers.

By the way, she mentioned that she likes Gwen Stefani and Beyoncé's music unironically.

## Other Ventures

### Acting

It was rumored that Williams would be in the hit film *What Happens in Vegas... Stays in Pop Industry*. This has been proven false following the announcement of the film.

### Philanthropy

Williams donated a total of $1,500,000 to various LGBT and AIDS organizations following DaBaby's homophobic comments during Rolling Loud.

### Politics

Williams is a supporter of Gwen Stefani, as she mentioned Stefani as her influence.

## Personal Life

Williams infamously posts what she is listening to with the #np hashtag. This has bewildered confusion on the timeline as she is known to play little to no #PI songs, and even went as far as playing songs that exist in real life but not in the #PIverse.

Despite the rumors, Hayley Williams does NOT have a twin named Wendy. Although most people thought that because they have the same last names.

She is also (allegedly) a natural ginger.

### Marriage and Children

Williams used to be married to musician and record producer Chad Gilbert in 2016 until they seperated a year later.

## Legacy

She currently has 2 out of 5 legacy points. Her manager will promote her to legacy artist in 2023.

## Awards and Achievements

*Main article: Hayley Williams/Awards*
She currently has no awards/nominations at the moment.

## Discography

*Main article: Hayley Williams/Discography*
* *Madame Divine* (2021)
* *Don't Look At Me* (2021)

## Galleries

### Artwork Gallery

**Albums**

Madame DivineDon't Look At MeWhen You Sit Down With MeBorn To Shine [EP]Hayleyoke, Volume 1DefibrillatorHayleyoke, Volume 2
**Singles**

FlowerbombFlowerbomb (Popular Demand Remix)KineticForget This, Forget YouNightfall ParadeForever ForgottenABSTRACTDreamlandsFirst RowEmpireGone AwayGone Away (Remix)Born to ShineBorn to Shine (Extended)May 15Hey HayleyLSD DreamWhat's Your Sign?