We are just weeks away from Paramore‘s upcoming sixth studio album, This Is Why. To wrap up 2022 and lead into a promising 2023, Paramore’s lead vocalist paid a visit to Spotify’s Face to Face podcast alongside Wet Leg‘s Rhian Teasdale and hostess Hester Chambers.
During the interview, Teasdale admitted she often hears and reads misogynistic comments about her performances, “Like, ‘Oh she’s holding that guitar but she’s not actually playing it.’ When, for example, I am just not using my guitar but then I need to play it in the chorus or something, there will always be a comment like, ‘Girls shouldn’t play guitar, women shouldn’t play guitar,’ and it’s just — it’s so dated but it’s still there! And I just hate it so much and it’s so frustrating.”
Williams replied, sharing her own stories of sexism she’s faced throughout her career, and even admitted she doesn’t want to play guitar during live performances.
“I know those people so well, and I don’t even play guitar onstage,” Williams said. “I don’t even dare, because I love to play guitar but I don’t know if I could handle — man. I feel you so hard.”
“I just hate that people even need to point it out,” she continued. “I don’t really think about my gender at all, when we play music especially. It’s just not part of the picture. I’m trying to lean into femininity and empower that part of myself more in this era of my career, but do you ever get on stage and feel ‘other’? You feel like this alien thing that’s powerful and beautiful?”
You can stream the full episode below.
This Is Why is out 02/10/2023 via Atlantic Records. Pre-save it here.
Paramore is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.