Ex-Paramore Members Slam Hayley Williams
The Paramore split became bitter on Tuesday night when co-founders and brothers Josh and Zac Farrofired off a fiery blog post that explicitly contradicts the statement issued by the band over the weekend, which read in part: “We want Josh and Zac to do something that makes them happy and if that isn’t here with us, then we support them finding happiness elsewhere.”
The Farros’ post, “Josh and Zac’s Exit Statement,” is signed by both but apparently written by Josh — and cites a long series of personal, musical, romantic and even religious differences between themselves and Williams. It begins slamming Williams in the second sentence, claiming that she released the band’s statement about the split “without my permission” on Saturday, defying what the brothers claim was an agreement.
“I did not think Hayley’s version told the whole story, at least from our perspective and hopefully this will explain a bit about why we are leaving,” the post reads.
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The blog goes on to detail Williams’ estrangement from the rest of the band, which began just months after she’d joined:
“This band became all about Hayley. She had a manager at the time that controlled her every move along with her parents. They didn’t like the idea of Hayley being in a rock band so they forced her to leave wanting her to pursue a solo career. Hayley went off to write and record her solo demos while the four of us continued on without her.”
The post says that Williams attempted to dictate who could and could not remain in the band, and confirmed that Williams signed with Atlantic as a solo artist, although without the band’s knowledge.
While Williams was always presented as the band’s focal point — like most lead singers — she has been singled out to an increasingly degree in recent months, guesting by herself on B.o.B’s hit “Airplanes” and appearing without her bandmates at the Grammy Awards announcement ceremony earlier this month.
The Farros’ post gives short shift to Josh’s romantic relationship with Williams, which apparently accelerated the brothers’ departure from the band, and discusses the growing musical and religious differences between Williams and the rest of the band: “Hayley presented lyrics to us that were really negative and we didn’t agree with. For example, ‘the truth never set me free,’ which contradicts what the Bible says in John 8:32 (‘and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall sat you free’).”
A rep for Paramore said it had no further comment beyond the statement on the band’s website.
Josh and Zac’s Exit Statement [JoshNFarro.blogspot.com via Billboard]