Hayley Williams

• 1. Introduction

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  Hayley Williams was 16 years old when her band Paramore released its debut album, All We Know Is Falling, in 2005. Readers of Alternative Press later voted her second in a poll of the five greatest pop-punk vocalists of all time. Yet pop-punk is only one label attached to her over the years. Writers have also called her music emo, pop rock, art pop, new wave, synth-pop and indie pop. This documentary follows a singer who has moved between all of those sounds. How did a teenager from Mississippi end up leading a band at all? Why did the people paying for her career have a different plan for her? And what does she do when one band is not enough? The answers start with a divorce, a move to Tennessee, and a school hallway.

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• 2. Franklin Beginnings

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  Hayley Nichole Williams was born on the 27th of December 1988 in Meridian, Mississippi. Her parents were Cristi and Joey Williams, and she later had two younger half-sisters. A childhood neighbor, Rodney Hood, grew up to play in the NBA. In 2002, when she was 13, her parents divorced. She moved with her mother to Franklin, Tennessee.

  At her new school in Franklin, she met two brothers, Josh and Zac Farro. Both would later become her bandmates. Soon after settling in, she began lessons with a vocal coach named Brett Manning. While still a student, she tried out for a local funk cover band called The Factory. There she met Jeremy Davis, the fourth future member of Paramore.

  Her grandfather, Rusty Williams, supplied an earlier musical spark. In February 2025, when he was 78, she helped him release his long-lost debut album, Grand Man. It came out on Congrats Records, the label belonging to her bandmate Zac Farro. She told Garden & Gun writer Jim Beaugez that her grandfather's songs were an early inspiration for her own musical ambitions.

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• 3. Not A Solo Act

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  In 2003, managers Dave Steunebrink and Richard Williams discovered a 14-year-old Hayley Williams and signed her to a two-year production deal. At the time she was writing pop songs with songwriters in Nashville. Attorneys Jim Zumwalt and Kent Marcus, who worked for Richard Williams, introduced her to Tom Storms, an A&R executive at Atlantic Records. Jason Flom then signed her to the label.

  Atlantic's original plan was to make her a solo pop artist. Williams objected. She told the label she wanted to be part of a band and play pop punk. Atlantic went along with her wishes, and she formed Paramore with Josh Farro, Zac Farro and Jeremy Davis.

  The label's marketing department then made a second decision. It reasoned that the band would look better without a huge label attached to it. Paramore's music therefore came out through a "cooler" niche label, Fueled by Ramen.

  The name has its own story. According to Williams, Paramore was the maiden name of the mother of one of the band's first bass players. The group later learned that the homophone "paramour" means "secret lover". They liked that meaning and kept the Paramore spelling.

  In 2006, the band toured outside the United States for the first time. That trip included a headline tour of the UK and a spot supporting the post-hardcore band The Blackout at the Give It A Name Festival in Europe. Taylor York had played with the band as a touring member since 2007. In June 2009, he became an official member on rhythm guitar.

  In December 2010, Josh and Zac Farro left. Williams posted the news on the band's website, and Josh later confirmed it in a blog post. He called the group "a manufactured product of a major label, riding on the coattails of 'Hayley's dream'". The brothers also pointed to differing attitudes toward faith. Josh Farro said lyrics on Brand New Eyes in particular "contradict their faith".

  The band kept making records. Riot! arrived in 2007 and Brand New Eyes in 2009. A self-titled album followed in 2013, After Laughter in 2017 and This Is Why in 2023. The current lineup is Williams, Zac Farro and York, and Williams is the only member on all six albums.

  In a 2019 interview with l'Odet, she was asked whether she would stay in Paramore for a long time. She said that when the band tours, there are seven members, and that they are all friends. Her answer ended with a line about the band's future: "As long as we're friends, the band just is. It's just in us."

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• 4. Guest Spots

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  The 2009 film Jennifer's Body carried a Williams song on its soundtrack, a track called "Teenagers". She wrote and recorded it herself. Afterward she stated that she had no plans to establish herself as a solo artist. Over the next few years, she kept appearing on other people's records instead.

  In 2010, she sang on "Airplanes" by alternative rapper B.o.B, from his debut album B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray. Released as a single, it reached the top ten in nineteen countries. It peaked at number one in the United Kingdom and New Zealand, and at No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. The RIAA later certified it Diamond.

  A sequel, "Airplanes, Part II", added new verses from B.o.B and a guest verse from Eminem. Williams' vocals remained from the original. The song earned a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.

  Her guest list is long. It includes The Chariot, October Fall, New Found Glory and Set Your Goals. In 2011, she joined Weezer on "Rainbow Connection" for the album Muppets: The Green Album. In 2013, the EDM producer Zedd brought her onto "Stay the Night", from his debut studio album, Clarity. In 2019, she sang with American Football on "Uncomfortably Numb", from the band's third self-titled album.

  On the 5th of June 2023, it was announced that she would appear on Taylor Swift's re-recording of Speak Now, originally released in 2010. Her track was "Castles Crumbling".

  The year 2025 brought a run of new credits. On the 30th of April, the Turnstile track "Seein' Stars" came out, with vocals from Williams and Blood Orange. On the 5th of June, she joined Turnstile onstage in Brooklyn to perform it live. Moses Sumney's "I Like It I Like It" followed on the 8th of May, with Williams as a collaborator. She also appeared on David Byrne's album Who Is the Sky? and Jay Som's album Belong, released on the 5th of September and the 10th of October.

  With David Byrne, she also worked on "Open the Door", written for Netflix's animated film The Twits, which is based on Roald Dahl's novel. The song was released on the 12th of October 2025, five days before the film.

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• 5. Solo Records

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  On her 31st birthday, in December 2019, Williams announced that she would release solo music in 2020. Flyers showing her picture under the title Petals for Armor began appearing in several US cities and abroad. Her debut solo single, "Simmer", arrived on the 22nd of January 2020 with a music video. The same day, she announced that her debut studio album would come out on the 8th of May 2020.

  In an interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music, it emerged that an EP, Petals for Armor I, would arrive first, on the 6th of February 2020. On the 19th of March, she postponed the second half of the EP. In its place she released "Roses/Lotus/Violet/Iris", featuring Boygenius. Petals for Armor II was eventually released on the 21st of April 2020. A solo tour for the album was postponed from May and then canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In December 2024, on her 36th birthday, she announced plans to play the canceled shows in 2025.

  In January 2021, she began teasing a project titled Flowers for Vases / Descansos. She unofficially released its single "My Limb" by giving a CD with the track on it to a dedicated fan. The album itself came out on the 5th of February 2021.

  Her third album took a more unusual route. On the 23rd of July 2025, she shared a single called "Mirtazapine" exclusively on Nashville radio station WNXP. Two days later, she performed it at the Newport Folk Festival with Bleachers. On the 28th of July, she made that song and 16 more new tracks available to stream on her own website. Access required a passcode, which was distributed through her hair product company, Good Dye Young.

  On the 1st of August, all 17 songs went to streaming services as stand-alone singles on her own label, Post Atlantic. Secretly Distribution handled the digital distribution. The full album, Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party, was released on the 28th of August with an eighteenth song added. On the 10th of November, she announced a supporting tour, named Hayley Williams at a Bachelorette Party, for the following year.

  Then came a new band. On the 30th of January 2026, Williams and Daniel James, producer of Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party, appeared on Apple Music 1 to launch Power Snatch. They premiered their debut track, "Assignment". The month before, they had quietly posted a song called "DMs" on Bandcamp. On the 2nd of February, they released "Assignment" to streaming services alongside a three-song EP titled EP1.

  On the 9th of March, Power Snatch put out a cover of "Perfect Hand", from This is Lorelei's album Box for Buddy, Box for Star. In a press statement, James credited that cover with the formation of the band.

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• 6. Voice And Honors

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  A four-octave range is the number most often attached to Williams, who is a soprano. Emilee Lindner of MTV News noted her ability to sing in the whistle register. Maura Johnston of Rolling Stone called her style "acrobatic". Alternative Press wrote in 2007 that she "has more charisma than singers twice her age, and her band aren't far behind in their chops, either."

  In an October 2007 blog post, the singer-songwriter John Mayer praised her voice. He called her "The great orange hope", a nod to her hair, which was orange at the time. She names a wide range of influences, including Björk, Debbie Harry, the Shangri-Las, Siouxsie Sioux, Gwen Stefani, Beyoncé and Brody Dalle of the Distillers.

  In the 2007 Kerrang! Readers' Poll, she finished second to Evanescence's Amy Lee in the "Sexiest Female" category. She won the category in 2008, and again in 2009, 2010-2011 and 2012. She also became a playable character in the video game Guitar Hero World Tour, unlocked by completing "Misery Business" in the vocalist campaign.

  In 2014, the Billboard Women in Music Awards gave her its "Trailblazer Award" for making a unique mark in music and paving the way for other artists. A year later, she played the 'Crimson Curse' in Taylor Swift's music video for "Bad Blood", alongside sixteen other celebrities.

  At the 2015 Grammy ceremony, she and Taylor York won Best Rock Song for "Ain't It Fun". In July 2015, she took the APMA for Best Vocalist. That same summer, however, her public success ran into a private struggle that is told in the final chapter.

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• 7. Beyond Music

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  In March 2013, Williams announced a partnership with MAC Cosmetics for a makeup collection arriving on the 9th of April 2013. The four-piece collection included a bright orange lipstick, an orange nail polish, a shimmery coral eye shadow and a beauty powder. That month she also appeared on the cover of Nylon magazine to promote Paramore's self-titled album. In October, she joined Hard Rock Café's PINKTOBER campaign, which raised awareness and funding for breast cancer research.

  In 2015, she launched the online beauty and music series Kiss-Off on Popular TV.

  In 2016, after more than four years of planning, she launched the hair dye company Good Dye Young with her hair and makeup artist Brian O'Connor. The colors had names with attitude. Riot was an orange, Ex-Girl a pink and Blue Ruin a blue. Steal My Sunshine was a yellow, Rock Lobster a red and PPL Eater a purple. Kowabunga was a green, Narwhal a teal and None More Black a black. The dyes are vegan and cruelty-free.

  In 2017, the company launched Poser Paste, a temporary dye that disappears after one wash. In May 2020, it released Lighter Daze, a range of five semi-permanent pastel colors.

  In November 2020, she released a candle in collaboration with the home fragrance brand Apothekeco. In March 2021, she partnered with Tea Huntress, a tea maker in Nashville. The two new blends were called Bloom and Alibi. A portion of each sale went to Thistle Farms, an organization that helps women survivors of trafficking, abuse and addiction.

  In 2022, she also became host of a podcast, Everything Is Emo.

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• 8. Private Life, Public Voice

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  In late 2007, Williams began dating Chad Gilbert, lead guitarist of New Found Glory. He was already married to Sherri DuPree, lead singer of the rock band Eisley. Williams and Gilbert became engaged on Christmas Day 2014 and were married on the 20th of February 2016. They announced their separation on the 1st of July 2017. His infidelity was later revealed as the reason, and the divorce was finalized by the end of that year. Her song "Dead Horse" was inspired by their relationship. In September 2022, she confirmed that she was in a relationship with her Paramore bandmate Taylor York.

  She has identified as Christian and often discusses her faith in relation to her music. She has also criticized the judgmental nature of some Christians.

  Depression caused her to briefly leave Paramore in mid-2015. In a 2019 interview, she discussed depression, mental health and her divorce. In 2020, she revealed that she had suicidal thoughts but did not act on them. In 2021, she spoke about the impact of generational trauma and said she had been seeing a therapist since 2018. In 2023, she revealed that she had been diagnosed with PTSD in 2018.

  She once publicized her decisions not to smoke, drink alcohol or use recreational drugs, though she now drinks alcohol.

  In 2015, she answered feminist criticism of "Misery Business", Paramore's breakout song. She cited her youth and inexperience as a factor in the song's allegedly misogynistic lyrics. In a blog post, she described herself as "a proud feminist … just maybe not a perfect one".

  In 2021, she announced that she would abandon her personal social media accounts. She said she needed boundaries between her public and private life and wanted to "spend more time looking up and out, rather than down". She pointed fans to Paramore's official accounts instead. She later returned to Instagram but disabled comments on her posts.

  Her politics have been just as public. After the George Floyd protests in 2020, she temporarily handed her Instagram account to the Nashville activist group Teens4Equality to highlight its work. In 2022, she endorsed Democratic nominee Beto O'Rourke in the Texas gubernatorial election. At a 2023 concert, she criticized supporters of Florida governor Ron DeSantis near the start of his presidential bid. At the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Festival, she spoke against candidate Donald Trump and Project 2025.

  In September 2025, she joined the No Music for Genocide campaign, geo-blocking her and Paramore's music in Israel. In November 2025, she said that transphobes were not welcome at her shows.

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