Paramore’s Hayley Williams has opened up about pop fans in 2024, and shared that she finds the competitive nature of fanbases “really fucking annoying”.
READ MORE: Paramore at 10: how the career-defining album proves the fraught nature of success
The pop-punk icon took to her Instagram Story after a recent Paramore show in Hamburg, where they opened for Taylor Swift. Williams explained how she has noticed artists’ fanbases becoming increasingly eager to compare their favourite musicians.
The issue, she added, is predominantly in the pop world, where fans can get too centred on chart placements or units sold – leading to them using those stats to suggest their favourite artists are better than someone else.
“Something I’ve been thinking about a lot, and why I don’t really love it… Especially in the music world, whether it’s the pop girls or any scene, really, people only give a fuck about numbers now, and stats,” she began, talking off-screen while the camera recorded (via Stereogum).
“That is so lame. It’s very fun, don’t get me wrong. It’s sick. We’ve had a Number One album and top this and that albums, yes. That shit is great… But I just remember a time when that was not so important, and that also wasn’t a gotcha for a stan-war type of situation.”
She continued, explaining that she gets frustrated seeing it happen and wishes that more fans would just be supportive of musicians releasing their work.
Hayley Williams speaks on fans fighting over chart positions, sales, etc. pic.twitter.com/KCPKqHNFeP
— (@concertleaks) July 23, 2024
“Anyway, I just think it’s really fucking annoying. My side of the internet, which is basically not really the internet, I just get to support all the pop girls,” she concluded. “Maybe that’s a privilege because I’m not a pop girl, but I just think everyone should cool it and let people make really great music and shit… I’m over it.”
The Stories have now expired from Williams’ page, and she also shared a follow-up image that honed in on her point. It showed an animated turtle and, over the top, she wrote: “Witnessing stan wars makes me so happy pmore is not really in the pop world. I just get to enjoy the good shit that’s come out this year and I’m sorry some of yall cant that’s gotta be tough damn.”
Despite not classifying herself or Paramore as pop stars, there is no doubt that Paramore have huge ties to the world of pop, particularly in recent months.
Earlier this summer, the band joined Taylor Swift on her mammoth ‘Eras Tour’, acting as support for the UK shows. This also came as both Williams and Swift joined forces for the song ‘Castles Crumbling’ – which was first released on ‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’ in 2023.
The opening night of the UK shows, which took place on June 7 in Edinburgh, saw Paramore playing a tight nine-song set taking in their greatest hits as well as their recent cover of Talking Heads’ ‘Burning Down The House’. Williams previously said she was “so ready” to tour with Swift upon praising the pop star’s latest album, ‘The Tortured Poet’s Department’.
Elsewhere, Williams was given writing credit on Olivia Rodrigo’s chart-topping song ‘Good 4 U’, and brought huge names out as surprise guests on Paramore’s 2023 tour, including Lil Uzi Vert, MUNA and Billie Eilish.
As for what’s next with Paramore, at the start of the year it was revealed that the band were looking for a ‘fresh start’ since parting ways with their Atlantic record label.
‘This Is Why’ marked their final album to be released with the esteemed label. It was given a five-star review by NME, which read: “Paramore are reaching to where, finally, their music has wanted to get to for the best part of the past decade. Rather than try to top their peerless anthems, the band have instead uncovered a new warmth on ‘This Is Why’, and the effect is triumphant indeed.”
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