Hayley Nichole Williams, born December 27, 1988 (age 35) in Meridian, Mississippi , is the lead vocalist, primary songwriter, and front-woman of Paramore.
Biography[]
In 2002, at age 13, Williams moved from her hometown Meridian, Mississippi, to Franklin, Tennessee, where she met fellow band members Josh Farro and Zac Farro in school. Shortly after arriving, she began taking vocal lessons with Brett Manning.
While still in school, she tried out for a local funk cover band called The Factory, where she met bassist Jeremy Davis. Williams introduced the boys together, and Paramore began. In 2005, John Janick, founder of record label Fueled By Ramen, signed a contract with them.
Before joining Paramore, Hayley was part of a Christian musical group in 2003 called the Mammoth City Messengers. The group was apart of a project that didn't work and ended in 2004.
On December 27, 2019, Hayley's 31st birthday, she announced her first solo project called Petals for Armor, which was released on May 8, 2020.
On February 05, 2021, she released her second solo album, a prequel to Petals for Armor, FLOWERS for VASES / descansos.
Features[]
Hayley is a guest singer on 'Fallen' by Death In the Park (which she has occasionally performed live with the band), 'Then Came to Kill' by The Chariot, 'Keep Dreaming Upside Down' by October Fall, 'Tangled Up' by New Found Glory, 'The Church Channel' and 'Plea' by Say Anything, and 'The Few That Remain' by Set Your Goals, and appeared, along with the band, in the music video for "Kiss Me" by New Found Glory. Hayley has also been featured as a guest singer on 'As U Wave' by Halfnoise.
In the 2007 Kerrang! Readers' Poll she finished second to Evanescence's Amy Lee in the "Sexiest Female" category, going on to win the first place spot for "Sexiest Female" a year later in the 2008 poll. She also appears as a playable character in the video game Guitar Hero World Tour.
On October 2, during Brand New Eyes Fall US Tour, it was announced that a few tour dates were postponed due to Hayley Williams becoming infected with laryngitis. Hayley had written the song 'Teenagers' by herself as a track for the film Jennifer's Body. The song was once played by Paramore, though it was never officially released.
Later on, she was featured in 'Airplanes' and 'Airplanes II' by B.o.B which was a top hit in many countries. In 2011, Hayley was featured in a song called 'Rainbow Connection' performed by Weezer and herself. The song was apart of The Muppets Green Album. In 2013, she was featured in the song 'Stay the Night ' by Zedd. A few remixes of the song and the single itself were featured on iTunes.
In 2015, Hayley was featured in the song 'Vicious Love' by New Found Glory and also appeared on the music video. During that same year Hayley was featured in the song 'Bury It' by CHVRCHES.
In January 2019, Hayley was featured in the song 'Uncomfortably Numb' by the band American Football. 4 years later, in 2023, she featured on Taylor Swift's 'Castles Crumbling', the 20th track on 'Speak Now (Taylor's Version)'.
Influences[]
Williams has said that her favorite bands/artists are The Cure, Bjork, Saves The Day, mewithoutYou, Whitney Houston, Slick Shoes, The Chariot, Now Now, Radiohead, Every Children, No Doubt, Canon Blue, Fireworks, Set Your Goals, Tegan and Sara, H2O, Lemuria, and The Swellers.
Personal Life[]
Hayley Williams had been a Christian all her life and had focused many of the songs she wrote in Paramore on her attitude, her faith, and her ideas.
In the September 2009 issue of Alternative Press #255, Hayley and Paramore guitarist Josh Farro confirmed they had been dating for nearly three years before splitting in the fall of 2007. "We didn't know if it would look bad," says Williams. "We were so young, and it seemed like it would look like a big joke," Josh adds. "We didn't want the band to be about me and Hayley being in a relationship together because then [the band] would be about our relationship, not our music. It distracts people from the whole point of being in a band." Their relationship was later confirmed again by Josh Farro in his "Exit Statement.".
Hayley is good friends with fellow artists such as Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Bethany from Best Coast, and several other not well-known bands, such as Fun., and The Swellers.
Hayley runs a hair-dye company called GoodDyeYoung alongside her long-term friend and hairdresser, Brian O'Connor, since 2016.
On January 1st, 2015 Hayley announced her engagement to Chad Gilbert, lead guitarist for New Found Glory on Twitter. They married on February 20th, 2016. On July 1, 2017, Hayley and Chad Gilbert announced on Instagram they had split up after nearly ten years together and a year of marriage. The song 'Dead Horse', featured on her solo album 'Petals For Armor' tells about their relationship and how unhealthy and toxic it was.
With the release of Petals for Armor, Hayley states in songs like 'Taken', 'Pure Love' and 'Crystal Clear' that she is in a relationship with someone. She even mentioned have fallen 'deeply in love' in her 'thank you' note on Petals for Armor release day. And in a interview with actress Anna Faris for her podcast 'Anna Faris is Unqualified', she confirmed she is in a relationship - a healthy one.
In late 2022, both Hayley and Taylor York confirmed through an interview to The Guardian[1] that they're in a relationship together and didn't want to elaborate any further.
Awards[]
| Title | Award | Nominees | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kerrang! Readers Poll (2007) | Sexiest Female | Hayley Williams | Nominated |
| Kerrang! Readers Poll (2008) | Sexiest Female | Hayley Williams | Won |
| Los Premios MTV Latinoamérica (2009) | Premio Fashionista Award | Hayley Williams | Nominated |
| Shockwaves NME Awards (2009) | Sexiest Female | Hayley Williams | Won |
| Kerrang! Readers Poll (2009) | Sexiest Female | Hayley Williams | Won |
| Spin Magazines' Readers Poll (2009) | Sex Godess of the Year | Hayley Williams | Won |
| Grammy Awards (2011) | Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals | Hayley Williams & B.o.B (+ Eminem) | Nominated |
| BET Awards (2011) | Best Collaboration | Hayley Williams & B.o.B | Nominated |
| Shockwaves NME Awards (2011) | Most Stylish | Hayley Williams | Nominated |
| Shockwaves NME Awards (2011) | Hottest Woman | Hayley Williams | Nominated |
| Kerrang! Awards (2012) | Tweeter of the Year | Hayley Williams | Nominated |
| Kerrang! Awards (2012) | Hottest Female | Hayley Williams | Won |
| Shockwaves NME Awards (2012) | Hottest Female | Hayley Williams | Won |
| Kerrang! Awards (2013) | Hottest Female | Hayley Williams | Nominated |
| Alternative Press Awards (2014) | Best Vocalist | Hayley Williams | Nominated |
| MTV VMA Awards (2014) | MTV Clubland Award |
Stay the Night (Zedd & Hayley Williams) |
Won |
| MTV VMA Awards (2014) | Best Editing | Stay the Night (Zedd & Hayley Williams) | Nominated |
| Billboard Women in Music (2014) | Trailblazer Award | Hayley Williams | Won |
| 57th Annual Grammy Awards (2015) | Best Rock Song | "Ain't It Fun" (Hayley Williams & Taylor York) | Won |
| Kerrang! Awards 2015 | Best Tweeter | Hayley Williams | Won |
| Alternative Press Music Awards 2015 | Best Vocalist | Hayley Williams | Won |
| MTV EMA (2020) | Best Alternative | "Simmer" | Won |
Featured Albums[]
Paramore[]
Solo[]
- Petals for Armor I
- Petals for Armor II
- Petals for Armor III
- Petals for Armor
- Petals for Armor: Self-Serenades
- FLOWERS for VASES / descansos
Trivia[]
- Hayley has a Twitter account (that is currently deactivated): @yelyahwilliams.
- Hayley has an Instagram account: @yelyahwilliams.
- Hayley has a Tumblr blog (that is currently inactive): @yelyahwilliams.
- She has written every Paramore song.
- She has a dog named Alf.
- Hayley was known for her bright orange hair, which has been dyed several different shades over the past few years, ranging from bright red to blonde. Her hair is currently a ginger tone.
- Her natural hair color is blonde.
- Hayley can play guitar, but she does not perform it. She used to play keyboard live during Paramore's early days.
- Hayley secretly left the band during 2016, but Taylor managed to bring her back.
- Hayley had many nicknames, such as Spongebob when she had a gap between her teeth, Hayles, H, H-bomb, and Hayleyball.
- Hayley's favorite movies are Wayne’s World, Son In Law, Pet Sematary, & True Romance.
- Hayley's favorite food used to be Josh Farro's father's walnut chicken.
- Her favorite, original hairdresser and close friend is Brian O’Connor.
- She was featured in the video game Guitar Hero World Tour as a playable character. To unlock her, the player must complete Misery Business in Vocalist career.
- Being the lead vocalist, Hayley is the only member of Paramore to be featured on all five albums.
- She (along with Zac and Taylor) has her own signature for the After Laughter Era, hers being red, Taylor's being yellow and Zac's being blue.
Sources[]
- Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hayley_Williams).
- Paramore.net (http://paramore.net).
- Hayley Fashion (http://hayleyfashion.info/hayley/basic-facts/).
- AceShowBiz (http://www.aceshowbiz.com/celebrity/hayley_williams/awards.html).
- Huffington Post (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/16/hayley-williams-quotes-15_n_3093558.html#slide=2344625).
- GoodReads (http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/4119881.Hayley_Williams).
- Alter the Press! (http://www.alterthepress.com/2014/01/hayley-williams-is-releasing-her-own.html).
- SugarScape (http://www.sugarscape.com/tags/paramore/655797/paramore-laugh-being-compared-avril-lavigne).
References[]
Current Members
Hayley
|
Former Members
Touring Members
Former Touring Members
  |
All We Know is Falling |
|---|---|
| Songs | All We Know • Pressure • Emergency • Brighter • Here We Go Again • Never Let This Go • Whoa • Conspiracy • Franklin • My Heart |
| Bonus Tracks | Oh Star • This Circle |
| Members | Hayley Williams • Josh Farro • Jason Bynum • Zac Farro |
  |
Riot! |
|---|---|
| Songs | For a Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic • That's What You Get • Hallelujah • Misery Business • When It Rains • Let the Flames Begin • Miracle • Crushcrushcrush • We Are Broken • Fences • Born for This |
| Bonus Tracks | When It Rains (Demo Version) • Misery Business (Acoustic) • Temporary • Decoy • My Hero • Stop This Song (Lovesick Melody) • Rewind |
| Members | Hayley Williams • Josh Farro • Jeremy Davis • Zac Farro |
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  |
Brand New Eyes |
|---|---|
| Songs | Careful • Ignorance • Playing God • Brick By Boring Brick • Turn It Off • The Only Exception • Feeling Sorry • Looking Up • Where the Lines Overlap • Misguided Ghosts • All I Wanted |
| Bonus Tracks | Decode • Ignorance (Acoustic Version) • Where the Lines Overlap (Acoustic Version) • Brick By Boring Brick (Acoustic Version) • Turn It Off (Acoustic) |
| Members | Hayley Williams • Josh Farro • Taylor York • Jeremy Davis • Zac Farro |
  |
Paramore |
|---|---|
| Songs | Fast In My Car • Now • Grow Up • Daydreaming • Interlude: Moving On • Ain't It Fun • Part II • Last Hope • Still Into You • Anklebiters • Interlude: Holiday • Proof • Hate to See Your Heart Break • (One of Those) Crazy Girls • Interlude: I'm Not Angry Anymore • Be Alone • Future |
| Bonus Tracks | Escape Route • Native Tongue • Tell Me It's Okay • Decode • The Only Exception • Brick By Boring Brick • Let the Flames Begin |
| Members | Hayley Williams • Jeremy Davis • Taylor York |
  |
After Laughter |
|---|---|
| Songs | Hard Times • Rose-Colored Boy • Told You So • Forgiveness • Fake Happy • 26 • Pool • Grudges • Caught in the Middle • Idle Worship • No Friend • Tell Me How |
| Members | Hayley Williams • Taylor York • Zac Farro |
