Paramore, Panic! At the Disco & What Happens When Singers Eclipse Their Bands
On Monday, December 14, Paramore announced that founding bassist Jeremy Davis left the band. His departure arrived five years after Josh and Zac Farro left the group, making Hayley Williams the only original member left. The timing is interesting: The Farros left after their third album, Brand New Eyes, but before their most recent, 2013's Self-Titled. The latter record is one the group is most proud of, one they named after themselves to represent who they are. It's also the first that made mainstream music media consider the group to be a real pop-rock act worth discussing... not just the popular kids on the Warped Tour.
If Paramore is the album the band is most proud of, we're talking about the band as it stood yesterday: the trio of Williams, guitarist Taylor York and Davis. Let's be honest: With Davis out of the picture, talking about Paramore truly feels like talking about Hayley Williams. In a way, it always has.
Williams first signed a production deal at the age of 14. Her then-managers, Dave Steunebrink and father Richard Williams, introduced her to some folks at Atlantic Records who wanted to sign her then and there. She objected, sighting a love for playing punk in bands. Even then, she knew her talent was best served as a frontperson, not as a solo artist.
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