Hayley Williams says Paramore’s new album is the band at their "most political"

(Image credit: Zachary Gray / Press)

In the days leading up to the release of their new album, Paramore vocalist Hayley Williams has described This Is Why as their most political collection of songs.

In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Williams says that recent global events, along with a social and cultural shift, has informed the forthcoming release.

"It's our most political album in the sense that, I would expect or I would hope, any single person can find something that they fully understand that they're directly impacted by when it comes to social politics or otherwise," says Williams. "And I don't think that you should have to be a minority or a marginalised person to have enough empathy to see it and to not only see it, but to try and figure out what the step is that you should take. Doing that type of soul searching and also paying enough attention, it just naturally brings up a lot in a person."

Their sixth album was produced by Carlos de la Garza, who worked with the band on their 2017 release After Laughter. Williams hopes that for the weighty issues which have inspired the 10-track effort, This Is Why will provide some form of comfort for their fans.

“The album reflects something of what all of us are experiencing currently and the anxiety of it," she adds. "But there's also the hope that our album and, of course, our shows can be a wonderful release for people, an escape or a shelter from what's happening."

This Is Why will be released on February 10 through Atlantic. Paramore will tour the UK and Ireland this spring, with US dates to follow. Date below.

Paramore tour dates 2023

Apr 13: Dublin 3Arena, Ireland
Apr 15: Cardiff International Arena, UK
Apr 17: Glasgow OVO Hydro, UK
Apr 18: Manchester AO Arena, UK
Apr 20: London O2 Arena, UK
Apr 22: Birmingham Utilita Arena, UK

May 23: Charlotte Spectrum Center, NC
May 25: Atlanta State Farm Arena, GA
May 27: Atlantic City Adjacent Festival, NJ
May 30: New York Madison Square Garden, NY
Jun 02: Washington Capital One Arena, DC
Jun 04: Cleveland Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, OH
Jun 05: Indianapolis Gainbridge Fieldhouse, IN
Jun 07: Detroit Little Caesars Arena, MI
Jun 08: Toronto Scotiabank Arena, ON
Jun 10: Columbus Schottenstein Center, OH
Jun 11: Pittsburgh PPG Paint Arena, PA
Jun 13: Orlando Amway Center, FL
Jun 14: Hollywood Hard Rock Live, FL
Jul 06: New Orleans Smoothie King Center, LA
Jul 08: Fort Worth Dickies Arena, TX
Jul 09: Austin Moody Center, TX
Jul 11: Houston Toyota Center, TX
Jul 13: Denver Ball Arena, CO
Jul 16: San Diego Viejas Arena, CA
Jul 19: Los Angeles Kia Forum, CA
Jul 22: San Francisco Chase Center, CA
Jul 24: Seattle Climate Pledge Arena, WA
Jul 25: Portland Veterans Memorial Coliseum, OR
Jul 27: Salt Lake City Vivint Arena, UT
Jul 29: Tulsa BOK Center, OK
Jul 30: St Louis Enterprise Center, MO
Aug 02: St. Paul Xcel Energy Center, MN

Tickets are on sale now.

Born in 1976 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Simon Young has been a music journalist for over twenty-six years. His fanzine, Hit A Guy With Glasses, enjoyed a one-issue run before he secured a job at Kerrang! in 1999. His writing has also appeared in Classic Rock, Metal Hammer, Prog, and Planet Rock. His first book, So Much For The 30 Year Plan: Therapy? — The Authorised Biography is available via Jawbone Press.